Counselling Agreement with Clients
All information is treated confidentially and kept securely. Please follow the link at the end of this document to verify
you have read and understood its contents.
This is our counselling agreement which states the terms and conditions of our counselling service and what you can
expect from us. Your counsellor will go through this agreement with you at the start of your first counselling session to
ensure that you are happy with what we offer and gain your consent to proceed with the service.
Confidentiality
Counselling Sessions
What you talk about in your counselling session will be treated as confidential, although there will always be
exceptions to this, which are:
● You ask your counsellor to break confidentiality because you consider that to be in your best interest.
● The counsellor’s Duty of Care requires steps to be taken to minimise harm to you or someone else. Where
possible, a proposed course of action would usually be discussed with you first. This may result in contacting
your GP, or other third-party professionals, for additional support.
● If the counsellor is made aware of a serious crime or child protection concerns or issued an order from the
court, the counsellor will be bound by legal or statutory obligation to share and may not need to inform you
that they are doing so.
Supervision
In accordance with their professional and ethical requirements, our counsellors attend monthly supervision to discuss
aspects of their clinical work with a senior counselling practitioner.
Session Notes
Your counsellor will write confidential and anonymised brief notes to keep an up-to-date record of your sessions
and significant key points discussed. You can request to see these notes, or have copies sent to you, by making
this request in writing to contact@Arcuslgbt.com
Counselling via Telephone or Online
● You must find a quiet and confidential space where you will be undisturbed for your session. (You will also
need to ensure that any vulnerable household members, e.g. children, have adequate care and supervision
during this time. If this is not possible, we may need to review the suitability of our service.)
● No recording of sessions is allowed, by either party, when counselling by phone or video link.
● You are responsible for the security of your devices, including using password protection and regularly
updating any virus checkers and firewalls installed.
● As far as possible, we will ensure our devices are safe and secure.
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Cost of Counselling
● Counselling is provided at a reduced cost to people on a low/limited income. We want to reserve this
counselling service as such.
● So that our counselling service is not abused we will ask you to confirm this at point of referral and the service
is offered on this basis.
● You will be Means tested as part of the assessment process.
*Payments must be made 24 hours prior to the session starting. If the payment has not been paid, then the session WILL NOT go ahead.*
Session Length
Counselling sessions are a minimum of 50 minutes, maximum of 60 minutes and will start and end at the time agreed,
please attend your session on time.
When your counselling session is due to start, if you do not answer the phone or connect the video link or you do not
arrive within 10 minutes of the start time, then your session can not proceed.
Duration of Counselling
We offer unlimited sessions of counselling unless otherwise agreed. Your counsellor will discuss with you in your
first session your reasons for seeking support and what you hope to achieve from counselling, and this will be
reviewed at an agreed interval. The intention of counselling is to support you through a specific period when you
need it the most. When your counselling sessions end, you should be more able to manage the issues you
identified at the start. If you feel that further support would benefit you, you can re-refer to the service after you
are discharged.
Cancellations and DNA’s
● If you cannot attend an appointment, cancellation should be made as soon as possible by ringing Arcus or
contacting your Counsellor. Please leave a message if they are unable to take your call.
● Any changes to your appointment must be made with at least 24 hours notice.
● If you do not attend an appointment and do not cancel it, we regard this as a DNA (Did Not Attend). We
will contact you twice to offer the opportunity of a further appointment.
● If accessing counselling via telephone and you do not pick up, your counsellor will wait 5 minutes before
trying once more to contact you. This would be regarded as a DNA.
● If accessing counselling online, your counsellor will wait 10 minutes for you to arrive before leaving the
virtual room. This would be regarded as a DNA.
● Any appointments not cancelled in time, not cancelled at all, or otherwise unattended will be recorded
as a DNA. These sessions will count as part of your sessions and are chargeable (If applicable).
If you cancel or DNA on three occasions, this will result in an automatic discharge. If you are
discharged for any reason, please note that we cannot refund your booking fee. Sessions will
not proceed until paid for in full. When you are discharged, you can re-refer yourself at a later date if you
so wish.
Our Responsibilities
● To provide an environment with a zero tolerance to:
– Hate Crime
– Verbal or physically aggressive behaviour
– Hatred of any Kind
● Provide a safe environment for you to use our service.
● Provide you with the correct level of support you require as an individual.
● Provide information and advice that you may wish to take advantage of.
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● We continuously seek to further our personal and professional development and are constantly undergoing
continuous training to ensure our skills are as fresh and up-to-date as possible.
● Adhere to an Ethical Framework for Good Practice, which outlines our duty of care, code of practice and
responsibility to each client we work with.
● We hold professional liability insurance, which covers our work.
● If at any time your counsellor feels that the session is moving beyond their level of expertise or for any
reason is becoming unsafe, ineffective, you become too distressed to carry on, or there is a breach of our
terms and conditions; they will reserve the right to end the session and will support you in finding more
specialist help or seeking a different counsellor.
Your Responsibilities
● Abide by all reasonable instructions of Arcus and the individual counselling agreement where applicable. As
the person sharing your story, you are the expert, so it is important for you to realise the significance of your
contribution in each session. We can only work with what you bring into the session; we will support and
encourage you to explore what you want, but you need to realise the importance of your contribution.
● During your sessions, we expect you to be open to looking at things from a different perspective. Be aware
that sometimes the counselling process can be a very emotional experience; if you become upset and want to
pause, we can do this. Please note: that we have a zero-tolerance approach to violence, aggression, and
abusive activity towards our counsellors. If this happens, we will contact the appropriate authorities, and your
sessions will come to an end with immediate effect.
● Not be under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs while using our service.
● Treat fellow service users, clients and volunteers with dignity, respect and autonomy.
● If you take any prescribed medication or have any condition likely to influence the session, you should
inform your counsellor of this.
● If you are discharged for any reason, you may re-refer yourself again; however, when returning to the
service, you will lose your place on the waiting list and will join at the end of the queue.
Technology Difficulties
If we lose our connection during a telephone or online video session due to technological difficulties with the network
or Wi-Fi, your counsellor will always attempt to re-establish the connection so the session can continue. If this is not
possible, they will contact you later in the day by an alternative method, if necessary, to reschedule your appointment.
Online Video Sessions
Meeting your counsellor in your home environment on a screen can make counselling feel like you’re working
together face-to-face.
It can help the counselling process if you:
● Turn off other devices (such as phones and TV) during your session to minimise distractions.
● Set up a space where you can sit comfortably for the session. Ideally, you should set up the device so you can
use it hands-free while you remain visible, with adequate lighting, and without making adjustments as you talk.
Contact outside of Session and Social Media
We will limit any contact by email or telephone between sessions to practical arrangements and information only.
Sensitive and personal material should be kept for the session itself.
To ensure confidentiality, our policy is that if we see you outside of a session, we will not approach you. However, if
clients approach us, we will respond with a polite greeting, although we will not discuss anything that is spoken
about in sessions.
We are unable to accept friend requests or have contact with clients via social media.
The contents of this document are confidential and for consideration of the intended recipient only. If you received this document by mistake, please inform us and then destroy it, so that we can ensure such a mistake does not occur in the future.
Student Counsellors
Arcus supports training Student Counsellors attending College/University and approaching their qualified status. All
our Student Counsellors work professionally and have reached a specific level of training to provide one-to-one
counselling.
As part of our training commitment, clients may be offered sessions with student counsellors who are completing accredited qualifications. These counsellors work under strict supervision, follow the same ethical and confidentiality standards as qualified counsellors, and receive ongoing oversight.
Sessions may be discussed (anonymously) in supervision or academic assignments. Some students may request to audio or video record sessions for training purposes—this will only occur with your prior written consent, and you may decline without affecting your access to counselling.
All student counsellors:
• Are professionally insured.
• Operate within the BACP (or equivalent) Ethical Framework.
• Are closely monitored by both academic and clinical supervisors.
• Are expected to maintain clear professional boundaries.
Referrals and Signposting
While accessing our service, if your counsellor feels that Arcus is not the most appropriate service to meet your
needs, this will be discussed with you fully, and a referral to your GP or signposting to another agency may be
suggested.
Feedback and Complaints
If you have any feedback or complaints regarding your counselling experience, please contact Arcus.
Alternatively, you can contact your counsellor’s professional governing body.
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