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Carol Smyth CBT Therapy Arrangements
- Consent to these arrangements
If you have any questions or concerns about these arrangements, please let me know by email or in our first therapy session. It is important that we both agree a shared basis for the therapy engagement. If you are happy with the arrangements you can indicate your consent below.
- Information I keep and what I do with it
Your information is kept in line with the legal requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
I make brief notes at the end of sessions to aid me with my work. Any work completed by you in the sessions is kept digitally. The work you complete does not contain any data which is identifiable. I will keep my notes for 7 years (as required by insurance) and then destroy them. When you leave therapy, you will take any notes you have made in sessions with you.
- Session Times and Frequency
The first session is 60 mins long and allows us to talk through what has been happening and what CBT might be able to help with. After this initial session, further sessions are usually weekly or fortnightly at an agreed time and last for 50 mins. Frequency can be determined by you. Please let me know if you will be late or unable to come to a session.
- Confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality
The content of our sessions is confidential, although I will need to discuss our work with my clinical supervisor. This is standard therapy practice and your identity is not revealed. In exceptional circumstances, where there is a significant risk that you may harm yourself or others, or if risk to someone else is apparent, I will inform you of my need to break confidentiality and contact the relevant agency. I would be liable to civil or court procedure if such information was not disclosed.
- Supervision and training
As required by both the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I receive regular professional supervision by an accredited supervisor. A requirement of my continuing registration of BABCP and BACP is that I undertake on-going training and self-development, ensuring that my practice is continually updated.
- Optional recording of sessions
It can be sometimes be helpful to record sessions so that I can play an excerpt to my supervisor. Recording is entirely optional and I will ask for your consent on each occasion, before any recording occurs. If you do not want sessions to be recorded, please do not hesitate to tell me. Recordings will be anonymous, securely stored and will be destroyed within a month of completion of the course of therapy or sooner at your request.
7. Holidays and cancellations
I will inform you of holiday dates in advance. I provide as much notice as possible of a need to reschedule. Please provide me with notice of your holiday dates and at least 24 hours’ notice of other cancellations. If you reschedule or cancel with more than 24 hours notice payment is refundable. Within 24 hours of the agreed session it is non refundable.
8. Contact outside of sessions
You may contact me by the phone / whatsapp (07517406683) or email (cbt@carolsmyth.co.uk) in the case of cancellations and alterations. Cancellations and reschedules can also be made via the booking software. In case of actual emergency or a crisis situation, please contact your GP surgery, or out of hours if required.
9. Ending the therapy
Therapy is likely to finish at the end of an agreed number of sessions. You may end at any time you wish. Advance notice of at least 1 week before the final session is best so that we can round off our work.
10. Right to refuse
Please do not turn up under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as I may not be able to see you.
11. Ethics and code of conduct
I am bound by the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics as well as by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy ethical framework.
A copy of the BABCP Standards can be found here:
The BACP ethical framework for good practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy can be found here: