Terms and Conditions
All work (excepting Weaver House) is subject to contract as below; valid as of June 1st, 2010.
The Hypnotherapist
I am Mr Alan Wick HPD DHP CBT(Hyp) MNCH(Reg) of Positive Hypnotherapy. I am a full member of the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH), and by default, the UK Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations (UKCHO), and as such subscribe to their code of ethics (attached). I maintain public liability insurance via Towergate Insurance Brokers.
For clients experiencing (not exclusively) anxiety/depression, insomnia, compulsive behaviour, uncontrolled anger/frustration/stress, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, trauma, pain control, I work using the Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) approach to Hypnotherapy, which is product of development and research by Steve de Shazer of the Milwaukee ‘Brief Family Therapy Centre’, Insoo Kim Berg, Bill O’ Connell, and others. The methodology has it’s origins in the work of pioneering Hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.
In some cases, for example but not exclusively, stop smoking sessions, performance enhancement, simple phobias, hypnobirthing, hypnofertility, I apply only partial elements of SFBT, or rely on traditional approaches such as rewind/reframe, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) or elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I do not use analysis or regression techniques.
I am committed to enabling my clients to help themselves, and achieve what they want, finding the most effective way to solve their problems and move on with their life, with the least possible recourse to therapy. We are both making a commitment of time and energy to each other in deciding to work together. It is important for you to know what agreements we are making together, and so what to expect.
Confidentiality and Records
The contents of the sessions are confidential to you and me. I may need to discuss our work with my supervisor (therapists operate professional supervision arrangements with senior colleagues as a matter of course). I will use your first name but will not use any other identifying details about you. It is important that you also respect the confidentiality of our sessions, including any personal details which I may disclose, and/or details about my working premises, when outside the relationship, in order to protect the integrity of our work, and our mutual right to privacy.
Communication between myself and other health care professionals will only take place with your signed consent specific to the professional concerned and the nature of the contact, unless I have reason to believe there is a threat of harm, either to you or another if I fail to make appropriate contact. Disclosure of crime by you, or acts of personal abuse towards others by you, may well not be treated as confidential, and all disclosure of previously unreported child abuse, whether disclosed by perpetrator or victim, will be reported to the Police.
All written, audio or otherwise recorded material arising from our sessions will be kept securely, and only disclosed with your explicit signed permission, or on provision of a Police warrant.
Sessions and Fees
Sessions will be for one hour per week, at declining intervals as indicated by your progress, and mutual agreement, unless otherwise negotiated, with the exception of Stop Smoking sessions, which are of approximately two hours duration, with a voluntary single hour follow up, on request only, and specific courses.
Payment (current fees attached) is in advance by cash or debit/credit card. At the end of your initial consultation (I/C), if you wish to proceed, your first session becomes payable, and at the end of your first session, session 2 becomes payable, until your final or discharge session, at which there is nothing further to pay. If you do not wish to proceed past the I/C, you pay nothing.
The whole session belongs to you. I will be there for you whether you decide to attend or not. If you come in 5 minutes from the end of our session I will still be there.
Cancellation of Session
In any event of my not being able to give you your session/s because of illness, or any other unavoidable indisposition on my part, I will give you as much notice as possible and offer you an alternative time. Your session belongs to you, and as such can be cancelled at any time, but the charge for that session is non-refundable, and a further charge becomes payable if you require a rearranged session.
You should be aware that whilst therapy is a commitment between us both, to promote your best interests, it is also necessary to protect my interests within that relationship. This clause is to provide some protection and stability to my income, and is non-negotiable.
Early Termination of Therapy
No notice is required for the cessation of therapy. In the event that you discontinue at or during a session, the next session will not become chargeable. If you quit after a session, and have paid for the next session, that fee is non-refundable (see ‘cancellation of session’ above).
I reserve the right to end therapy at no notice, in the event of abusive behaviour of any kind by you or on your behalf.
In some cases I may offer to ‘refer on’ to another therapist, where I believe that progress may be more effectively achieved, for whatever reason, or if you request that therapy continue, but feel that my methodology or any aspect of my approach is irreconcilably affecting your progress.
NB: There may be times within your therapy when you feel distressed, or that therapy is not helping you, particularly in the early stages. It is wise to come along and discuss these difficulties and not to suddenly end the therapy. This will give you the opportunity to understand and to perhaps resolve your distress.
Ending on ‘Schedule’
We have determined to work together for weekly sessions at first, and at reducing frequency thereafter, according to your progress, and subject to review and mutual consent.
Usually we will both know when you are ready to cease therapy, and you and I together can reach mutual agreement about this.
Our Relationship
To be clear about the relationship between us, there can be no other contact outside of the arranged sessions, and none at any time other than as therapist/client. There will be no friendship or other relationship outside of therapy.
In the event of accidental meetings, I undertake to give you brief, friendly acknowledgement, and to in no way identify the nature of our relationship, whether past or present.
Please Read This Document Carefully
Check it is acceptable to you. This contract provides boundaries and ground rules which will protect both your and my best interests, and enable us to both work together with mutual respect.
Changes can normally only be negotiated at the outset, and if this is desired then the client should raise the matter before signing.
This agreement is fully understood and agreed, and is signed as it stands, by;
Name; ................................................................................Client
Name; ………………………………………………………….Therapist
Date………………………………………………………………
For your protection, my work is bound by the code of ethics of the NCH, as shown below;
NCH Code of Ethics and Conduct
All practising members undertake to adhere to the following code:
1. Client Welfare
The welfare of the client is the primary concern of the therapist. It should only take second place if not to do so would seriously jeopardise other members of the public or the therapist’s welfare.
2. Confidentiality
Confidentiality is to be maintained in all but the most exceptional circumstances. These can only include:
- legal action (criminal or civil court cases where a court order is made demanding disclosure – includes coroner’s courts),
- legal REQUIREMENT, e.g. Children’s acts,
- where there is good cause to believe that not to disclose would cause danger of serious harm to the client, the therapist and/or others
3. Service
Hypnotherapists will only offer services in areas in which they have demonstrated their competence, to the agreed National Occupational Standards level. They have a responsibility to provide the client with the best possible service available including onwards referral to another therapist or medical practitioner that may offer such a service. Trainee members may only use the techniques and work only with issues for which they have been given express permission by their course tutor, following formal assessment and monitoring of skill development. Trainee members must ensure that all clients are fully aware of their trainee status.
4. Development of ‘Skill-base’
Hypnotherapists are required to maintain or improve their level of skills and professional competence by:
- undertaking formal continuing training (of at least 10 hours per year), by attending workshops, courses and seminars, of an NCH approved standard,
AND
- sharing of experiences and exploring such with supervisors/peer-support groups.
An awareness of research and developments in the field of Hypnotherapy and other linked fields must be maintained.
5. Exploitation
All exploitation is abuse.
Hypnotherapists shall not behave in any manner that gives rise to the exploitation of a client. They will
- Not enter into any other relationship, outside the professional/ therapeutic relationship, while treating a client. (See notes.)
- make their charges known to the client before therapy is commenced.
- Terminate therapy at the earliest time, commensurate with the good care and continuing welfare of the client.
- Not accept any inappropriate gifts, gratuities or favours from a client.
Hypnotherapists shall only deal with clients under the age of 17yrs or with special needs, after obtaining informed consent of an appropriate adult (parent or legal guardian). All sessions should be conducted in the presence of an appropriate adult (parent, guardian or agreed adult third party) OR recorded on time indexed video/audio format, unless informed consent is obtained from the appropriate adult to work on a 1:1 basis. Members who have specific training in assessing Gillick competence may utilise these skills.
6. Advertising
Advertising, no matter in what form or medium it is placed, shall represent a true picture of the hypnotherapist, their skill base, qualifications, facilities and any benefits that may be expected from hypnosis and shall conform to current Advertising Law.
TESTIMONIALS IN ANY FORM MUST NOT BE INCLUDED.
7. General Conduct
Hypnotherapists shall not behave in any manner, within or outside the context of therapy that would undermine the public’s confidence in the profession or bring the profession into disrepute. Some examples:
- A failure to act appropriately when they become aware of another therapist’s unethical activity in a clinical setting,
- Improper use of hypnosis,
- criminal conviction,
- Lack of courtesy towards other Health or Social Care professionals,
- Discrimination on the basis of ethnic or sexual factors,
- Anything that is the subject of any civil judgement regarding neglect of duty of care.
- Misuse of the Title ‘Doctor’. Hypnotherapists must at all times avoid misleading the public in any way by using the title “PhD”, “Dr” or “Doctor” in a manner which might convey a false impression of their qualifications or professional status. This includes, among other things, falsely creating the impression that: (a) they hold a medical qualification, (b) that the qualification is in an area relevant to hypnotherapy, or (c) that the qualification is of a similar nature or standard to degrees issued by accredited UK universities, if this is not actually the case. Any use of the titles “Doctor” or “PhD” must be accompanied by a defining statement which clearly explains the awarding body and subject of the qualification, e.g., in a footnote.
Clients should be made aware of appropriate avenues of complaint.
Notes
Notes of clarification to Bye Laws:
1(a)(2) Most standards of confidentiality applied in professional contexts are based on the Common Law concept of confidentiality where the duty to keep confidence is measured against the concept of “greater good”. A stronger form, as advocated, may be provided by the use of a written contract containing a confidentiality clause. The sharing of anonymous case histories with supervisors and peer-support groups is not a breach of professional confidentiality. The sharing of open case histories with supervisors is also not a breach. Feedback to referring medical practitioners can take the form of general comments as to progress; specific details should be kept confidential. The Hypnotherapist should also be prepared to share information necessary for the continuing treatment of clients by other health-care professionals, where the re is an overlap or hand on of care. This should not be a reason to dilute the standards of confidentiality.
1(a)(4), Continuing Professional Development may include attending live courses, seminars, workshops or conferences, taking courses via distance learning, conducting research, and writing books, articles or publishable book reviews. All must be relevant to the practice of hypnotherapy.
1(a)(5), Should at any time a relationship, other than as described above, develop between a client and therapist, then the client shall be referred on to another competent therapist, at the earliest time commensurate with the welfare of the client and in any case, no further fees shall be taken.
Working with children: The NCH wishes to highlight that members should only work with children if they are so qualified to do so, and to be aware of the potential risks to them of false or malicious claims being made by children if they are seen without an appropriate adult.
1(a)(7), In the clause regarding bringing the profession into disrepute, the NCH also considers it to be a breach of the code to bring the NCH into disrepute. Ways that members can bring the NCH into disrepute include:
- Utilising the ir NCH Membership for purposes not sanctioned or approved by the NCH
- Failure to show a fellow member of the NCH the respect and courtesy owed him/her
- Acting in a manner ei the r professionally or privately that would bring the NCH into disrepute.
- Stage hypnosis. The NCH does not support nor condone the practise of hypnotism for entertainment purposes. It is the view of the NCH that hypnosis should be shown only in a the rapeutic light. Demonstrations made by members should be in keeping with the spirit of this utilisation of hypnosis.
1(b)(3) A supervisor is suitably qualified if they hold Cert. Hyp. Sup. or higher grade of supervisory training.
1(b)(4) The inclusion of a clause that defines the scope of confidentiality, within therapy raises it from a Common Law duty to Contractual Limitation and duty to deliver.
June 1st, 2010.