Thank you for choosing Simple Steps Hypnotherapy. I specifically use a type of Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy called Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. This differs from other types of treatment as it focuses on your preferred future. We often all know what we don’t want, but rarely do we consider what we do want. My role is to guide you in identifying small, achievable changes you want to make that will help you achieve your preferred future. Alternatively, I may help you cope so much better with something that you cannot change or have no control over. For example, improving your coping abilities with the anxiety, fear, stress and worries that might come with a serious illness or a difficult relationship.

I also support people who have specific phobias and those who wish to stop smoking. With this treatment, I may sometimes use elements of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

How do I know you are qualified to do the job?

My business is a member of and therefore regulated by: AfSFH.

I must adhere to their strict code of conduct and ethics, including having a recognised qualification, the right insurance, regular Continual Profession Development (CPD) training, and regular supervision with a regulated and qualified supervisor.

What is the General Data Protection Regulations, 2018 (GDPR), and how does it affect me?

The GDPR replaces the 1998 Data Protection Act to ensure your personal and sensitive, confidential data is kept private and held securely, being processed in the way you have agreed to. It is there to protect your rights as a consumer of a service or product that might involve your identifiable data, e.g. your name and address or whether you have a specific condition. It also covers any session records, text messages or emails we exchange.

How long will you hold my information for?

I am a member of the AfSFH, an organisation that stipulates I must hold your data for 8 years after your final session. Unless you are a child, in which case I must hold your data until your 25th birthday unless you are 17 when treatment ends, and then I must keep it until your 26th birthday. Therefore, all records will be deleted in January after the above retention scales.

What if I don’t want my records to be held for that long?

Under the GDPR, you can make a request in writing to me for all your records to be deleted. In this case, all your paper records would be shredded with a cross shredding machine, and any electronic data such as emails or text messages would be permanently deleted from the devices they are stored on. I would have to save the request for deletion you made but would not save any other data.

Why do you need to record this information?

I collect information about; why you are using the service, a small amount of medical information and a small amount of information about your important others, alongside brief session notes. This information enables me to provide a high-quality service to you, ensuring I am equipped with the knowledge of our previous discussions prior to each session.

What lengths are made to ensure my information is held securely?

Hardcopy documents – Are all stored in a locked cabinet in a locked room.
Text messages – My phone is secured with a pin code.
Emails – My email account requires a user name and password.
Email attachments – Any attachments sent by email to you containing your personal information would be password-protected, and the password would be sent to you via text message.
Electronic documents – Any electronic documents, e.g. A letter to your GP, or an invoice, are password protected and stored on a password-protected computer if they contain personal or sensitive information.

Is what we discuss kept confidential?

Everything we talk about during our sessions is strictly confidential between you and me. To ensure I am doing my job effectively and have the right support, I may discuss elements of our sessions with my supervisor. My supervisor also adheres to GDPR.

What if I see you outside of the session?

You are welcome to share with other people about the therapy you are receiving, but I am obliged by GDPR law to ensure your confidentiality is protected. To ensure the success of your treatment, I would request that you refrain from discussing your treatment with me outside of your sessions.

What about other Health and Social Care Professionals?

As I adhere to the GDPR, any contact relating to you and other healthcare professionals would only be made with your signed consent. E.g. If I were to write to your GP to notify them of your treatment with me and then notify them of the treatment ending, I would only do this if you were to sign the specific consent for this at the end of this document.

Exceptions:

In order to safeguard you and the people around you, if you were to disclose that you were going to carry out harm to yourself or someone else, then under my “Duty of Care”, I am obliged by law to inform the relevant authorities.
If I were issued with a police warrant or court order for your information, I would also have to provide them with your information by law.

How long will each session be, and how often?

Sessions are usually 50 minutes.

Sessions will usually begin weekly at first, and then over time, we will – in agreement – spread them out over longer periods.

Smoking Cessation is a block booking of 4 weekly sessions that last approximately fifty minutes, and specific phobia’s usually take around four weekly sessions.

Payment is made after your session. You can pay by card (via a SumUp payment link or invoice ) or bank transfer.

Advanced block booked sessions are non-refundable.

What if I’m running late?

Please do your best to let me know if you are running late. If the next slot is available, I can continue with your full session, but often I will have another client waiting, and therefore, it may mean our session has to be a little shorter.

What if I need to rearrange my session?

Please provide at least 24 hours notice to rearrange your session.

If I need to rearrange a session, I will let you know at my earliest opportunity and hope you might approach our sessions with the same ethos. In extreme circumstances, I may choose to waiver the cancellation fee, e.g. severe disruptive weather conditions.

The late cancellation fee will be waived if it is COVID related.

Therapeutic Alliance

If I am subjected to abuse by you or by someone else acting in your interests, I may end our therapy without notice. Our therapeutic alliance is based on mutual respect; please respect my right to family life and be respectful of my time outside our therapy sessions.

Your commitment to these sessions is essential. If you regularly fail to attend sessions or regularly cancel and rearrange sessions, I will discuss whether this is something you are committed to.

Please Read This Document Carefully

The frequently asked questions and related answers in this document establish the terms and conditions for treatment at Simple Steps Hypnotherapy.

Please ensure that you fully accept these terms and conditions before attending subsequent appointments. If you feel you would require a change to your terms and conditions, please speak with me before our second session.