1. Contract Introduction

1.1 The following is a contract between me, as your therapist, and you, for therapeutic work. It provides you with an understanding of how I work so you are fully informed. Please take some time to read through this.

2. Assessment

2.1 At the assessment (typically the first and possibly future sessions) we will explore the issues that you sought therapy for. During this consultation period we will attempt to get a clear understanding of matters which are important to you in order for me to formulate your difficulties and develop an appropriate therapeutic plan.

2.2 The assessment sessions allow you the chance to see if we can create a shared understanding of your difficulties in a manner which feels purposeful to you - you are not obliged to complete the assessment or embark on further sessions after the assessment period. As I have a duty of care, if I think that you would be better helped by seeing a therapist with a different modality or support, I may offer you the opportunity to be referred to another practitioner.

2.3 If you have any concerns about the process of therapy then I encourage you to discuss these with me.

3. Regularity of Sessions

3.1 Once you have agreed to therapy, I will reserve a weekly time slot (of 50 minutes) for you. This is so that I can set aside the same time for you each week for us to work on your difficulties and gain therapeutic momentum. Weekly sessions are in-line with the evidence base.

4. Cancellation Policy and Planned Breaks

4.1 As your sessions will take place on the same day and time each week, these times will be “reserved” on an ongoing basis. You can cancel any session provided you give 48 hours’ notice, however if regularly cancelling, you may lose your ongoing slot. If you forfeit your space, but wish to resume therapy, you will need to see if spaces are available, noting that there is no guarantee that a slot will be available.

4.2 Any cancellation within 48 hours, changes to the appointment time or non-attendance will be charged at the full fee. I understand life throws surprises, however, to ensure fairness, this cancellation policy applies to holidays, work commitments, illness and other emergencies.

4.3 Please discuss with me in session any future holidays or absences or if you predict an ending of therapy. Please advise me of any foreseeable difficulties in attending, if possible I may be able to accommodate your needs with an alternative slot or a break in therapy.

4.4 Ad hoc sessions are generally used to review your progress after a course of therapy. In some other cases, ad-hoc therapy sessions may be available depending on the circumstance, for example, if you are a shift worker and cannot attend weekly sessions at the same time. My flexibility is limited as my diary is typically full with regular same-time clients on a weekly basis. If you are unable to attend the same day and time every week or cannot attend weekly then please let me know from the outset and we can try to navigate this together. I cannot commit to providing regular ad-hoc sessions but will attempt to accommodate your needs if I can.

5. How to contact me outside of session time

5.1 I encourage you to discuss any concerns you have in your therapy session.

5.2 In the circumstances of canceling please XXXX. If you have any difficulties attending your appointment or need to reorganise please XXXX.

5.3 You are welcome to email me back regarding queries of homework and any other things that do not require an urgent response. I will attempt to respond to any concerns or questions within 48 hours’ unless I am on planned leave or sick.

5.4 You should not email myself or my assistant for concerns around risk or your safety as these emails are not regularly monitored and we are unable to offer urgent support. If you are in danger in any way, please contact emergency services (A&E), 999, your GP or the Samaritans and discuss this with me in our next session.

Payment

6.1 When making your first booking you will be sent a link to pay for your appointment. By entering your credit or debit card details you are authorising Kiku, via Stripe payments, to take payment on my behalf for this session.

6.2. Appointments must be paid ahead of time. If payment is not received by the time of the appointment, I will email you to update you that your appointment is canceled. I understand people forget and life gets in the way, however I do not have the admin capacity to be chasing payments.

6.3. If the above situation in 6.2 occurs, and we do not hear from you within the following 24hours, it will be assumed that you do not wish to continue therapy at this time and your appointment slot will be forfeited. You are more than welcome to get back in contact.

7. Therapist Absences

7.1 I will give you as much notice as possible of my holidays, and of any ad hoc absences which I try to keep to a minimum, for example, if I am teaching. You will not be charged for my absences.

8. Arrival and Late Attendance

8.1 Please arrive on the virtual link, prior to, or at the exact appointment time. I regret that I cannot make up time if you are late. If you do not attend after 10 minutes, I will assume you are not attending, and the appointment will be cancelled.

8.2 If I do not hear from you in the following 48 hours following a missed appointment, it will be assumed that you do not wish to continue therapy at this time and your appointment slot will be forfeited. You are more than welcome to get back in contact.

9. Safety

9.1 Please do not arrive under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. If I have reason to believe that this may be the case, I will discuss this with you.

9.2 Concerns regarding your safety/the safety of others including myself may require me to inform other agencies - please refer to section 12, Confidentiality.

9.3 I do not offer emergency support as I cannot guarantee my availability to you. If you are in danger in any way, please contact emergency services (A&E), your GP or the Samaritans and discuss this with me in our next session.

10. Problems in therapy

10.1 I recognise that many people who struggle with social anxiety, may feel uncomfortable telling me that they are not finding therapy helpful or finding it is not working on what they want. I encourage you to discuss this with me. It is incredibly important for me to know if you are not getting what you want from therapy, and I will not take any concerns raised like this with offense. On the contrary, I would welcome these discussions!

10.2 Formal complaints can be made to my accrediting body via XXXXX.

11. Ending Therapy

11.1 If either you or I think it is time to end the therapy then a discussion should take place which would include how best to end the therapeutic relationship. If you do decide to terminate your therapy sessions, I will require as much notice as you find possible so we can work towards a healthy ending.

11.2 If for some reason I have to discontinue sessions, I will discuss this with you and discuss alternatives for support. I will remain responsible for your full records until such time as they require secure disposal (in accordance with the requirements of my professional body and prevailing legislation).

12. Confidentiality

12.1 All sessions are conditionally confidential. However, I am under legal obligation to:

• inform appropriate agencies if I perceive you are a danger to yourself or to others

• share information if required to do so under a court order or by law

• disclose information if required to do so for the prevention, detection or prosecution of a crime

12.2 By signing this agreement and/or continuing with the first therapy session you give permission for me to hold your assessment information and any other information provided in the course of our work together. I will maintain this in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act, 1998 (as amended), clinical governance audit standards, requirements of my professional body and any other relevant legislation.

12.3 By signing this agreement and/or continuing with the first therapy session you are also giving permission for Sophia Spencer to hold such information as is required to service our working arrangement, this includes but is not limited to data stored in paper form and/or electronically, processing your personal data including but not limited to contact details, bank details, accident forms; processing your sensitive data, including but not limited to, data in respect of your racial or ethnic origin and your physical and mental health; and to transfer your personal data and/or sensitive data outside the European Economic Area.

12.4 I am required to participate in supervision as part of my commitment to good practice and the duty of confidentiality extends to my supervisor/s. Any notes taken in supervision sessions are confidential and full names will not be used.

13. Extra Work Undertaken

13.1 If you want me to write any reports or letters on your behalf, my time in preparing such reports will be charged at my hourly rate. Please let me know in advance if you are seeking a professional letter of any kind or are seeking therapy as part of a legal claim.

14. Insurance

14.1 As an independent practitioner, I hold professional indemnity insurance.

15. Complaints

15.1 It is natural at times to experience feelings of frustration or dissatisfaction about the process of therapy; these should be discussed with me as described earlier (please refer to section 10.

16. Social Media and Confidentiality Policy

Social Media Presence

I maintain a professional presence on Instagram under the handle XXXXX for marketing, educational outreach, and sharing general information about CBT and mental health. This platform is used solely for professional marketing, outreach educational purposes.

Confidentiality and Privacy

Your privacy and confidentiality are of utmost importance. I commit to:

• Never sharing any personal details or information from our therapy sessions

• Never disclosing your identity or status as a client

• Maintaining strict confidentiality regarding all aspects of our therapeutic relationship

Educational Content and Social Media Posts

As part of my professional commitment to mental health education:

• I may reference therapeutic concepts, CBT techniques, or general themes that arise in clinical practice

• Any such content will be presented in a general, anonymised manner

• Specific details, identifying information, or personal circumstances will never be shared

• No content will be traceable to any individual client or session

Communication Guidelines

For your privacy and to maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries:

• Please do not attempt to communicate with me via Instagram or other social media platforms

• Instagram messages are not regularly monitored and will likely be missed

• All clinical communication should be conducted through:

  • Our scheduled sessions

  • The designated contact methods provided at the start of therapy and in this contract in section 5.3.

Social Media Boundaries

To maintain professional boundaries and protect your confidentiality:

• I do not follow clients on social media platforms

• Liking or commenting on my social media posts is at your discretion, but please be aware this may compromise your own privacy

• If you choose to share or comment on my social media content, you do so at your own discretion

I understand that social media can blur professional boundaries. This policy aims to preserve the integrity of our therapeutic relationship while allowing me to share valuable mental health resources with the wider community. If you have any questions about these terms, please discuss them with me during our sessions!