Client Rights
Every patient engaging in psychotherapy with a professional has the following rights:
You have a right to have records protected by confidentiality and not be revealed to anyone without your written authorization.You are entitled to confidential treatment by your therapist, meaning that your therapist cannot talk to others (except another professional colleague or supervisor) about your case without your written consent.
There are a few specific conditions where confidentiality may be broken:
You have a right to be afforded privacy.
Your sessions are confidential and private and will not be overheard or shared with others.
You have a right to be treated by staff who are sensitive to your cultural background.
No matter what your background or culture, you should expect to be treated with respect and dignity, by all staff (including billing staff, receptionists, etc.).
You have a right to be treated in a manner which is ethical and free from abuse, discrimination, mistreatment, and/or exploitation.
Therapists should not attempt to leverage the therapeutic relationship in an inappropriate manner (e.g., sexually or romantically or financially), and they shouldn’t pass judgment upon you based upon your background, race, handicaps, sexual preference, gender or any other reason.
You have a right to receive clinically appropriate care and treatment that is suited to their needs and skillfully, safely, and humanely administered with full respect for their dignity and personal integrity.
Your therapist should be skilled and trained to administer the treatment he or she said they would, and do so in a dignified and humane manner. You should never feel unsafe in your therapist’s presence.
You have a right to have access to your records.
Yes, although many professionals don’t like it, you have a right to review the records they keep on you.
You have a right to participate in developing an individual plan of treatment.
Every client in psychotherapy should have a treatment plan that describes general goals of therapy, and specific objectives the client wants to work on in order to achieve their goals. Without such a plan, how would you know you’ve made progress?
You have a right to receive an explanation of services in accordance with the treatment plan.The therapist should describe the process of how they work with clients, in as much detail as you prefer and time allows.
Termination
Termination is a key part of therapy and should be discussed from the beginning of therapy. Not all therapy lasts months or years, so conversations about what the client wants to work on and how many sessions the therapists expects the work to last is key to giving the therapy a time line.
*Based on Dr John Grohol's Psychcentral.com blog
Client Responsibilities
Keeping Appointments and Cancellations
Therapy works best when sessions are attended regularly and when they start and end at the assigned time.
Therapists usually expect you to notify them at least 24 hours in advance if you cannot keep an appointment.
If you do not keep your appointment and do not call to cancel, you will still be responsible to pay for your missed session
If a pattern of missed and failure-to-cancel sessions (2 or more) occurs, this matter will have to be discussed with the therapist before counseling may be resumed.
Honesty is important
As with any relationship, honesty within the context of therapy is important and vital to the health of the relationship. To facilitate this process, the client should be honest with the therapist discuss concerns openly complete outside assignments when appropriate listen to the therapist provide feedback to him or her about the process of therapy. As with any relationship, safety to be honest grows with time, and so does the depth of honesty. If you are experiencing and increase in negative symptoms, or there is no change at all, let the therapist know. They want to help and need to know if what they are doing is not helping at all.
You have a right to have records protected by confidentiality and not be revealed to anyone without your written authorization.You are entitled to confidential treatment by your therapist, meaning that your therapist cannot talk to others (except another professional colleague or supervisor) about your case without your written consent.
There are a few specific conditions where confidentiality may be broken:
- If the therapist has knowledge of child or elder abuse.
- If the therapist has knowledge of the client’s intent to harm themselves or others.
- If the therapist receives a court order to submit records.
- If the client enters into litigation against the therapist.
- If the client is a minor, the therapist may discuss aspects of the client’s care with the client’s parents or legal guardians (varies from therapist to therapist).
You have a right to be afforded privacy.
Your sessions are confidential and private and will not be overheard or shared with others.
You have a right to be treated by staff who are sensitive to your cultural background.
No matter what your background or culture, you should expect to be treated with respect and dignity, by all staff (including billing staff, receptionists, etc.).
You have a right to be treated in a manner which is ethical and free from abuse, discrimination, mistreatment, and/or exploitation.
Therapists should not attempt to leverage the therapeutic relationship in an inappropriate manner (e.g., sexually or romantically or financially), and they shouldn’t pass judgment upon you based upon your background, race, handicaps, sexual preference, gender or any other reason.
You have a right to receive clinically appropriate care and treatment that is suited to their needs and skillfully, safely, and humanely administered with full respect for their dignity and personal integrity.
Your therapist should be skilled and trained to administer the treatment he or she said they would, and do so in a dignified and humane manner. You should never feel unsafe in your therapist’s presence.
You have a right to have access to your records.
Yes, although many professionals don’t like it, you have a right to review the records they keep on you.
You have a right to participate in developing an individual plan of treatment.
Every client in psychotherapy should have a treatment plan that describes general goals of therapy, and specific objectives the client wants to work on in order to achieve their goals. Without such a plan, how would you know you’ve made progress?
You have a right to receive an explanation of services in accordance with the treatment plan.The therapist should describe the process of how they work with clients, in as much detail as you prefer and time allows.
Termination
Termination is a key part of therapy and should be discussed from the beginning of therapy. Not all therapy lasts months or years, so conversations about what the client wants to work on and how many sessions the therapists expects the work to last is key to giving the therapy a time line.
*Based on Dr John Grohol's Psychcentral.com blog
Client Responsibilities
Keeping Appointments and Cancellations
Therapy works best when sessions are attended regularly and when they start and end at the assigned time.
Therapists usually expect you to notify them at least 24 hours in advance if you cannot keep an appointment.
If you do not keep your appointment and do not call to cancel, you will still be responsible to pay for your missed session
If a pattern of missed and failure-to-cancel sessions (2 or more) occurs, this matter will have to be discussed with the therapist before counseling may be resumed.
Honesty is important
As with any relationship, honesty within the context of therapy is important and vital to the health of the relationship. To facilitate this process, the client should be honest with the therapist discuss concerns openly complete outside assignments when appropriate listen to the therapist provide feedback to him or her about the process of therapy. As with any relationship, safety to be honest grows with time, and so does the depth of honesty. If you are experiencing and increase in negative symptoms, or there is no change at all, let the therapist know. They want to help and need to know if what they are doing is not helping at all.
I offer a 15 minute free consultation, where we can discuss what you need. I can then assess if I am the right therapist for you moving forward.
To book your consultation with me
email : [email protected]
or Phone : 07720 849 332
To book your consultation with me
email : [email protected]
or Phone : 07720 849 332
