Counselling Agreement
This agreement sets out the main practical and professional arrangements for counselling with Priscila Santos, MBACP.
If we agree to work together, your individual arrangements — including the start date, usual day and time, session format, location where applicable, type of counselling and session fee — will be confirmed with you in writing.
Sessions
Sessions last 50 minutes and usually take place weekly at an agreed day and time.
Counselling may be short-term or open-ended, depending on your needs and what we agree together.
Where an initial number of short-term sessions is agreed, this provides a framework for beginning the work rather than a commitment to attend or pay for every session. We will review the work together as it progresses, and you may choose to end counselling earlier.
Any changes to the agreed arrangements will be discussed and confirmed in writing.
Fees and payment
Face-to-face sessions are £70 and online sessions are £60.
A limited number of reduced-fee sessions are available at £40.
The first session must be paid for in advance to confirm the appointment. Payment can be made using the payment options provided on the invoice. The appointment will remain provisionally reserved until payment is received.
Subsequent sessions should be paid for on the day of each session, either through the invoice payment link or by bank transfer.
If the agreed fee changes, this will be discussed with you in advance.
Cancellations
Please provide at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule a session.
Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, or missed without notice, will normally be charged at the full session fee.
If I need to cancel a session, you will not be charged.
Any advance payment for the first session remains subject to this cancellation policy.
Online sessions
The following arrangements apply only when a session takes place online.
Please join from a private and appropriate space where you will not be overheard or interrupted. Both counsellor and client should be appropriately dressed and maintain the same professional boundaries as they would during a face-to-face session.
Please do not attend an online session while driving or when under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. Headphones are recommended where they help to protect confidentiality.
Online sessions must not be recorded by either party without prior written agreement.
At the beginning of an online session, I may confirm your current location. This information would only be used if there were a serious and immediate concern about your safety.
If the internet connection is interrupted, we will try to reconnect. If this is not possible, I will contact you using the telephone number you have provided so that we can agree whether to continue by telephone or rearrange the remaining session time.
Please let me know in advance if you intend to attend an online session from outside the UK, as this may affect whether I am able to provide the session.
Confidentiality
What you share in counselling is treated as confidential.
There are limited circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be broken, for example where there is a serious concern about your safety or the safety of another person, a safeguarding concern, or where disclosure is required by law.
Where possible and appropriate, I would discuss this with you before taking any action.
I receive regular clinical supervision. My work may be discussed in supervision, but identifying information is kept to a minimum.
Records and data protection
I keep brief and appropriate records relating to our work together. These are stored securely and handled in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
Adult counselling records are normally retained for seven years after the final counselling session, in line with my professional indemnity insurance requirements. They are then securely destroyed, unless there is a legal, regulatory or insurance-related reason to retain them for longer.
Please see my Privacy Notice for further information.
Contact between sessions
Contact between sessions should normally be limited to practical matters, such as arranging or changing an appointment. I will usually respond within two working days during my working hours.
I do not provide an emergency or crisis service and may not be able to respond immediately. If you need urgent support, please contact your GP, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option, or call 999 or attend A&E if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
GP and emergency contact details
As part of the initial information I collect, I may ask for your GP details and an emergency contact.
These details would only be used where there is a significant concern about your safety or where contacting someone is clinically or legally necessary.
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss this with you first.
Letters and reports
Requests for letters, reports or other written work outside counselling sessions may incur an additional fee. Any fee will be discussed and agreed with you in advance.
Ending counselling
You can choose to end counselling at any time.
You will not be charged for future sessions that you decide not to attend, although sessions already booked remain subject to the cancellation policy.
Where possible, I encourage us to discuss ending together and to have a final session, so that we can reflect on the work and bring the therapeutic relationship to a thoughtful close.
Professional standards and complaints
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
If you have any concerns about our work together, I would encourage you to raise them with me where possible.
If a concern cannot be resolved, you can also refer to the BACP complaints procedure.