LAURIE MACDONALD

Client details:

Is Online Therapy Suitable for you?

Online therapy can be convenient. It obviates the need for travel, can enable flexible appointments at short notice, can be conducted from any location with suitable network coverage, and enables you to continue therapy even when you are unable to physically leave your home. However, before agreeing to proceed with online therapy you might consider the following:

1. Do you currently feel able to discuss what might be a difficult or emotionally troubling issue with a therapist via the telephone or a video link?
2. Do you have a place, or time in your home, when you can be alone and feel able to talk without being overheard or interrupted for 50 minutes?
3. Do you have access to suitable technology, a computer or laptop, tablet or smartphone that you are able to use?
4. Do you have broadband, Wi-Fi, good mobile network coverage, or a land line telephone available to you?
5. Do you have headphones or earphones that can be used with your computer or smartphone?
6. Should you need physical assistance during your therapy session is there anyone nearby that the therapist could call to assist you?

If you are uncertain about how to answer any of the above questions please contact me with your concerns before booking an appointment.

Type of Therapy

The mode of therapy I practice is Integrative. My methods are primarily brief and solution focused, but attention is paid to conscious and unconscious processing, personality functioning, as well as relational and contextual factors connected to the issue you bring to therapy. (please see web site for more information about how I work)

Therapy sessions are client driven, I will work with the issues you bring to therapy, rather than tell you what you should be addressing. I work with the idea that you are willingly seeking therapy, you will be open and transparent during our work together, and you have a desired outcome in mind.

I am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) as a psychotherapist and supervisor and Accredited with British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists(BACP) and work to their code of ethics and professional practices.

Therapy Sessions

Therapy sessions are offered via video and or telephone. They are 50 minutes in duration, and will take place each week at the same time. Please discuss breaks for holidays at the start of therapy.

Appointments are available on week days and in exceptional circumstances at the weekend, by prior arrangement. Please be flexible when booking your session time.

Booking an Appointment

You may book appointments by telephone, email or text message. When you request an appointment you should request an appointment giving a few dates and times when you are available. I will respond to your request by email giving you the date and start time, or offering you a list of alternative appointment dates or times.

In response to your request, I will send you an invoice enabling you to make a payment by bank transfer. If self funding please pay for the session on the day of the session and use the name of the person having the session as your reference on the bank statement.

I will also send you an appointment confirmation email and a link to join the session will be emailed on the day of the session.

Due to the unprecedented demand for therapy post COVID, I do not have the flexibility in my schedule for making changes in session times. Please recognise that when you accept a session time, this will be your therapy time each week and for the duration of your therapy. I currently have a waiting list and as I finish working with a patient then their time is offered to the person who is top of the list. If they are not able to accept that time it is offered to the next on the list and they will have to wait again until the next time becomes free. Therefore the more available you are to take a free time slot the sooner you will start therapy.

Cancelling an Appointment

To cancel a scheduled appointment without charge, the cancellation must be made by email, text or telephone at least 48 hours before the scheduled start time and as much notice as possible is appreciated. Cancellations made within 48 hours of an appointment will be charged at the agreed session price. Again due to the unprecedented demand for therapy following the cancelation of a session we will need to discuss the potential for future cancelations.

Extended and unforeseen absence from therapy

If you intend to interrupt therapy for two or more consecutive sessions please discuss this with me as soon as possible so that your therapy is planned around this absence.

If I am unable to attend a scheduled session I will give you as much notice as possible by email, telephone or text. If I do not attend a session and you are unable to contact me by telephone, email, or text, please email lauriemacdonald@me.com with your client reference in the Subject Line of the email and the date and time of your appointment. We will contact you within 72 hours of receipt of your email, and you will not be charged for the session.

Ending Therapy

You may end therapy at any time, but it is usual to discuss this with me at least one week before the final session.

Fees and Payment For Self funding Clients

Fees per session are on my web site. If covered by an insurance policy your insurers will be invoiced directly.

Fees for supervision are discussed on an individual basis.

For online or telephone sessions, you will be sent an invoice by email once you book an appointment. Payments can be made by bank transfer and should be made to the account on the invoice. Bank transfer payments should be made on the day of the session and the your name used as the transfer reference.You may also block book sessions and pay for them by bank transfer.

If you agree to make BACS payments and the payment is not made on the day of the session an administration fee will be charged for the raising of subsequent invoices.

• Adult indiviual day time fee: £70.00
• Adult indiviual evening fee: £75.00
• Couples: £90.00

Privacy and Confidentiality

Therapy sessions are conducted under strict rules of confidentiality. I will not disclose information that may identify you without your consent, unless legally bound to do so. For example if it is necessary to contact your doctor, or legal representative I will first seek your permission.

From time to time I may discuss your case with my supervisor during supervision. However, no information will be disclosed that will explicitly identify you.

For insurance purposes I am obliged to keep brief notes of our sessions. Any notes that I may make will be stored securely for up to five years and will not be made available to third parties unless mandated by law or at your request. After five years any notes will be destroyed. This is in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) applicable within the UK and European Union.

If you ask me to email your notes to your legal representative, the probation service, or a case worker, the contents of the email will be encrypted and password protected. Alternatively the notes will be sent by post.

You must also abide by the rules of confidentiality, and must not record or make available the contents of our online sessions without my written consent. This explicitly means that you MUST NOT record or live stream our video or audio sessions, post any part of our sessions on social media, or arrange for others to do the same without my written consent.

Your sessions are for you alone, therefore others including young children should not be present during your online or telephone therapy sessions.

Please be aware that I will never request your personal information or bank account details by email or text. I will never ask you to complete an online form without discussing it with you first. I will never ask another person to contact you on my behalf for the purpose of obtaining your personal information or requesting payment. I will only ever send you an invoice in response to a specific appointment request, and you should only ever make payment to the account on the invoice.

Making contact

Before your first online session you will receive an appointment confirmation email with the date and time of your appointment, and instructions on how to join the session.

You will need a Computer, Tablet, or Smartphone to join a video session. The Zoom application is used for video sessions. You DO NOT need a Zoom account to use the Zoom application, and before your first session you will be prompted to download the app once you click on the meeting invitation link.

For best results, I recommend that you sit in a reasonably well-lit location, and that you use headphones or earphones for best sound quality, and to reduce the risk of our conversation being overheard.

Please ensure that the battery on any portable devices (laptop, phone, headphones, earphones) you intend to use is fully charged before you join the session.

If you experience difficulty joining the session please contact me by email, telephone or text. The telephone numbers and email address are at the top of this document.

Connection failure

If your sound or video quality degrades, for example intermittent freezing, loss of sound, or total disconnection. This may be caused by power or device failure, excessive traffic on your local network (within your home) or the internet in your area. I recommend that you have an alternative means of contact to hand. For example a mobile phone or landline. Should our video connection become unstable please disconnect and contact me on the mobile or landline number above.

Making a Complaint

If for any reason you are dissatisfied with the service I provide, please advise me in writing at your earliest convenience. I will endeavour to address your complaint, but should my endeavours be deemed insufficient, you may make a formal complaint to the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or The British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

Information about online psychotherapy

These terms are applicable if you are located in the United Kingdom. If you are located elsewhere you should only accept this agreement if you are willing to be bound by the laws of the above jurisdiction.

If you agree to the terms outlined below, then please reply to the email containing this document with the subject heading marked ‘Agreed’. If you have questions or require clarification on any of the points in this document please contact me by email, telephone or text.

Please note that this document CANNOT be used as evidence that you are in therapy with me. If you require proof that you are in therapy with me please let me know.