Therapy Contract - Terms and Conditions

What Service is Offered?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy for people with personal and emotional problems. Therapy is provided by Jakub Roszkowski, a BABCP accredited cognitive-behavioural therapist.

What Qualifications Do I Have?

I hold an MSc in Health Psychology, and a Post Grad. Diploma in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy from the University of East Anglia.

Accreditation

I am accredited by the British Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies (BABCP) under accreditation number 1000559. I am also a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Code of Ethics

I adhere to the Ethical Guidelines set out by the BABCP.

Where Do Consultations Take Place?

Consultations take place online for remote sessions. Face-to-face sessions can be arranged at Cookham's Day Centre for Independent Seniors, Station Hill, Cookham Berkshire, SL6 9BS. Please note that wait times are typically longer for face-to-face appointments due to demand.

What Happens if You Make an Appointment?

Initially, I will arrange to meet you for an assessment. This gives me the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of your difficulties. Based on my clinical experience, we will discuss whether CBT is the most appropriate therapeutic approach for you. Once I've assessed you, I'll let you know if I'm able to offer you treatment. If I believe a different therapeutic approach would be more beneficial, or I believe you need more intensive therapy than I can offer, I will let you know and explain my reasons. If we agree to proceed with treatment, I will try to estimate how many sessions you will need, though this will only be an estimate as it is very much dependent on the nature of your problems and on your progress.

Engagement with Treatment

When you commit to attending CBT sessions, you also commit to playing an active part in your treatment. This will involve carrying out "between session" exercises, such as recording thoughts and feelings, recording the frequency of particular behaviours, completing questionnaires and record forms, and reading CBT literature, amongst others.

Commitment to Treatment

As a client, you are expected to arrive on time for your appointments and to notify your therapist in advance if you are unable to stay for the full length of the session. Your mobile phone should be off during our sessions, and you are expected to complete the homework assigned between sessions. You are also expected not to arrive at a session intoxicated or under the influence of illegal drugs. If you are concerned about your mood or are having suicidal thoughts, you are expected to communicate this to your therapist so that it can be made a priority during the session. If you have any planned holidays or upcoming absences, please notify your therapist in advance.

Frequency and Length of Sessions

Typically, CBT lasts between 5-20 sessions. Each session lasts 50 minutes and takes place once per week. Once you've made significant progress, we will then discuss reducing your sessions to every fortnight, once a month, etc. After treatment is completed, it's good practice to agree to a limited number of follow-up appointments to maintain the progress achieved. These can be scheduled once every three months, six months, etc., and will be arranged by mutual agreement.

Fees and Payment

Self-Funded Clients

Online Remote Sessions: £80 per 50-minute session.

Face-to-Face Sessions: £90 per 50-minute session.

Payment for self-funded sessions is required at least 48 working hours before the scheduled appointment. Failure to make payment by this deadline will be considered a late cancellation, and your appointment may be offered to another client, with the full session fee charged to your payment card as per our late cancellation policy. You will be required to provide payment card details at your first appointment for direct charging in cases of late cancellation (see Cancellation Policy below). If you wish to opt out of providing your payment details, please refer to ‘Processing of card payment details and opt out policy’ outlined below.

Clients Paying Through Private Health Insurance

If you would like to pay for your therapy through your insurance company, the procedure is as follows. Before commencing treatment, I will need your membership number and authorisation number.

It is your responsibility to check your policy for any excess payable. If there is a shortfall of excess, that shortfall will be paid directly to myself. You will be informed by myself or your insurer if an excess or shortfall is applicable.

I would also recommend that you confirm with your insurance company:

• That your policy covers CBT appointments.
• How much cover you have for this type of treatment (e.g., 6 sessions, 12 sessions).
• The "end date" of your policy so that you are not liable for the cost of treatment that runs over the end date.
• Whether they reimburse for cancelled/missed appointments.

It is important to get clarification on these issues prior to starting treatment. In the event that you start treatment without authorization from your insurer, or without sufficient cover, you need to be aware that you may not receive reimbursement from your insurer and you may be liable to cover session attendance.

Most insurance companies authorise a fixed number of sessions to start with (e.g., 6, 8 or 10), after which they may require a progress report from your therapist. It is your responsibility, and not your therapist’s, to follow this up with your insurance company before your first "batch" of (6/8/10) sessions ends. Ideally, at around session 4 or 5, it is recommended that you contact your insurance company to ask whether they require a progress report if you would like further sessions.

Some health insurance policies require that you attend an assessment appointment with a psychiatrist in order for your CBT to be funded.

Once therapy begins, you are advised to periodically check with your insurer that you have sufficient cover and have not exceeded your maximum allowed cover. This is your responsibility and not the responsibility of your therapist. If you attend therapy sessions after your policy has ended, you need to be aware your insurer is unlikely to reimburse you.

Cancellation Policy

My cancellation policy requires 48 working hours' notice for any cancellations.

Self-Funded Clients

In cases of late cancellation (less than 48 working hours' notice), a late cancellation fee equivalent to the full session cost will be charged directly to your payment card. You will be required to provide payment card details at your first appointment for this purpose.

Clients Receiving Therapy Via Insurer

Please note that many insurance companies will not cover missed/cancelled appointments – it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with your insurance company’s policy. If you do miss or cancel a session and are charged for that appointment, you may not receive reimbursement for it from your insurer. If your insurance policy does not cover late cancellations, you will be personally liable for the full session fee, and I reserve the right to add that charge to the card payment details you provide at your first appointment.

Cancellations can be done by phone, text, or e-mail.

Processing of card payment details and opt out policy:

To give you peace of mind, please note that I do not store your credit card information on my servers. Instead, your payment details are securely held and managed by Stripe, a leading third-party payment processor. Stripe is a PCI Service Provider Level 1 certified company, which is the highest level of security certification in the payments industry. By entrusting your data to Stripe, I can guarantee that your financial information is protected by the most stringent security standards and advanced encryption protocols available.

Please be advised that I will collect your payment details at our first appointment. This allows me to securely process payments and enforce my late cancellation policy. Should you prefer not to have your card details stored with Stripe, you may opt out. However, if you choose to opt out, I will require an additional upfront payment for your next session, or two in case of self-funded clients. In the event of a late cancellation, I reserve the right to withhold the late cancellation fee from this sum. If no late cancellations occur then you will be able to use this sum to cover your final session payment or have the sum reimbursed should you end therapy earlier.

Rescheduling Sessions

My 48 working hours' notice policy applies to all appointment changes and cancellations. If you wish to reschedule an appointment with less than 48 working hours' notice, it will be considered a late cancellation, and the full session fee will apply. You may then book a new appointment. To reschedule an appointment with sufficient notice, please inform me at least 48 working hours in advance, and I will provide you with a rebooking link.

Lateness Policy

If you will be more than 15 minutes late for your appointment, please phone, email or text me to let me know. If I haven’t heard from you by 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time, I will assume you will not attend. You will be liable for the full cost of the missed appointment. If you are late arriving at an appointment, we will still need to finish on time so as not to delay the next person.

Note-taking and Case Notes

It is my practice to take notes during sessions. I write down the main points discussed, including any therapeutic interventions. Some case notes are kept in electronic format. All paper versions of case notes are locked in a secure place. I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and abide by their procedures for handling and protecting personal data.

Confidentiality

I treat all information disclosed to me as confidential. Your confidentiality will be maintained at all times; however, as part of my own professional development, from time to time, I will need to discuss your progress with my supervisor. My supervisor is bound by the same ethical guidelines regarding confidentiality as I am. I will not disclose your details to a third party without your prior consent, except under the following circumstances: 1) if, in my opinion, you are at risk of hurting yourself, or 2) if, in my opinion, you present a risk to others. Under these circumstances, I reserve the right to inform appropriate external agencies, normally your GP (as in circumstance 1) or the police (as in circumstance 2).

Terminating Therapy

If, for any reason, you wish to terminate therapy, you have the right to withdraw from treatment at any stage. However, it is always advisable to discuss this with me first, so that we can discuss your reasons and ensure this would be in your best interest. Similarly, I have the right to terminate therapy if, in my professional opinion, I believe you have come as far as you can with my help. I will discuss my reasons with you and, if appropriate, make further treatment recommendations for you. Sometimes I may recommend a "therapy break." I will always endeavour to discuss this with you during our session, in person.

Emergency Services

Please be aware that my service is not a crisis or emergency service. I respond to telephone calls between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM. In the event of an emergency, please phone your GP. If you require out-of-hours help or support, you can also go to the A & E department of your local hospital or phone the Samaritans at 116123.