Information about the counselor-adult client contract
Welcome to Enso Psychological Counselling Centre. This page contains important information about my professional services and business policies, and represents an agreement between us. Kindly read it before you complete the client registration form. Thank you!
Appointments, cancellations and rescheduling sessions
We utilize a short-term model of counseling which focuses on helping you clarify your concerns and work towards the resolution of difficulties. Individual counseling sessions are 55 minutes in duration (55 minute appointment hour). The frequency and total number of sessions are determined by the clinical needs of each client.
Appointments
Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to first complete certain paperwork and then pay within a few hours (typically 24 hours but maybe less) of making the appointment, or the appointment automatically stands cancelled. We will inform you of the timeline by which payment has to be completed. Once you have completed the paperwork and the payment in time, the appointment stands confirmed. If you complete one or the other (either paperwork or payment) but not both within the 24 hour time frame, please note that the appointment will stand cancelled automatically.
Cancellation and rescheduling
You can cancel and reschedule the appointment with 24 hours advance notice of cancellation. All appointments cancelled or rescheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged fully and no refund will be provided. If both counsellor and client agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control, then the fee is not charged. Please note that we strictly follow the 24 hour rule for cancellation/rescheduling and will charge for that appointment. Please note that we do not remind you about your appointments once they have been scheduled and it is your responsibility to attend the appointment or let us know otherwise.
Timelines
Please try to be on time for your appointments to make the most use of your time with your counsellor. If you are running late, please contact EPCC via phone with an approximate arrival time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late for a counseling session, there may not be sufficient time for a productive session and the appointment may be cancelled and charged at our full rate. Please note that we always bill for full sessions, even if you are late. If we do not hear from you and you do not show for a session, the counsellor will wait 20 min and then leave the session (for online meetings). For in person meetings, the counsellor will not wait for more than twenty minutes after the scheduled start time.
If you are uncertain about anything regarding your appointment, please call us or whatsapp us so we can you assist you. Please note that if you miss an appointment and call us several hours/days later stating you didn’t know how to access a link, etc, it will be considered a no show and you will be responsible for the full fee for that session.
Requirements
Kindly note that for counseling to be effective, you will need to be in a quiet space/room with privacy where you cannot be heard and/or seen by others. If you are in a space where you are around others (public place, room with other people around, etc), your counselor will not be able to continue the session and your appointment will have to be cancelled and/or rescheduled. In such situations, it is your responsibility to ensure you are in an environment that is suitable to you, where confidentiality and freely being able to talk are possible. I will not be able to provide you counseling services if that is not the case and I will be willing to reschedule your session once for no fee (at my discretion). After that you will be charged the full fee for the session, if the counselor had to cancel for this reason.
Professional fees
Our hourly fee for the 55 min hour is Rs. 1500/- per session of individual counseling. Couples Counselling is typically an 85 min session and fees is Rs. 3500/- per session
Confidentiality (for adult clients)
In general, all communications between a client and a counselor/psychologist stays confidential, and I can only release information about your work with me to others with your written or verbal permission. But there are a few exceptions.
- There are some situations in which I am ethically and/or legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm, even if I have to reveal some information about a client’s treatment. For example, if I believe that a child, elderly person or disabled person is being abused or has been abused, I may be required to make a report to the appropriate law enforcement agency in India.
- If I believe that a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another, I may be required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for the client. If the client threatens to harm himself/herself, I may be obligated to contact family members or others who can help provide protection. If a similar situation occurs in the course of your counseling work, I will attempt to fully discuss it with you before taking any action. Typically, we try to seek the help of family members/friends in keeping a client safe but we can also seek hospitalization for him/her through calling the appropriate law enforcement agency/personnel.
- I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case. During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of our client. The consultant is also bound to keep the information confidential. Ordinarily, I will not tell you about these consultations unless they believe that it is important to your work together.
Although this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality is intended to inform you about potential issues that could arise, it is important that you discuss any questions or concerns that you may have at your next counseling appointment. I will be happy to discuss these issues with you and provide clarification when possible.
(The above form was adapted for EPCC’s use and was originally obtained from https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Resource-Center/Document-Library)
Enso Counselling 