Booking Appointments Online:

You can book and pay for appointments when you need them on an ad hoc basis using my booking system on my appointments page. This offers ultimate flexibility but means your ideal time might get booked by someone else, as most appointments are booked on a reserved basis. You can book as many appointments as you like at any one time. 

Booking an Ongoing Reserved Appointment:

An ongoing reserved appointment is a fixed weekly appointment allocated to you on the same day and time each week which I reserve for you going forward on an open-ended basis. This option usually gives better results because of the commitment you are making to yourself or your relationship and there is added safety in knowing you have a weekly appointment reserved for you. 

Fees for ongoing reserved appointments are invoiced monthly in arrears. I ask for payment to be made when the invoice is submitted. 

Cancelling and Rescheduling Appointments

Appointments cannot be rescheduled or cancelled within seven (7) days of your appointment time. Appointments can only be rescheduled or cancelled, with refund or credit, if notice of at least seven (7) days is given. In this case you can cancel or reschedule your appointment from the appointment confirmation email.

Late Arrivals and No Shows:

If you have not arrived at your session within 15 minutes of the start time, the session will be considered a No Show and will be cancelled and charged as usual.

Fees and Other Charges

Fees are reviewed on a regular basis so they remain commensurate with the level of my training and experience. I will inform you in advance of any increase in fees.

Charges will be made on a pro-rata basis for any reports that I may be required to write or to read in connection with your therapy, or for any contact with your GP, psychiatrist or solicitor. 

Notice to End Therapy

Ending your engagement in psychotherapy is an important process in itself. In normal circumstances ending of therapy is discussed and agreed between us. Please expect to give at least one calendar month's notice to end your therapy. If the therapy has been short term, 12 sessions or less, we can negotiate a shorter notice period. I will suggest regular reviews of how your therapy is serving you to give you the opportunity to reflect and give feedback.

Holidays and Sickness

I will take holidays during the year and will inform you of the dates in advance. If I am sick and cannot carry out a session with you, I will inform you by text or email unless I am not well enough to do so, in which case you will be contacted by my therapeutic executor.

Contact

If I need to contact you I will do so using the preferred contact information you agree to give me.

If you want to contact me, please use text message or email. To protect your privacy and maintain a safe and consistent therapeutic frame I will not discuss your therapy over text message, email or phone. Your therapy will only be discussed in the contained space of your therapy session.

Social Media and Internet Searches

I will not engage with you, or any former client, on social media and will not normally conduct any internet searches on you, unless in extreme circumstances such as if I am unable to find you in a situation in which there may be danger or risk. This is a policy decision to respect your privacy and maintain a healthy boundary around my working life. 

Confidentiality

Your sessions with me are strictly confidential except in the situations indicated below:

• In meetings with my supervisors who are also bound to confidentiality.
• Where there is risk of harm to yourself or to others
• Where I am compelled by a court of law to disclose information about your treatment.
• In the case of non-payment of fees should it lead to legal action.
• When you specifically request I have contact with referring therapists, psychologists, your GP, psychiatrist or other agent.

Process Notes

I keep personal process notes of our sessions. Process notes are strictly for my own use only to help me in reflecting on and improving my work and for use in sessions with my supervisors. 

Supervision

The professional regulatory bodies of which I am a member (UKCP, BACP, UKAHPP and COSRT) require that my clinical practice is supervised in order that my clinical competence and ethics are monitored. Your full identity is never divulged in supervision sessions and my supervisors are bound by the same codes of confidentiality as I am.

Research and Case Studies

I sometimes write about my cases to develop my clinical practice. In such instances I take great care to protect your privacy and always anonymise, use composites, or fictionalise key aspects of the case to ensure it is untraceable to any individual or couple.

Recording of Sessions

I may ask your permission to record sessions. Recorded clips are used to monitor my ethical practice and skills and for on-going training and CPD purposes. Particularly in EFT therapy, it is routine to record sessions as part of the reflective process in giving you the best possible service. As part of this, recorded clips may be used: 

• In supervision sessions (Supervision may be 1-1, in a group, face to face or online.)
• In the therapist's CPD training groups (this may be accompanied by a transcript of the clip).
• In EFT clinical practice and for certification with ICEEFT and BEFT

The above persons are bound by similar confidentiality and ethical standards as myself. Recordings are securely kept and deleted when no longer needed for the purposes above. 

Records and Therapeutic Executor

Your records are kept electronically and securely with password protection for a period of 7 years after you finish your therapy. No one except me has access to your records. In the event of my death or sudden cessation of my practice due to disability or other unforeseen circumstances, my therapeutic executor, a professional colleague bound by the same codes of conduct as myself, will take responsibility for my affairs and your welfare. My therapeutic executor will have access to your records for safekeeping purposes. 

Ethical Standards

I abide by the ethical code of practice of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), the United Kingdom Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP) and the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT). These standards are available at www.psychotherapy.org.uk, www.bacp.co.uk, www.ahpp.org and www.cosrt.org.uk

Therapeutic Relationship

Psychotherapy, couples counselling and relationship therapy is most effective when there is a good therapeutic relationship between client(s) and therapist, irrespective of the modality used. In any event, the therapy will vary according to the personalities of the psychotherapist and client(s) and the nature of your circumstances. Different models and techniques may be used in helping you with the issues you present. Successful therapy usually depends on your willingness to attend appointments regularly and to engage actively, adopting an inquiring attitude to yourself.

The therapeutic relationship is intended to be healing, supportive and sometimes challenging.  There may be times, as in any human relationship, when things feel difficult and it seems hard to persevere. These times, if worked through in the sessions, can promote growth and enhance life. You accept the need to have the intention of seeing things through in such circumstances.  

Risks and Benefits of Therapy

Psychotherapy has benefits and risks. Since therapy my involve discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress and anxiety. There are no guarantees of what you will experience. However, most people benefit and feel empowered by regular psychotherapy work. You are responsible for your own well-being and health physically, emotionally and psychologically during sessions and afterwards. As mentioned in Section 6 above, I will suggest regular reviews of how the therapy is working for you.

When Therapy is Inappropriate

You agree not to attend an appointment under the influence of non-prescribed drugs or alcohol and to not bring babies, children or pets unless by prior arrangement. When this is not observed, the session will most likely be terminated and charged as usual. Additionally, if you pose a threat to my wellbeing the session will be terminated and charged.

Couples Therapy

In couple's therapy your relationship is my client and both of you will need to be present for the session to go ahead. However in the beginning stage of your relationship therapy I usually schedule individual sessions with each of you as part of the therapy. If you attend a couple's session without your partner and without prior arrangement, the session will not go ahead and will be charged as usual. If you are currently in couples therapy with me, it may not be possible for either you or your partner to engage concurrently in individual sessions with me in the same period, unless this is arranged as part of the therapy. After you have concluded couples therapy, individual therapy with either of you, but not both, can be discussed but may not necessarily be possible. 

Spouses, Partners, Children and Family Members

You may discuss the possibility of inviting your spouse, partner, child or family member into one or more of your sessions. However, you accept that it may not be possible for your spouse, partner, child or family member to engage in concurrent individual psychotherapy with me. If at another time your spouse, partner, child or family member would like individual psychotherapy with me, that can be discussed but may not necessarily be possible.

Changes to the Therapeutic Agreement

I reserve the right to vary this agreement when necessary.

Matt Davies is registered as data controller (Ref: ZA254410) with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Data Processing

I do not want to collect data from you unnecessarily. I collect and use your personal and special category data for the following reasons:

• Contract – your personal information is processed in order to fulfil my contractual obligations to you.
• Consent – where you agree to me collecting your information.
• Legitimate Interests – to manage my work efficiently and to provide you with the best service
• Legal Obligation – where there is statutory or other legal requirement to share the information e.g. when we have to share your information for law enforcement purposes.

Personal Data and Special Category Data

The data I collect is mainly classed as personal data such as your name, home address, email address and mobile telephone number. However, I may also collect data of a more sensitive nature classified as special category data, such as information about your mental health and medication and information relating to your sex life and sexual functioning.

Use of Your Data

Your data is used by me for the purpose of serving you better in the work I do for you. 

• In sessions with my supervisor, where your data is anonymised
• To contact you regarding appointments
• To send you invoices
• To send you information about your therapy schedule
• I never give your data to anyone else unless you give me clear instructions to do so.

 

Confidentiality and Data Sharing

I do not share your data electronically or verbally with any other persons or organisations. There are key exceptions to this as follows: 

• Where there is danger of harm to yourself, to others or to me
• Where I am legally required, such as safeguarding of children and criminal activity
• Where I am instructed by a court of law

Safety of Your Data

Your data is encrypted and protected by password and stored on off-site servers managed by Marketcircle who are certified by The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) which is fully compliant with GDPR. Only myself and my clinical executor has access to the data. My clinical executor is also registered with ICO and will take care of my client records in the event of unexpected death or if I am incapacitated.

Data Breaches

If the breach is likely to result in a high risk of adversely affecting individuals’ rights and freedoms, I will notify the ICO within 72 hours and inform those individuals without undue delay.

A record of any personal data breaches will be kept.

Internet Services Data Processing

Information you give on my website contact form or the on-line booking form and payment service cannot be guaranteed safe as these services are from other providers. 

Data Storage

The data I hold for you will be stored for 7 years, unless there is a statutory reason why it should be kept for longer. Under the terms of the GDPR, it can be erased sooner if you make a request to me in writing. Any information on paper will be shredded.

Research, Case Studies, Training and CPD

I am often engaged in clinical research, writing case studies and reports, and advanced training in fulfilment of my CPD obligations. Any material used in this way is anonymised and/or fictionalised and presented in composite form. I may ask for your permission to record sessions to monitor my effectiveness for selective use with my supervisors and in specialist training groups. 

Changes to this compliance document

I reserve the right to vary this compliance document when necessary.

I prepare an occasional (every few months) newsletter which includes useful insights and information about relationships and my work plus courses I run with my wife (Love Lab)