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Therapy agreement

By booking an appointment each client agrees to the therapy agreement; it is detailed in order to cover every eventuality based on my 20 years of clinical experience.

Boundaries and respect in therapy.

A boundary in therapy is to educate the client whats ok and what’s not ok. I’m very straightword in asserting boundaries. Nothing is sustainable without boundaries. As Brene Browne says…

Empathy minus boundaries is not empathy

Compassion minus boundaries is not genuine 

Vulnerabilty without boundaries is not vulnerability 

Boundaries are not fake walls, they are not separation or division, boundaries are respect.

Therapy without boundaries is not therapy. I educate all my clients about boundaries in therapy. You may be used to therapy being a different way if you have had therapy elsewhere but the way I do things will invariably be a new experience for you.

Cancellation or rescheduling notice period – updated June 2022 – these terms replace any previous terms 

All cancellations or rescheduling should be made verbally via telephone (fine if it goes through to voicemail); regrettably, email or text messages will not be accepted and I will simply ignore these messages as they do not follow the arrangement we have agreed together. Due to associated costs, I ask that you give *1 full working weeks notice to cancel or reschedule (fees will still have to be paid for time off that you are choosing to elect as this is during a course of treatment) you have up until 5 pm to cancel the next appointment on the same day that your last appointment was attended) if you choose not to pay and expect me to sit in a vacant unpaid slot then you will lose your allocated space. Rescheduling as it was previously is no longer possible as 48 hours wasn’t enough time to fill the slot and it wasted clinical time. In addition, rescheduling simply became too problematic as all other spaces are generally booked out to other patients. All clients understand that all other slots are booked out to other clients and that each client agrees to attend their designated appointment at that is scheduled solely for them on same day at the same time every week, my clients do not move their scheduled appointment time without sufficient notice and prior agreement.

Cancellation or rescheduling voicemail messages received out of this time or do not adhere to the policy are not accepted and I have to charge for the time that was booked in. To repeat - Any cancellations or rescheduling should be made verbally - cancellations or rescheduling messages that do not follow the agreement (consideration of other patients and respect for clinical time) that is owed for that slot/time or you will lose your rolling booking and it will be allocated to another person – if you do not pay to reserve it.

1 Week Notice of cancellation to end therapy

1 week notice is required as notice to end therapy or the fee is due to cover clinical time and costs that the client was responsible for.

If you do decide to send a text because you haven’t read the terms and conditions or therapy agreement (your responsibility to do this upon arranging any session) then you will lose your slot and I will allocate the time elsewhere as I no longer have time to deal with excuses. Leaving a voicemail later than requested notice and stating “did you not get my previous voicemail?” or “I know your policy says this but” do not send messages with “I know it’s late notice but” will just be ignored as you are choosing to ignore the agreement and these texts will not be accepted as as reasons as this is why the agreement is in place and there is a discussion required. Put simply, there are only three main reasons as outlined in the therapy agreement to cancel – see below. Everything else is simply an excuse which I don’t have time for.

If you work 9-5 then ask your employer that you need time to attend your regular sessions as I work 9 am to 5 pm and do not do so out of these times as I have other commitments.

It is important that each patient attends their scheduled session as other places in the diary are generally full. Any DNA (Did Not Attend) will be removed from the practice list and you will be blocked from further communication.

Session timings

We will meet at the same time each week, and sessions last for 50 minutes. Your regular appointment time is reserved for you and you understand a commitment to attend the appointments that we make.

Commitment to the process 

It is expected that you commit to attending weekly sessions until we mutually agree and evaluate therapeutic progress.

Lateness Policy 

If you arrive partway through your face to face or Zoom online session due to lateness then the full fee still applies as you must allow sufficient time remaining for the treatment to take place, therefore maximum time for lateness is 15 minutes or the session cannot be conducted and the fee/session will be lost. Sometimes the session prior to your scheduled appointment may run slightly over time but this is always kept to a minimum. This is similar to how any practice, such as a GP practice or Dentist has to manage patient caseloads accordingly.

Moving a same-day session 

Any session is reserved solely for you – therefore moving your appointment to a different hour on the same day with short notice would naturally incur an additional prepayment in advance fee for an additional 50 minutes to an hour session. All patients receive a full confirmation of their appointment details to ensure there can be no confusion whatsoever. Be mindful that face to face sessions are in high demand and are generally fully booked by other patients and it is unlikely that another time on the same day will be readily available – this is why I explain that patients stick to and attend their scheduled appointment.

Other Appointments 

If you decide to book another external appointment and accept it (dentist, gp etc) when you are obligated to attend the session you have accepted with me then the fee will still be due as clinic time is valuable and is to be respected as such. The correct response in these instances is to say you already have a scheduled therapy appointment that you are committed to attend.

Put simply, don’t book another appointment that conflicts with your scheduled therapy time, unless of course you provide the required notice.

All missed or forgotten sessions outside of this will be charged at the full fee, including holidays (irrelevant of notice given but sessions can convert to zoom as expecting me to sit in a vacant/unpaid session for a rolling reserved slot is not going to happen as it’s prepay to reserve), work commitments, conflicting appointments, childcare issues, travel issues, illness, others illness, and other emergencies. Financial issues would still require any session that was scheduled to be paid for in the event of ending therapy due to limited finances unless the full 1 weeks notice is given. There is no fee if I cannot make a session.

Client understands the following about missed sessions:

• If they cannot attend a session, for any reason they are required to give 1 week’s notice. Full fees will still be due. This includes the notice required for ending therapy and the fee is due for the session you scheduled and agreed to regardless of whether you attend it or not. 
• If they will be away on holiday leave they are still required to pay for the sessions missed, however  catch-up sessions will try to be arranged to make up for those missed during their leave or a zoom session will be offered but if this is declined then the fee will still be due for your reserved time as the slot is reserved solely for you and I’m not sitting in a vacant, unpaid slot. Someone new also can’t start their rolling weekly therapy by attending a one off session. 
• If Michael cannot attend a session, clients do not have to pay for the missed session. Michael will contact you, and agree to give as much notice as possible, to minimise disruption, where possible. Michael will also try to re-arrange the session at a time suitable for both parties.

Appropriate Alternative – Zoom online 

In the event of a situation requiring you not able to attend clinic in person but you are able to do so from home then it is common courtesy to change the face to face appointment (with the required notice) to an online Zoom session as an appropriate alternative or your session will be lost. Due to Wi-fi connectivity issues in clinic one cannot change a face to face on the same day to zoom and I do not take my laptop to the clinic and phone connectivity in clifton is poor. Choosing not to have an alternative Zoom session in this instance may mean you lose your slot as a consequence of lack of courtesy in this instance as this is not respectful of the therapeutic alliance. Simply saying that you do not like online sessions unfortunately is not a valid reason.

For example, if you’ve decided to go somewhere that doesn’t have wi-fi connectivity then that’s your drama. I don’t get involved in decisions that you’ve made of this nature.

Zoom and in person session protocols that you consent to when you arrange any session are as follows:

• I will dress appropriately for online and in person sessions.
• I will not record the session.
• I will not post or share post or share onto social networks or forums any written correspondence between us or video footage from our work together.
• I will not let anyone else listen in to the online session (via any device or in person) unless there is mutual, prior consent and a consent form has been signed by us both.

Drug/Alcohol and Intoxication Policy 

Please be aware that should you arrive at the session in person or online via Zoom being under the influence of drugs or alcohol can prevent you getting the most from your sessions. Standard therapy policy is that if you are intoxicated or impaired through drug or alcohol use, or your therapist believes you are intoxicated, the therapist will end the session until the next week. Payment will be required for the session. Therapy can continue the next week as long as you are able to agree to these criteria as treatment cannot go ahead in these circumstances as per compliance with the therapeutic guidelines and code of ethics.

Abusive, Aggressive/Rude Behaviour or inconsiderate messages. 
I do not tolerate any such behaviours (aggressive or passive aggressive or inconsiderate) in any instance and communication will be curtailed in any such instances as this destroys something called the therapeutic alliance and once messages of this time are sent then there is simply no point in continuing therapy due to lack of respect. I do not reply to disrespectful phone or email messages in these instances as I don’t have time to waste on such matters. I adhere to a strict code of ethics and this ‘ethical policy’ also allows me to discontinue and end treatment when a patient is blatantly disrespectful/aggressive/abusive or rude. So do take time to think about the tone of a message or email when you address me before you decide to press send.

Minimising Noise 

Unfortunately, due to quiet being required to carry out the guided imagery part of treatment, one can understandably realise that there are no provisions for pets, babies, toddlers or children to wait outside the waiting area as this can be disruptive to another patients treatment and one must be respectful to other patients. One wouldn’t want one’s own treatment to be disturbed in this way and of course this is why a calm environment is required. The same applies to mobile use and keeping conversation to a non-intrusive level. Should there be a rare occasion whereby external noise becomes an issue then I reserve the right to reschedule the session in such instances. Patients must make sure that when they are participating in a Zoom online call to ensure they are somewhere quiet or if in a car, parked up with a secure connection. 

Prepaying to reserve a specific time 

We operate a strict policy where every patient has to fully understand that they are prepaying a week in advance to reserve a designated rolling space in the diary for which they are responsible for (whether you attend or not) and there are only three main reasons we will accept for cancellation: 

1. Provide evidence of a covid positive LFT test (not suspecting you have covid) result I’d prefer that you not attend clinic. It is your responsibility to ensure you have purchased a lateral flow test (Government change from 1st April 2022) or have an existing LFT test kit. However, if you have tested negative with a simple head cold then as long as you can still hear, as hypnosis requires the simple ability to listen. If you have a cold you would still listen to the radio, drive etc so you can still attend your scheduled session. If you do test positive for covid then the session will revert to zoom online. Saying you do not like zoom isn’t an acceptable reason/excuse as plenty of similar sessions are done this way. This is standard clinical practice.
2. Hospital admission (with proof provided) due to incapacity or a serious accident requiring urgent treatment 
3. Treacherous travel – UK weather warning issued as a potential danger to life such a Met office UK Weather Warnings. Should you decide not to attend the session with the absence of a UK Weather warning in place then you will remain liable for the session space that was reserved solely for you. Zoom online is offered with appropriate notice as I have to take the computer into the clinic with me, hence the notice required. 

Unfortunately due to associated costs there are no other reasons that will be accepted. This includes illness or others illness as I will not be able to fill the slot with such short notice and the fee for the missed session will be used in such instances. 

The therapy agreement is binding, it adheres to the required boundaries to protect clinical time and is respectful of other patients and protects clinic income – this ensures healthy boundaries and is non-negotiable.

Therapeutic Alliance and your conduct

The therapeutic alliance starts with the first point of contact and continues with boundaries, courtesy and respect. Be aware that I do not reply to any prior client that chose to waste clinical time or had an unpaid session with the fee outstanding.

Example of a considered reply. 

Hi Michael,

Unfortunately, I have another appointment that I have to attend and I won’t be able to make our scheduled session. I appreciate that the prepayment fee will be used in this instance to cover your associated costs.

Standard Reply – in response to throw away text messages. 

Thank you for letting me know, under the terms of the agreement (agreed upon booking) it is strictly one week’s notice of cancellation or reschedule or the full fee is required to cover my costs as I will be unable to fill the scheduled slot or which you are responsible for whether you attend or not. 

All the best,

Michael 

Another example of a standard reply is: 

Unfortunately no, the notice period required is a week in order to arrange for another person to take the slot and I can’t simply absorb the cost of a vacant slot without the offer of payment. 

Please refer to the terms that were issued to you at the start of treatment and do be mindful of the tone of your response to ensure it is considerate and adheres to the therapy agreement and maintains the therapeutic alliance.

Kind regards,

Michael

Breach of Terms standard reply

Thank you for your reply, I’ll cancel your allocated slot and ensure it’s given to another patient who’s waiting for treatment that shows the necessary respect and commitment that’s expected and whom regularly attends therapy sessions in the required manner. It’s been a pleasure working with you.

All good wishes,

Michael

Self-directed booking and MP3 Audio

It is your responsibility to book your sessions in advance in the diary and reserve a regular day and time in order to get the very best results; this includes regularly listening to the MP3 audio track in between the sessions.

PLEASE NOTE: Hypnotherapy is a very effective treatment; however, results may vary, and success cannot be guaranteed. 

Psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and therapy in general is intended to be a supplement to, and not a substitute for professional medical care and treatment. In the case of any serious ailment or condition, please always consult your GP for advice.

Exclusion particulars

I do not write letters of support, or regarding your treatment, for any legal proceedings, police matters or other bodies. However, I can if requested, provide a letter confirming therapy attendance, or write a referral letter to a relevant health professional if other suitable treatment is needed. There may be a charge for writing a letter.

Additional exclusions also apply – For instance, from 2025 onwards, I will no longer work in a 1:1 therapeutic capacity with therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, retired practitioners, those currently in training, or anyone with a professional or personal interest in therapeutic training.

I no longer offer therapy for any personality disorders, drug or alcohol addiction; for example cocaine, ketamine or nitrous oxide addiction, stop-smoking or vaping, clinical or severe depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders or anorexia.

Consistency
Hypnotherapy is most effective when you are seen regularly. Regular rescheduling or cancellation of sessions will prompt a review to discuss continuation or the ending of treatment.

Refunds

No refunds are given unless the patient gives the appropriate notice. Any appointment is only confirmed upon receipt of prepayment for the session and the patient is responsible for paying for the time that is solely reserved for them.

Health Care Provider Insurance 

Some healthcare insurers provide part payment or a number of sessions for hypnotherapy and psychotherapy but it is your responsibility to check with your insurance provider that they cover part of the costs of your treatment before undertaking the treatment plan or the cost will be self-funded by the patient. I do not have a provider number and one must not request that the therapy I provide be named as something else eg counselling. In certain circumstances a consultant can request that your treatment be required as part of your insurance policy but this will need checking for approval. I do not get involved in this aspect apart from providing my standard invoice.

DISCLAIMER

We will always do our best to help you achieve a successful outcome to your therapy. However, you accept that an agreement to work on an issue does not mean that a particular outcome to therapy can be guaranteed. Fees are prepayable for your sessions and you reserve the time whether you attend or not and for the time and expertise of the therapist, regardless of the outcome. Results may differ from person to person. 

Hypnotherapy services are not eligible for refunds as the time has been allocated in the diary and if you are unable to attend then you’ve stopped someone else from accessing the service and could have paid for that time and showed better commitment, therefore patients remain responsible for showing up and the prepayment to secure time in the diary.

 

External event invitations. 

Please refrain from inviting me for coffee, to ‘pick my brain’ to events, talks, media appointments, joint television appearances or radio interviews, business venture, work related talks, weddings, funerals, baby showers, birthday parties etc as this is against the ethical code of therapy conduct. I appreciate clients in being well-meaning but my code of conduct ethical practice state therapists must adhere to strict ethical boundaries and these must be respected.

 

Frequently asked questions the therapy agreement

What is the therapy agreement?

The therapy agreement is in place to protect my income. I work hard to prepare each session, travel to the clinic and schedule in time based on a prepayment to secure the time in the diary. Each patient is responsible for securing the time and the prepayment. One does not simply send a message to cancel clinic time without appropriate notice or consideration. This may be something done elsewhere, with other therapists but my boundaries are in place for valid reasons and the agreement will be upheld.

What will it feel like?

The hypnosis experience is different for everyone. People generally find it very relaxing. Some also experience temporary feelings of lightness, heaviness, or tingling.

Is it safe?

Yes. No-one can be hypnotised against their will and even when in trance people can still reject any of the suggestions given if they are not appropriate.

Will I reveal personal secrets whilst in Hypnosis?

No. Hypnotherapy is not the same as stage hypnosis, you are in full control of all you say and do.

What if I see you outside of the session?

You are welcome to share with other people about the therapy you are receiving, but I am obliged by GDPR law to ensure your confidentiality is protected. I would request that in order to ensure the success of your treatment, that you refrain from discussing your treatment with me outside of your sessions.

Will I lose consciousness whilst in Hypnosis?

During Hypnotherapy, the client is always fully aware and in control of everything that happens. It’s like daydreaming, so even if the therapist left the room and never returned you would come round by yourself within a few minutes, people naturally do this.

Are there any dangers?

None. You will be in a safe environment and will simply be relaxed.

Can anyone be hypnotised?

Most people can go into at least a light trance, this is sufficient for most hypnotherapeutic goals. Therefore, everyone can benefit from Hypnotherapy to some extent.

Do I have to close my eyes? 

Yes. Please ensure you are physically able to close your eyes for the duration of the trance process.

Can I get ‘stuck’ in hypnosis?

No, you can come out of hypnosis at any time.

Will I remember what happened during Hypnosis?

You will remember some things but not all, but this is the way the memory normally works. for example, when you listen to a speech you don’t remember everything that has been said but you will recall the majority of it.

How many sessions will it take?

The number of sessions required always varies from person to person, generally depending on the level of anxiety or stress an individual presents with and how long the anxiety has been present can be a factor…obviously anxiety and stress levels are compounded by multiple issues or problems in the persons life. We would normally agree an initial six weekly sessions and then on the sixth session we would review your progress and discuss the next steps. Please see what it helps for an approximation.

How do I book an initial consultation for hypnotherapy?

Call me on 07967122938 and if the answerphone comes on then please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I am able.

If you would like to contact me for a free initial chat about how hypnotherapy can help you or ask any questions, or if you would like to know whether your problem or issue can be dealt with by hypnotherapy, please do give me a call and I’ll be happy to help.