Therapeutic Agreement (September 2026)

Please read this agreement carefully and sign it below. It sets out how I work and what we can each expect of the other.

1. Booking appointments online
You can book and pay for appointments as you need them, on an ad hoc basis, using the booking system on my appointments page. This offers flexibility, but your preferred time may be taken 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.

2. Booking an ongoing reserved appointment
An ongoing reserved appointment is a fixed weekly appointment on the same day and time each week, which I reserve for you on an open-ended basis. I recommend this option. It usually gives better results because of the commitment you are making to yourself or your relationship, and because of the safety of knowing the time is held for you. If you choose to book ad hoc instead, I will say so if I think the pattern of booking is affecting the work.

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

3. Cancelling and rescheduling appointments
Appointments can be rescheduled or cancelled, with refund or credit, if at least seven (7) days' notice is given. You can do this from the appointment confirmation email. Appointments cancelled or rescheduled with less than seven days' notice are charged in full.

4. Late arrivals and no shows
If you have not arrived within 15 minutes of the start time, the session will be treated as a no show, cancelled and charged as usual.

5. Fees and other charges
Fees are reviewed regularly so that they remain commensurate with my training and experience. I will tell you in advance of any increase.

Charges are made on a pro-rata basis for any reports I am asked to write or read in connection with your therapy, and for any contact with your GP, psychiatrist or solicitor.

6. Reviews and ending therapy
I will suggest regular reviews of how the therapy is serving you, so that you have the opportunity to reflect and give feedback, and so that we can agree what happens next. Where we agree an initial programme of sessions, we will review at the end of it before deciding whether and how to continue.

Ending therapy is an important process in itself. In normal circumstances the ending 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 (twelve sessions or fewer) we can agree a shorter notice period.

7. Holidays and sickness
I take holidays during the year and will tell you the dates in advance. If I am unwell and cannot hold a session, I will let you know by text or email. If I am not well enough to do so, my therapeutic executor will contact you.

8. Contact between sessions
If I need to contact you I will use the contact details you have agreed to give me. If you want to contact me, please use text message or email.

To protect your privacy and keep a safe and consistent therapeutic frame, I do not discuss the content of your therapy by text, email or phone, beyond brief practical matters such as whether to attend. Your therapy is discussed in your sessions. If you write to me about something that belongs in the work, I will acknowledge your message and ask that we take it up at the next session.

In couples therapy, practical correspondence (bookings, invoices, scheduling) is addressed to both of you, and I ask that you copy your partner into practical messages you send me. If one of you writes to me alone about the therapy itself, I will reply to that person alone and ask them to share the exchange with their partner or to bring it to the next session; where it falls under the limited-secrets policy in section 10, that policy applies. If one of you wants to raise a concern about the therapy or about me, you may write to me alone and I will reply to you alone; see section 17.

9. Couples therapy
In couples therapy your relationship is my client. Both of you need to be present for a session to go ahead. If one of you attends without the other and without prior arrangement, the session will not go ahead and will be charged as usual.

In the early stage of couples therapy I usually schedule an individual session with each of you as part of the work. I may also ask to speak briefly with each of you by phone before the first session. These are part of the couple's therapy, not separate individual therapy, and the limited-secrets policy in section 10 applies to them.

While you are in couples therapy with me it is not usually possible for either of you to have concurrent individual sessions with me, unless this is arranged as part of the therapy. After couples therapy has concluded, individual therapy with one of you (not both) can be discussed but may not be possible.

If, after the couple work has ended, one of you asks to meet me alone to discuss the therapy, I may agree. I will ask that partner to tell the other that the meeting took place, or I will do so myself.

10. Limited-secrets policy for couples
Anything one of you tells me alone, whether in an individual session, a phone call, an email, a text, or written material you send me before a session, is part of the couple's work, not a separate confidential space.

If one of you tells me something that bears on the relationship or on your commitment to it (for example an affair, a decision to leave, or a serious doubt about the work), I will ask you to bring it into the joint session yourself, and I will help you find a way to do that. I will not disclose it to your partner myself. But I cannot continue couples therapy while holding a secret that the other partner needs in order to make an informed decision about the relationship or the therapy. If you decide not to bring it into the work, I may have to end the therapy. If that happens I will tell you both that I am unable to continue, without saying why, and you accept that your partner may draw their own conclusions from that.

What I will keep private is anything that does not bear on the relationship. If you are not able to work on this basis, please tell me before we begin.

11. Connections and boundaries
If I become aware of any connection between my own life and yours (a shared community, school, workplace or acquaintance) I will tell you, and you are welcome to ask me at any time. If a connection would make it hard for me to hold the frame set out in this agreement, I will say so and help you find another therapist.

I live and work locally. If I see you outside sessions I will not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge me first. What you tell me stays in the room.

I will not engage with you, or any former client, on social media, and I will not normally search for you online, other than in an emergency where I cannot reach you and there may be risk. This is to respect your privacy and to keep a healthy boundary around my working life.

12. Confidentiality
Your sessions with me are confidential except in the following situations:

• In meetings with my supervisors, who are bound by the same confidentiality as I am.
• Where there is a risk of serious harm to you or to others.
• Where I am required by a court of law to disclose information about your treatment.
• Where a professional body of which I am a member requires access to records as part of a complaints or fitness-to-practise process.
• In the case of non-payment of fees, should it lead to legal action.
• When you specifically ask me to have contact with a referring therapist, psychologist, GP, psychiatrist or other professional.
• In couples therapy, as set out in the limited-secrets policy in section 10.

13. Records and notes
I keep a record of our work electronically, securely and with password protection, for seven years after your therapy ends. I may also keep brief process notes to support my own reflection and supervision; these are held to the same standard as the record.

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information I hold about you. Beyond me, access to your records is limited to: my supervisors, who see extracts without your full identity; my therapeutic executor, for safekeeping (see section 15); and a professional body or court, where required as described in section 12. My privacy policy, available on my website, sets out how I handle your data.

14. Supervision
The professional bodies of which I am a member require that my clinical practice is supervised so that my competence and ethics are monitored. Your full identity is never disclosed in supervision, and my supervisors are bound by the same codes of confidentiality as I am.

15. Therapeutic executor
In the event of my death, or the sudden cessation of my practice through disability or other unforeseen circumstances, my therapeutic executor, a professional colleague bound by the same codes of conduct as I am, will take responsibility for my affairs and your welfare, and will have access to your records for that purpose.

16. Research, case studies and recording
I sometimes write about my work to develop my clinical practice. Where I do, I anonymise, use composites or alter key details so that no individual or couple can be identified.

I may ask your permission to record sessions. In EFT it is routine to record sessions as part of the reflective process. Recorded clips may be used in supervision (one-to-one or in a group, in person or online), in my CPD training groups (sometimes with a transcript), and in EFT clinical practice and certification with ICEEFT and BEFT. Everyone who sees them is bound by similar confidentiality and ethical standards to mine. Recordings are stored securely and deleted when no longer needed.

Please do not record sessions, or meetings with me, without my agreement.

17. Ethical standards, concerns and complaints
I abide by the codes of ethics and professional practice of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT), the United Kingdom Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP) and the General Psychotherapy Council (GPsyC). These are available at www.psychotherapy.org.uk, www.cosrt.org.uk, www.ahpp.org and www.gpsyc.org.

If you have a concern about the therapy or about me, please raise it with me first, in a session or in writing. In couples therapy you may do this alone if you prefer, and I will reply to you alone. I take concerns seriously and will offer to discuss them with you. If the matter is not resolved between us, you can use the complaints procedures of UKCP or COSRT, which are set out on their websites.

18. The therapeutic relationship
Psychotherapy, couples counselling and relationship therapy work best when there is a good therapeutic relationship between client(s) and therapist, whatever the modality. The therapy will vary according to the personalities of the therapist and client(s) and the nature of your circumstances. I draw on several models and techniques, and no single approach fits everyone. What I offer are suggestions and exercises for you to consider; the decisions about your life and your relationship are yours. Successful therapy usually depends on your willingness to attend regularly, to engage actively, and to bring an inquiring attitude to yourself.

The therapeutic relationship is intended to be healing and supportive, and at times challenging. There may be times, as in any relationship, when things feel difficult and it is hard to persevere. Worked through in the sessions, these times can promote growth. You accept the need to have the intention of seeing things through in such circumstances, and to tell me, in a session, if the way I am working is not working for you.

19. Risks and benefits of therapy
Psychotherapy has benefits and risks. Because therapy may involve discussing painful aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness or helplessness. Psychotherapy also often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and a significant reduction in distress and anxiety. There are no guarantees of outcome. You are responsible for your own wellbeing, physically, emotionally and psychologically, during and after sessions. As set out in section 6, I will suggest regular reviews of how the therapy is working for you.

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

21. Spouses, partners, children and family members
In individual therapy you may discuss inviting your spouse, partner, child or family member into one or more sessions. You accept that it may not be possible for them to have concurrent individual psychotherapy with me. If at another time they would like individual psychotherapy with me, that can be discussed but may not be possible.

22. Changes to this agreement
I may vary this agreement when necessary. I will give you notice of any change, and changes will not apply to sessions already booked.

By signing you confirm that you have read and understood this agreement, including, for couples, the limited-secrets policy in section 10.

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 instruct me to, or one of the exceptions under Confidentiality and Data Sharing below applies.

Confidentiality and Data Sharing
I do not share your data electronically or verbally with other persons or organisations except in the following situations:

• 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
• In supervision, where your full identity is not disclosed
• Where a professional body of which I am a member requires access to records as part of a complaints or fitness-to-practise process

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. Access to your data is limited as set out in section 13 of the Therapeutic Agreement: myself; my supervisors, who see extracts without your full identity; my clinical executor, for safekeeping; and a professional body or court, where required. 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.