Client Contract & Details

Please carefully read this contract. If you agree, please provide your details on the form below.

About me: 

My name is Peter Edwards

My contact number is 07592 182 890

My email address is Peter@Counselling.Plus

I am a Registered and Accredited Counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I work in private practice offering face-to-face and internet based counselling. I am committed to offering a service which is welcoming to people of all backgrounds in a supportive and non-discriminatory manner.

How I Work With You

We will agree appointment times to meet in my office at 9, Dunstone View, Plymstock PL9 8TW. This could be weekly, or more or less frequently if you request this.  My normal fee is £50 per session, payments to be made by bank transfer in advance of the appointment. I will provide an invoice in advance of each session.

Sessions are usually 60 minutes long; the length of sessions can be varied if appropriate, by agreement. Usually, weekly sessions are best through more or less frequent meetings can easily be agreed depending on your situation and preferences. I make appropriate, confidential notes on each session which are kept on an secure, online system.

What happens if you have to cancel the appointment, or do not arrive?

If you have made payment for a session but are unable to meet at the appointed time, I will retain the fee for the session unless you give a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. In exceptional circumstances I may refund your fee for the appointment.

I will give reasonable notice of any holidays I intend to take; if I am sick or otherwise unable to meet as planned, I will endeavour to notify you as soon as practicable.

If you do not attend two consecutive sessions without prior arrangement, this agreement will automatically expire.

About the way I work

Confidentiality and Security

I am registered with the Data Commissioner’s Office and I will keep your information secure as required by law. Any information about you and what we discuss in our counselling sessions will not be communicated with a third party except for the

purposes of supervision of my work (this is standard practice and required under the Code of Ethics). Your identity will not be revealed to my Supervisor[1].

I am legally bound to make disclosure to the authorities if:

  • I believe you are likely to cause serious harm to others;
  • you reveal that you are involved in money laundering or terrorism;
  • a Court of Law requires me to submit my case notes or give evidence.

If at any point during the counselling I believe that there is a risk of serious harm to you or anyone else, I reserve the right to refer to your GP or other appropriate service – I would normally discuss this with you first.

All personal information disclosed to me will be kept confidential and used only for purposes directly related to our counselling work. All client data is destroyed 8 years after the end of our work together.  I scan documents (such as this one) and upload them to a secure counselling record system  called WriteUpp. I shred all documents as soon as they are scanned.

Guidelines for emergency contact

If you find yourself in a major crisis between appointments and considering serious self-harm it is vital to get immediate help. This could include contacting your GP or your nearest accident and emergency service (A & E). You could also call the Samaritans on 0345 909 090.

I conduct my counselling practice within the BACP ‘Ethical Framework for Counsellors’. This document can be found at www.bacp.co.uk. If at any point within your counselling you think that I am in breach of this code of ethics, I would hope that you would feel comfortable to discuss this with me and that we could find a resolution to the situation. If we were unable to do so, I will provide you with contact details where you can express your concerns directly to the BACP. (These are also available via my website at http://www.counselling.plus).

Counsellor’s Name:Signature:Date:
  Peter EdwardsPeter Edwards  01/01/2024

[1] Please note that if we encounter each other outside our therapy sessions I will not greet you unless you greet me first – otherwise there is a risk that your confidentiality may be broken. Ignoring each other in such circumstances is not rude!

Please complete the personal details form provided below.