Online Sex Therapy and
Relationship Counselling
Karen Jones
Karen Jones BA, MSc, PG Dip
Contract for Online Therapy
Welcome
This contract sets out the key policies and procedures under which I work and asks you to agree to them. It does not tie you in to therapy for a particular period of time nor does it ask you to make a financial commitment beyond each individual therapy session.
About Karen Jones
I am a qualified psychosexual and relationship therapist and an accredited member of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT). This means that I abide by the COSRT Code of Ethics.
I do not have a medical background, so I will never do a physical examination or ask you to remove any clothing. I may sometimes ask you to undertake work between sessions, either on your own or with your partner, which may include physical touch. This will only be with your full agreement and will always be subject to negotiation.
I have regular clinical supervision, as required by my professional body. I also hold full professional liability insurance.
Therapy Sessions
You should expect to be treated with consideration and respect at all times during therapy sessions and you can of course choose to end therapy at any time.
All sessions are on line, usually using Zoom or Skype if preferred. Each session lasts for between fifty minutes and one hour and the time and must be pre-booked. I will send you a link to the on line session by email well in advance of the agreed time. Please give me at least 48 hours notice if you need to cancel a session, otherwise I will have to charge you the full fee. Also note that because of the arrangements I have with other clients all sessions must finish by the planned end time.
I do not ask you to commit to a particular number of sessions. For most people, 6 to 8 sessions is the minimum needed to achieve positive change, but this is something we will review regularly together.
The end of the therapeutic relationship will almost always be planned and mutually agreed. I do however reserve the right to end particular therapy sessions and/ or future sessions in rare situations. These include:
Where a client is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Where aggression or violence is shown or threatened
Where a client fails to attend and does not cancel an appointment
Where payment is not made in a timely way
Where a conflict of interest arises within the therapeutic relationship
Where I feel that therapy is no longer helpful for the client
Confidentiality, Record Keeping and Data Protection
Confidentiality
The content of therapy sessions is confidential and confidentiality continues after the therapeutic relationship has ended. The very rare exceptions to this are:
- If you have given me clear, written permission to contact someone, for example your GP
- If I think that you are at serious risk of harming yourself or someone else
- If a court of law or similar statutory body compels me to give information
- If you make a complaint and I am required to give evidence about my practice
- If you disclose involvement in drug trafficking or act of terrorism
- If a child safeguarding issue arises
During my own professional supervision, client issues will be discussed, but full anonymity will always be maintained.
Record Keeping
I usually make brief hand-written notes during therapy sessions. These are purely for my own benefit and are kept in order to facilitate the therapeutic process. These informal notes will not be shared and will be shredded and disposed of as soon as the course of therapy ends. I also keep a brief, factual record of each session. Notes of email exchanges, letters, telephone conversations and supervision discussions, where relevant, will form part of your client record, as will the factual information (name, address, date of birth, contact details) provided by you on your Client Consent Form.
Data Protection
I am registered with the Office of the Information Commissioner. My registration number is: ZA375679
All my client records are in paper form. These are kept in a locked filing cabinet in my personal office, in my own home. The only data I keep on line is a set of electronic copies of all invoices. These are anonymised using a client number instead of a name and contain no other identifying information.
I do not keep a database or virtual address book of client emails or phone numbers and all email correspondence with individual clients is deleted once our work together has ended. No-one else has access to my computer or mobile devices. These are password protected, but not encrypted.
I keep client files securely for 7 years from the end of the therapy. After this time, files are shredded before being disposed of.
You have the right to see any personal data I hold about you. By law I have a month to respond to any such request, although I would endeavour to do so more quickly. Where I have seen you as one half of a couple, my notes are confidential to the client relationship, which means that one person alone cannot request access for a third party.
Contact Outside Therapy Sessions
I will contact you outside therapy sessions primarily to arrange or confirm future appointments. Contact will be by email or text according to the permissions given on the client consent form, which you need to sign. The mobile phone I use is for work only. I have a separate phone for personal use.
Please do not invite me to be a friend on Facebook or other social media sites; this is not appropriate to the therapeutic relationship and I won’t be able to accept.
If we meet by chance, I will respect your confidentiality by not acknowledging you, unless you acknowledge me first.
Complaints
I endeavour to be professional, caring and confidential in all my dealings with clients. If you are not happy with the way I am working, please raise this with me and we will seek to resolve the matter together in the first instance. Where a complaint cannot be resolved informally, you have the right to make a formal complaint to my professional body: The College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT):
Fees
My fees are £65 for individuals and £80 for couples, per session. Fees should be paid in cash, by cheque or by BACS. I will provide an invoice for each session.
Contact
You can contact me:
by telephone: 07817452453
by email: Karen@karenjones.org.uk
I am unlikely to listen to voice messages or to read emails at the weekend or in the evening, but I will aim to get back to you within 48 hours of receiving your message at other times.
Karen Jones