Legal Notice

WELCOME TO THERAPY: WORKING AGREEMENT

Therapist: Ben Swindlehurst MBACP

Professional Membership: Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

Thank you for considering working with me. This document explains how I work, what you can expect from me, and what I ask of you in return. My aim is to create a safe, respectful and collaborative therapeutic relationship where you feel supported in exploring whatever has brought you to therapy. Please read this document carefully and let me know if you have any questions.

About Me

I am a qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist and a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and am committed to providing a safe, ethical, inclusive and professional service. To support best practice, I undertake regular clinical supervision and ongoing professional development.

About Therapy

Therapy offers a confidential space to explore your thoughts, feelings, experiences and relationships. It can help you develop greater self-awareness, work through difficulties, and create meaningful change in your life. Therapy is not always comfortable. At times we may discuss painful experiences or emotions, and there may be periods when things feel more challenging before they begin to improve. While I will do my best to support you, I cannot guarantee specific outcomes.

How We Will Work Together

Therapy is most effective when there is a shared understanding of the purpose and direction of our work. While every client's needs and circumstances are unique, I generally work within a framework of up to 30 sessions. This structure provides space to develop a therapeutic relationship, explore difficulties in depth, and work towards meaningful and lasting change, while also ensuring that therapy remains focused and purposeful. After approximately 15 sessions, we will undertake a formal review of our work together. This review is an opportunity to:

Reflect on your experience of therapy so far.
Consider any changes, insights or progress that have emerged.
Review the goals we identified at the start of our work.
Discuss any new themes or challenges that may have arisen.
Consider what would be most beneficial for the remainder of our work together.

The purpose of the review is not to measure success or failure, but to ensure that therapy continues to meet your needs and remains a collaborative process. Towards the end of our agreed period of work, we will undertake a further review to reflect on the overall therapeutic journey, consider the progress made, and discuss whether additional sessions would be helpful or whether it feels appropriate to bring therapy to a close. Where clinically appropriate, shorter-term or longer-term work may be agreed. Any changes to the planned number of sessions will be discussed together and reviewed regularly.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a cornerstone of therapy. What you share with me will remain private.

There are, however, some exceptions where I may need to share information:

If I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you.
If I believe there is a serious risk of harm to another person.
If there are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult.
If disclosure is required by law or court order.
When discussing my work in professional supervision. In these situations, your identity will be protected wherever possible.

If I believe confidentiality needs to be broken, I will usually discuss this with you first unless doing so would increase risk.

Records and Data Protection

I keep brief clinical records to support the therapeutic process and meet my professional and legal obligations. Your personal information is handled in accordance with UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. A separate Privacy Notice explains how your personal information is collected, stored, used, protected and retained.

Sessions

Sessions last 50 minutes and will usually take place at an agreed regular time.

I offer both:

In-person sessions
Online sessions via a secure video platform

Regular attendance helps build momentum and supports the therapeutic process.

Fees and Payment

My fee is £70 per 50-minute in-person session & £60 for Online

Payment is due within 2 days of each session. Any fee increases will be communicated with reasonable notice.

Cancellations and Missed Sessions

I ask for at least 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel or rearrange a session. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice, as well as missed appointments, will usually be charged at the full fee. I appreciate that emergencies and unforeseen circumstances can arise. Any exceptions will be considered at my discretion.

Holidays and Planned Absences

I will give as much notice as possible of any planned holidays, training commitments, professional development activities, or other periods when I will be unavailable. No fees will be charged for sessions that need to be cancelled due to my absence. If you are aware of upcoming holidays, work commitments, or other circumstances that may affect your attendance, I would appreciate as much notice as possible. This helps us plan our work together and maintain continuity where appropriate.

If either of us will be away for an extended period, we may wish to discuss how best to manage the break and prepare for our next session. Where appropriate, information about alternative sources of support may be discussed in advance of longer planned absences. Please note that I do not routinely provide therapeutic support between sessions during periods of leave or absence.

Contact Between Sessions

You are welcome to contact me by email or text message regarding appointments and practical matters. Please note that I do not offer therapy by email or text message. I aim to respond within two working days during normal working hours.

Crisis Support

I am not able to provide an emergency or crisis service.

If you are in crisis, feel unable to keep yourself safe, or require urgent support, please contact:

Your GP
NHS 111
Your local mental health crisis service
Emergency services (999) if there is immediate risk

Online Therapy

If we are meeting online, I ask that you:

Attend sessions from a private space where you are unlikely to be interrupted.
Ensure your device is charged and your internet connection is stable where possible.
Let me know if anyone else is present during the session.

In the event of technical difficulties, we will agree an alternative way of reconnecting.

Boundaries and Respect

The therapeutic relationship is professional in nature and exists to support your wellbeing.

To maintain clear and safe boundaries:

Therapy sessions will begin and end on time.
Contact outside sessions will be limited to practical arrangements unless otherwise agreed.
I do not accept friend requests or engage with clients through personal social media accounts.
Any gifts offered may be respectfully declined where accepting them could affect the therapeutic relationship.
Mutual respect is expected at all times.

These boundaries help create a safe and consistent therapeutic environment.

Fitness to Attend Sessions

To ensure that therapy remains safe and effective, I ask that clients attend sessions able to engage fully in the therapeutic process. If you attend a session under the influence of alcohol, non-prescribed drugs, or any substance that significantly affects your ability to participate meaningfully and safely, I may decide that it is not appropriate to continue with the session. In such circumstances, the session may be ended early and the full session fee may still be payable.

If substance use is something you would like to explore within therapy, this can of course be discussed openly and without judgement.

Recording of Sessions

To protect the privacy and integrity of the therapeutic process, sessions may not be audio recorded, video recorded, photographed, or otherwise captured by either party without prior discussion and mutual written agreement.

If recording is agreed for a specific purpose, the arrangements, storage and use of the recording will be discussed and agreed in advance.

Social Media and Online Presence

To protect your confidentiality and maintain professional boundaries, I do not accept friend requests, follow requests, or other personal social media connections from current clients. If we encounter one another on social media, I will not initiate contact or acknowledge our therapeutic relationship. Similarly, if we meet unexpectedly in public, I will not approach you unless you choose to acknowledge me first. This is intended to protect your privacy and confidentiality. You are welcome to follow any professional practice pages or public professional accounts that I maintain; however, these should not be used as a means of therapeutic communication.

Ending Therapy

You are free to end therapy at any time. Where possible, I encourage planned endings rather than abrupt termination, as bringing therapy to a thoughtful close can be an important part of the therapeutic process. Towards the end of our work together, we will review the progress made, reflect on your experience of therapy, and consider how best to support your ongoing wellbeing beyond our sessions.

At the conclusion of the agreed period of work, we will discuss whether:

Your therapeutic goals have been sufficiently met.
Additional sessions would be beneficial.
A further block of work is appropriate.
It feels right to end therapy at that point.

There may be occasions when I believe another service or form of support would better meet your needs, or where continuing therapy is no longer clinically appropriate. If this occurs, I will discuss this with you openly and, where possible, support you in accessing alternative services.

Should either of us decide to end therapy, I will endeavour to ensure that the ending is managed respectfully, ethically and with appropriate consideration for your wellbeing.

Complaints If you have any concerns about our work together, I encourage you to raise them with me in the first instance wherever possible.

If we are unable to resolve the matter, you have the right to make a complaint through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Professional Conduct Procedure. Information about the complaints process can be found on the BACP website.