Working Agreement
Below is a sample of one of my working agreements with the individuals I work with online. This may be how our working agreement looks but I will often make some adjustments depending on the type of therapy we are doing (online, in-person, couples), your unique situation, and therapeutic needs.
This working agreement is intended to honour the commitment we have to our work together. The points outlined below have been informed by my experience both as a client and as a therapist, as well as the feedback I have received from my clients. My aim with this agreement is to provide you with optimum conditions for you to get the most out of our time together.
How I work is also in accordance with UK ethical guidelines outlined by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, which you can find here: BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. A summary of these guidelines are as follows: I aim to put your interests first, work to professional standards, show you respect, build an appropriate relationship with you, maintain the integrity of our work, demonstrate accountability and candor, and uphold the following values: care, courage, empathy, fairness, humility, autonomy, respect, honesty, freedom, and collaboration.
As a BACP member, I follow the BACP’s complaints procedure, which you can find here:
https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/4731/bacp-guide-to-making-a-complaint.pdf
In the points that follow, I outline how this works in practice in specific areas:
Recordings: I ask that neither you (the client) nor I (the therapist) will record sessions without written consent. If you wish to record a session, just let me know, and we can arrange that.
Duration: Sessions finish after 50 minutes. I allow a few extra minutes for us to set up and work out any potential technical difficulties, so planning for an hour session in total is advised. If we find that we tend to go over time, I will discuss this with you, as it may point us to something needed for the therapy.
Technical difficulties: Working online can come with some unexpected challenges. If we have any technical difficulties, we can continue the session with a phone or video call via WhatsApp. I am also open to other alternative ways we could connect.
Conduct during sessions: I understand that working online and by phone can blur the lines between personal and professional. To get the most out of our sessions, I ask that you help me create a safe and focussed space by ensuring that you are in a place where you can speak openly. Turning off notifications on your computer and refraining from eating or using your phone can also help minimise distractions that can interrupt our time together.
Contact between sessions: Although I hold my clients in mind and reflect on my work in-between sessions, our contact begins and ends at our scheduled time. I want to give you the full attention that you deserve and booking a session is the best way I can offer you that. If you need to contact me between sessions to discuss a scheduled appointment, please get in touch via email, phone, or text message. To enquire about an additional session, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will see what I could offer you. If I am unavailable, and you need emergency support, I have included resources in the welcome pack.
Booking Additional Time: If we agree to meet for additional time beyond our regular appointments, I charge for this time if it exceeds 5 minutes. The fee will be prorated based on your regular fee amount per 50 minutes.
Cancellation Policy: When we are working together, I reserve a regular space specifically for you. For this reason, I ask that we both honour this space and that if you are unable to attend the following may apply depending on the circumstance:
1. Verbal and written cancellations made with more than 48 hours’ notice will be issued a refund or I can carry the payment over to the next session if you’ve already paid in advance.
2. For cancellations made in less than 48 hours, I will retain your payment or I will carry your payment over if we can reschedule for a different time that day or a different day that week and providing that I have availability. It is at my discretion to sometimes waive the fee for the first occurrence as a courtesy only and a gentle reminder of the policy may be given.
3. Not paying in advance is NOT considered giving notice of cancellation. If you do not give written or verbal notice at least 48 hours before our scheduled appointment, you will still need to pay the full fee.
If I cancel: Occasionally, circumstances might prevent me from delivering a session as agreed. I will give you as much notice as possible if this happens. I will not charge you for appointments I cancel and I will do my best to re-book at a time that best suits you.
Grace period: As I book appointments at specific times, I am unable to see you if you arrive outside of the agreed times. So, if you arrive late, I won’t be able to extend the session to compensate. If you are more than 15 minutes late to your appointment, we will need to reschedule your appointment. If you cannot reschedule for another time that same week, you will be responsible for the full fee for a no-show. To avoid paying no-show fees, I require at least 48 hours’ notice for all cancellations (as described above). Both therapist and client have a grace period of 15 minutes.
Payment: I accept Bizum, bank transfer, PayPal, or card payment. All session fees must be paid at least 48 hours before the appointment. Your session is not confirmed without this payment which means that I reserve the right to not attend or book another appointment. If there is repeated late payment, we will need to discuss this and it may result in pausing or ending the therapy.
Text/email reminders: I send automatic appointment reminders to assist you in confirming and remembering your appointments. While I endeavour to remind you of your appointments through SMS and email reminders, these should not be relied upon, as it is your responsibility to keep track of any appointments you have made.
Attendance: I see clients on a weekly basis to build and maintain momentum and as we progress, we may agree to see each other less. While this is a time commitment, this is for your personal growth and consistency is key in order to achieve this. Frequent cancellations (2 per month for weekly clients and 1 per month for fortnightly clients) and/or missed appointments (no show) will need to be looked at, as this can offer important insight into less conscious processes, as well as undermine the therapy if it continues.
Time off: There may be times when you or I need time off. I think carefully about when, and how long, I take time off. I require time off in order to take care of myself so that I can show up to our work together fully and ethically. At times, my time off may interrupt our work, so I will discuss with you how you may use the time I am away to apply what we’ve been working on outside of the therapy room. My time away may also offer you some space to integrate the things we’ve been discussing or to build your confidence around how you manage difficult situations on your own.
It’s also okay for you to take a pause from therapy if that would be supportive for you. Sometimes, especially in long-term work, other things may need to be prioritised over therapy, or you may just want some time to see how you get on without therapy. If you start to feel it would be beneficial to have a pause, you’re welcome to discuss this with me and we can see what might be the most supportive way forward for you.
Ending therapy: You have the right to end the work at any time. Likewise, there are conditions where I may suggest ending the therapy. In both circumstances, it tends to be best to review the decision together. Here are a few reasons why we may need to discuss ending the therapy:
Frequent lateness and failure to attend scheduled sessions
What you need may be beyond my competency or expertise
There is an agreed lack of clinical progress
Repeated late payment without attempts to understand or manage late payment
Conflict of interest, such as if you are already seeing another therapist, or you are coming under conditions that inhibit you from using the space for your own best interest
Declaration: I have read the terms and conditions for employing Dr Sarah Quinley as my therapist and agree to those terms. I undertake therapy on the understanding that it is a collaborative process, and that progress depends in part upon my own motivation and participation.
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