Terms and Conditions

It is agreed that the content of all work undertaken between the client and therapist will be conducted in accordance with the British Psychological Society’s and code of conduct and ethical practice. For the below Terms, Dr Banwell is referred to as ‘the therapist’.

Limits of Confidentiality: Therapeutic work undertaken between therapist and client is confidential, subject to certain limitations. Should it become apparent during the course of therapy that the client is being, or is at significant risk of being harmed, or that they have or will endanger or cause harm to themselves or another, the therapist reserves the right to consult or inform the appropriate external agencies/ authorities. Where previous harm, or risk of future harm, to a child, young person or vulnerable adult is disclosed, the therapist has a legal duty and duty of care to inform the appropriate external agency, such as the client’s GP, the police and/ or social services. The therapist would also have to share relevant information with appropriate agencies in the event of a court order.

Wherever possible, the client will be encouraged to work in consultation with the therapist in the decision to refer, and in progressing any action. Should the urgency of the situation require the therapist to act immediately in order to safeguard the physical safety and well-being of the client or others, and the client is unable or unwilling to cooperate, the therapist reserves the right to take action autonomously.

Limitations of internet security: Please be aware that any information sent to the therapist over email is not guaranteed to be secure.

Supervision: Supervision is conducted in accordance with the British Psychological Society’s recommendations for supervised client work, and is received on a monthly basis.

Data Protection: In line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 2018.

What data will the therapist hold, how it is used, where it will be held, and for how long? The personal data the therapist will hold is data provided to them by the client or the referrer.  It will be lawfully held in order for the therapy to be carried out.   The therapist will not share data with any other organisations without the client’s consent unless it relates to a risk issue where the therapist is governed by legal and ethical responsibilities (please refer to ‘confidentiality/ethical practice’ above). All paper-based data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet at the therapist’s home address.  All electronic data will be stored with strong password protection. Computers have appropriate firewall and software protection. Data will be stored no longer than is necessary.  The client has the lawful right to request what information the therapist holds about them and why.  The client can request access to it and can request erasure (for it to be deleted), within the ‘limits of confidentiality’ outlined above and any other relevant laws or professional guidelines, which the therapist would discuss with the client.  If there was a data breach the therapist would inform the client and the ICO and explain how this would be investigated.  The client has the right to complain to the ICO if they have any concerns about the way in which the therapist handles their data.

Payment: Payment of insurance policy excess: In the case of clients using private healthcare insurance policy for session payment where there is an excess on their policy, the client is responsible for arranging payment of this excess direct to the therapist (see details in ‘method of payment’ below) within 30 days of the first session date.

Method of payment: Each self-funded session fee is to be paid via bank transfer at least 24 hours prior to the start of each session, payment details will be provided by Dr Banwell directly

Review of fees: The fee arrangement is reviewed twice annually. Where fees have changed, the practitioner will discuss this with the client directly, and a period of notice provided in advance of any changes to be implemented.

Contracting and Referral: Terms and conditions will be sent to each potential client prior to therapy and acceptance of these terms is required for therapy to commence.

Re-contracting: If the client chooses to re-contract with the therapist, the contractual terms of this agreement continue to apply and a minimum notification period of two sessions applies to both client and therapist.

Further referral: It may be possible that during the assessment and/or work carried out by the client with the therapist may highlight the need for referral to other specialist services/ professionals. In such circumstances, the client and therapist will work in consultation with one another to facilitate an effective referral process.

Arrival and Cancellation:

Arrival time: It is expected that the session will begin at the agreed time. Any session that begins after this time due to late arrival for whatever reason, cannot be extended beyond the previously agreed finish time. For remote sessions, please ensure that you are in a suitable private space prior to the session start time.

Cancellation: Appointments may be cancelled without charge with a minimum notice period of 48 hours. Sessions cancelled without this minimum notice period, will be chargeable at the usual session rate. Clients funded by private healthcare insurer are to self-fund the cancelled session fee. A cancelled session cannot be guaranteed to be reinstated should circumstances change, however this is at the therapist’s discretion. Two or more cancelled or missed sessions within close proximity of one another will prompt review of the therapeutic contract between the therapist and client to discuss the continuation of the agreed contract. Where sessions are not booked in the previous session or pre-arranged, the client’s position will be held open for a period of up to one week, after which the client’s session will be offered to someone else from the therapist’s waiting list. In this instance, the client is invited to re-join the therapist’s waiting list should they wish to.

Contacting the Therapist: Appointments are to be arranged/cancelled directly with the therapist, via email, which shall be responded to as soon as possible during weekdays, between 0900-1700. In case of therapist leave, emails will be responded to on return – these details are not to be used for emergency contact including in relation to a mental health crisis, or between-session therapeutic discussions. In the event of a mental health crisis, individuals/their supporters are to contact the Samaritans, or their local mental health crisis service. Clients are to contact their GP or local emergency department as appropriate to address urgent issues and those which are not suitable to be addressed in therapy.

Third Party Information and Links: The therapist does not take any responsibility or have any control about the information contained in websites or information linked from this site. Please consult the privacy and information storage policies for the sites that you access.