Terms and Conditions
CBT Services and Child & Family CBT Services Ltd - Terms and Conditions.
Please retain a copy for your reference.
Payments to Child & Family CBT Service Ltd
Self funding referrals
For individuals who are self-funding, payment is usually expected directly after each session by cheque, cash, credit or debit card. Cheques are to be made payable to Child & Family CBT Services Ltd. Payment can also be made online within 24 hours of the treatment session. Online payment details:
Lloyds: Child & Family CBT Services Ltd Sort code: 30-64-22
Account number: 30426960
Self-funding fees (Laurie Seiler) - £85.00 this includes initial assessment.
Travel:
Clients requesting home visits for appointments may be charged at the discretion of the therapist depending on the time and/or distance required to travel
Reports letter:
Are available but clients may be charged an hourly fee at the discretion of the therapist
Insurance company referrals
For individuals who have their treatment covered by a health insurance company such as BUPA and AXA PPP. Due to confidentiality issues insurance companies often do not tell us how many sessions your treatment is covered for. We therefore ask that you check first with your insurance company to see how many sessions you are funded for. This is very important, as you will be liable for any fees not paid by your insurance company. If you decide to have extra treatment sessions (i.e., more than you are covered for by your insurance company) then the same payment advice for individuals who self-fund applies.
Insurance and non-statutory fees - £120.00 per session.
Statutory body referrals (e.g. the NHS)
For individuals who are referred by the NHS, the legal system, social services or rehabilitation companies you will not be involved in the administration of payments. You will not be liable for any payment withheld or not paid by your referrer. We will liaise directly with your referrer for payment.
Length of sessions - Appointment are usually one hour in length
Cancellations and fees
No fee will be charged if greater than 24 hour’s notice is given of a cancellation. We will charge you a full fee if less than 24 hour’s notice is given of a cancellation. (This fee can be waived at the discretion of your therapist). A full session fee will be charged if an appointment is not attended and no notice is given, as your therapist will need to be present and available to you at the office throughout your appointment time.
Confidentiality:
Self-funding referrals
Your notes will be kept securely. No information about your treatment will be given to third parties without your prior permission (except in specific circumstances, see below).
Information can be shared with your GP or child’s school to give information about your case, only if you request this. No information about you or your child’s treatment will be held on NHS recording systems unless you specifically request this. Child & Family CBT Services follows advice as set out in the Data Protection Act. All reports or documents held on computers are password protected as are entry to computers themselves. Generally, we make an assumption that e-mail communication is not secure, so if you wish to pass confidential information via e-mail to your therapist we suggest that you do this using a password protected document.
Circumstances where confidentiality may not apply
If it is the case that your therapist believes that the risk to yourself or others is significant in terms of a threat to your life or a threat to others life, then we may be obliged to break confidentiality and inform third parties from statutory organisations (e.g., your GP, Social Services, or the NHS). We will make attempts to contact you personally prior to any such information being shared. This also applies if your therapist has concerns regarding the safety or well-being of your child while they are undergoing treatment within Child & Family CBT Services. Concerns would be discussed with parents before a referral is made
For clients who are directly referred and have their treatment funded by the NHS, solicitors, social services, the American Military and rehabilitation companies’ written reports are usually expected. Your referrer will usually request your written permission for Child & Family CBT Service Ltd to disclose information to them. If there is any information that you wish to be kept confidential from your referrer this can be arranged via a discussion with your therapist.
Clinical supervision of therapists
All therapists within Child & Family CBT Services have clinical supervision. Clinical supervision is mandatory for all clinicians and your case may be discussed within clinical supervision. Any information discussed will be kept confidential and your real name will not be used. Therapists at Child & Family CBT Services meet for supervision on a monthly basis. This includes one-hour supervision for both CBT and EMDR therapists. If you do not want any of your information being shared with other therapists, please let us know.
Copies of your notes
You can request copies of your notes from sessions at any time. Photocopies of notes will be made available to you. Third party notes e.g., letters from Psychiatrists, G.P.’s or other bodies can be made available to you if you receive the consent of these third parties.
Child clients
We are happy to see children in therapy sessions accompanied by their parents, guardians, teachers or carers. Although many children prefer to be seen alone. We are happy to offer children below the age of 16 sessions on their own, if parents or guardians agree to this verbally. Although children may choose to be seen alone for their appointment, parents coming to the office need to be present at the being and end of sessions and available throughout. We may not be able to share information disclosed within these sessions if a child particularly requests that we do not. This could occur in the circumstance where a therapist decides that a child has sufficient maturity and understanding to make specific decisions about whether he or she wants others to be given information about their sessions. Although children under the age of sixteen are not deemed as legally competent, rulings made in courts have determined that children can be deemed to be legally competent to make decisions about who has access to their information if they have 'sufficient understanding and maturity to enable them to understand fully what is proposed'. This is based on a concept now known as 'Gillick competency' which initially arose in the case of Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Health Authority in 1986. The term 'Fraser competency' is also used in this respect (Lord Fraser was the judge who ruled on the case). Child & Family CBT Service follows guidelines issued by the department of health which state that parents and guardians of children under the age of 16 should be involved about decisions about their children’s care unless there is a very good reason for them not doing so. Equally guidance suggests that if a competent child under the age of 16 is insistent that their family should not be involved in their treatment, their right to confidentiality must be respected, unless such an approach would put them at serious risk of harm. Risk of harm occurring by not sharing information will be determined by the child’s individual therapist.
Child clients in schools
Many local schools fund Laurie Seiler (Director of Child & Family CBT Services) to work with pupils. This may involve individual, family or group work. This is a private arrangement between the schools. For this work Child & Family CBT Services will follow the school’s policies and procedures which in some cases may be different from therapeutic work carried out in the office. You may first need to liaise with staff in school regarding issues relating to treatment carried out in school. On some occasions a special arrangement can be made between parents and a child’s school for treatment to be carried out on school premises (funded privately by the child’s parents). Before this is possible parents will need to agree with school policies and procedures and the head teacher may need to be aware of the reason your child is being seen. If necessary, the school’s safe guarding policy would be followed and information shared with a safe guarding professional in school.
Schools/organisations:
Schools or organisations will be offered a reduced fee of £70 per hour providing they purchase more than one hour per week. This may include individual or group work.
Payment:
Schools/organisations will be sent a monthly invoice made payable to child and family CBT services Ltd.
Schools/organisations will be charged at the discretion of the therapist if students are absent from school or unable to attend appointments and/or if the therapist is available but students are absent (perhaps due to a school trip or school closure due to bad weather conditions). Schools/organisations will not be expected to pay should the therapist be unable to make appointments such as ill-health or training requirements.
Confidentiality for work in schools:
While it is important to respect children's confidentiality, especially when working with younger children, a brief overview of session content may be shared with an allocated professional in school at the discretion of the therapist. This is usually the Headteacher, SENCO, or Safeguarding Officer. The information may also be available to parents/carers (for individuals under the age of 12 years) at personal request, providing this is in the best interest of the young person. All notes will be kept in a secure folder which will not be placed on individual school records unless requested by parents or if there is a safeguarding issue. All group work will involve a co-facilitator (usually a member of staff from school) to help support individuals and provide follow-up support if required.
Referrals:
Although in some cases individuals can refer themselves for support, such as following an assembly in school, generally children will be referred through an allocated teacher in school. A referral can be with the aim of individual CBT, taking part in a therapeutic group, or possibly just a one-off assessment to help understand a child’s needs. Issues raised may vary for example, friendship issues, problems with learning, anxiety, self esteem, loss & bereavement, sleep problems, trauma, or behavioural issues. For some individuals support may be very low key’ while others may have complex needs. Individuals will always have a choice about being seen and can opt out if they wish. Equally parents/carers will need to give consent should staff consider sessions may be beneficial. Obviously, parents can opt their children out and/or, make arrangements to speak in person with the therapist if required.
It is the school or organisations responsibility to ensure relevant background information (regarding an individual’s well-being including possible safeguarding concerns etc) are shared with the therapist before sessions commence.