1. Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an essential part of all counselling and psychotherapy. It underpins the client’s sense of safety and trust and contributes to making the therapeutic relationship different from any other.  The Therapy Practice holds all records securely and will ensure confidentiality in the treatment of any information held about its clients, All information recorded and held is solely for the purpose of maintaining effective therapeutic treatment.  

All information will be kept confidential unless the client and therapist agree to discuss something with a third party. Where appropriate a consent form will be used. The only reasons for breaking confidentiality would be if the therapist considered that your life was at risk, if another person’s life was at risk or if the therapist was liable to civil or criminal court proceedings if the information was not disclosed. If at all possible this would be discussed beforehand.

2. Anti-discrimination policy

The Therapy Practice is strongly committed to anti-discrimination. It values difference and diversity and does not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender and gender identity, sexual preference or orientation, marital/partnership status, religion, race, colour, national origin, disability, heritage or political belief.

3.Referrals to Associate Practitioners
All associate therapists are independent and self employed as practitioners who are regulated by their respective member organisations.  Associate therapists will have their own individual terms and conditions.  For any referral that is made it is important to check on these contractual arrangements and to appraise yourself fully of all agreements and expectations between yourself and the associate therapist.  All associate practitioners operate independently of The Therapy Practice, and The Therapy Practice is not responsible for any issues that arise subsequent to an agreed referral.  Any concerns should be raised directly with the associate therapist or with their member organisation.
 
It is strongly advised that if you are concerned about any aspect of your physical or psychological well being that you consult with your GP for an up to date evaluation of your health needs.

4.Confidentiality  and Record Keeping

 Confidentiality is an essential part of all counselling and psychotherapy. The Therapy Practice holds all records and personal contact details securely and will ensure confidentiality in the treatment of any information held about its clients, in line with the Code of Ethics.  All information recorded and held is solely for the purpose of  maintaining effective therapeutic treatment. 

What data do I hold and why?

 I hold the contact data from your initial assessment sheet, on paper, so that I can contact you.

I record information about what you tell me in our sessions depending on the protocol we are using.  Often, I record only brief notes and these act as an ‘aide memoire’ so that I can review the course of your therapy as time progresses.  For some specific protocols, such as EMDR I complete an electronic template. 

I record the number of sessions you have and the payments you make for business purposes.  None of these records involve your full name or other details. 

I will discuss with you how you like to be contacted, and it is important that while you remain a client you notify me if any of these details change.

How is it stored?

Most session notes are held on paper and kept locked securely when not in use. Data held electronically is on a personal computer and stored locally in a password protected account.  Phone contact details are  held on a password protected work phone.

I record appointments on paper in my diary, and data about the number of sessions and the payments you make electronically.  Your records are held for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which they were collected.  Clients have the ‘right to be forgotten’  however, and within a month of receiving a written request all their records will be erased.

Who is it shared with?

All information will be kept confidential unless the client and therapist agree to discuss something with a third party such as your GP. Where appropriate a consent form will be used. The only reasons for breaking confidentiality would be if the therapist considered that your life was at risk, if another person’s life was at risk or if the therapist was liable to civil or criminal court proceedings if the information was not disclosed. If at all possible this would be discussed beforehand.   

In the event of my being unable to contact you (eg through sudden incapacity) a trusted person has access to my client list and will contact you directly.  This is also a professional requirement. If I experience any data breaches, I will inform you as soon as possible.

 Access

Clients can access their records by making a verbal or written request.  Clients agreement and consent will be sought for the purpose of communication related to their therapy arrangement.  If I experience any data breaches, I will inform you as soon as possible.

1.Sessions and fees
Individual sessions (a therapeutic conversation) last for 60 minutes. Some specialist interventions and intensives may require a longer appointment and are calculated accordingly. 

Individual Appointments
£9.35 per 60 minute session.

Payment
Payment is by PayPal or in cash. The arrangements for paying fees for ongoing sessions will be discussed at your consultation. Fees are charged in relation to the therapy provided.

Location:

BLOOM is able to offer online therapy and in person sessions.

Getting in touch:
To make further enquiries or an initial free discussion please phone

07727 807088
All enquiries are dealt with discreetly in the strictest confidence

If for any reason you are unable to attend your appointment please let me know as soon as possible. The required notice for cancellation is one day. Where there is less notice of cancellation or if you do not attend your appointment you may be charged the full fee. With adequate notice, where possible, you will be offered an alternative appointment.
You will be given as much advance notice as possible in terms of my holidays or me needing to cancel your appointment for any other reason.  I invoice retrospectively and kindly ask clients to pay their invoice within seven days of presentation.

Refunds will be given for unused booked appointments with appropriate notice or in the case agreement.

objectives for the complaint handling process are:

1. Complaints will be investigated and responded to within 8 weeks from the initial client contact.
2. You will be sent a copy of the complaints procedure along with any relevant or mandatory consumer information.
3. Complaint responses will always be provided in writing (unless the complainant makes a specific request for an alternate form of communication, which will be provided in addition to the written format).
4. All complaints will be investigated.
5. Complaint records will be used to revise  procedures and to improve communication and business practices where applicable.
6. Complainants are advised of their rights and provided with any relevant right to refer/lodge the complaint and the applicable contact details (i.e. the ICO)Procedures & Guidelines

Procedures & Guidelines

Raising a Complaint

Clients who request BLOOM’s complaint handling procedure will be provided a copy of the procedure and a complaint form either by email, in a pdf format, or in the post, and will be asked to raise their complaint in writing as soon as possible after the incident.

NOTE: Complaints are to be raised in writing, however verbal complaints will be accepted and dealt with as per the same procedures.

If a client telephones BLOOM and wishes to raise a complaint, I will try to resolve the complaint then and there.

Even if the complaint is resolved at the time, the client will still be offered the option of receiving the complaints handling procedure and form prior to ending the call and the call will be logged in the complaints record.  

Data Protection Related Complaints

Where a complaint is related to the processing of personal data, the Privacy Policy ensures that BLOOM complies with the data protection laws and notification requirements.

Every individual has the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (ICO) where they consider that the processing of personal data relating to them infringes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or we have breached data protection law. All individuals using our products or services  are notified of this right via our Privacy Policy, in our complaint handling procedures and in our information disclosures.

The supervisory authority with which the complaint has been lodged, is responsible for informing the complainant on the progress and the outcome of the complaint, including the possibility of a judicial remedy where the supervisory authority does not handle a complaint or does not inform the data subject within three months on the progress or outcome of the complaint lodged.

Informal Complaint Resolution

BLOOM considers and responds to all complaints and issues, no matter how they are raised or what they refer to. Some issues and complaints we can resolve immediately or within a 3-working day timeframe and are referred to as informal complaints. Such instances are where an investigation is not required because the nature of the complaint is clear, and a resolution can be obtained without further review of the facts. Where we resolve a complaint within the timeframe, the details are still logged on the complaint register, and the complainant is still informed of their rights.

BLOOM takes every opportunity to resolve complaints at the first initial point of contact where feasible and possible. Informal resolution is always attempted where the issues raised are straightforward and potentially easily resolved, requiring little or no investigation. Most face to face and telephone issues can be resolved in this manner, however the complainant is always offered the option of making the complaint formal if the resolution is not to their satisfaction.

Timeframe for Informal Resolution

It is the aim of BLOOM to resolve informal complaints immediately, or at least within the first 24-hours. Such complaints and issues will have a quick, but informative response and do not need to have an investigation or enter the formal complaint process.

No matter how small or informal the complaint, if a satisfactory resolution has not been achieved within 3 working days of the complaint we enter the formal complaint process.

Responding to a Complaint

Where an official complaint has been received or the informal complaint was unable to be resolved at the frontline point of contact, a written acknowledgement is sent to the client within 3 working days. The response should detail the complaint handling procedure and provide approximate timelines and expectations for the investigation and future responses.

Investigating the Complaint

I will investigating complaints and will gather all necessary documents, recordings and information to make an independent review of the incident.

All investigations must take place with 6-weeks of the initial complaint being received so that a final response (decision letter) can be sent to the customer within the designated 8-week period.  

Investigations must utilise all the facts and any previous, related information to produce an unbiased outcome and an expected course of action. A complaint reference should be assigned and all documents relevant to the complaint should have the reference written on them for continuity.

The reference will also be added to the Complaints Register so that complaint and documents can be audited and traced back in the future.

Complaints must and will be referred to the Data Protection Officer where:

• The complainant has requested such a referral or investigation
• The complaint involves any type of personal data issue
• The informal complaint resolution stage failed or was inappropriate
• There is a conflict of interest between the complainant and an employee
• The issues are complex and require an investigation
• The complaint represents a high or serious risk to the company
• The facts are unclear, or the complaint will require additional time to resolve
• The complainant is identified as being vulnerable
• There has been any media contact or attention
• Child protection issues are involved
• The issues do or may affect more customers (whether identified or not)

Decision Letter (Final Response)

After the complaint has been investigated in full and an outcome and action decision has been reached, I will draft a final response letter to the customer with their findings and decision regarding any action(s) to be taken or compensation awarded.

The final response must be sent within 8 weeks of the initial response being raised and will also specify the complainant’s right to refer or lodge the complaint with the appropriate body (where applicable) should the client  be unhappy with the decision received.

For complaints related to personal data and/or breaches of the data protection laws and regulations, the final response will reiterate the complainant’s right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (the Information Commissioners Office) and will detail the ICO’s telephone number and address, along with the possibility of seeking a judicial remedy.

Complaint Recording

All complaints, whether formal or informal, are recorded on a Customer Complaint Register. The register consist of the below information and is  audited on a frequent basis to ensure that incidents are not being repeated and improvements are being made.

• Date
• Nature of Complaint
• Complaint Reference
• Decision Letter Sent (Y/N)
• Date Complaint Closed

The log is made available to any relevant authority, ombudsman or body who relates or oversees BLOOM’ s complaints, as well as being made available with the local Trading Standards should a representative work alongside the organisation.

Where gaps or patterns are identified, I put corrective actions and mitigating solutions into place as soon as possible and keep the function and process under a weekly review until a satisfactory improvement is noted.

1. The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. It is not a consultation, nor do I answer questions posed by you directly related to your presentation. You should not rely on this material or information on the website as a basis for making any business, legal, medical or any other decisions. Whilst we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, BLOOM makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such material is at your own risk
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