Updated 19th August 2023

Between: Dr Heather Boland and The Client 

This Client Agreement form will be provided following the initial consultation appointment and before the full assessment appointment.

The Client’s signature on the Client Agreement or The Client’s attendance at the first appointment will constitute a binding contract between The Client and Dr Heather Boland. 

Fees

For self-funding individuals:

Initial assessment (1.5 hours) – £130

Psychological therapy sessions (50 minutes) – £120

Extended Session Therapy (usually on a Saturday morning; 2 hours) – £250

Location of therapy sessions

In-person

Face-to-face appointments will take place at a therapy room in Haydock Street, St. Helens (Merseyside). There is parking nearby and St. Helens Central station and bus station are a few minutes walk away. Details of how to find and access the therapy space will be shared with clients once an appointment is booked.

Heather is currently offering appointments on weekday evenings and at weekends. 

Video (online)

Psychology therapy sessions can be delivered online by video call. Clients do not need any specific software other than a stable internet connection to access video call appointments. The appointments can be accessed via a laptop, PC, smartphone or tablet. Heather will deliver video call appointments from a confidential space (usually the therapy room). The client should ensure they are also in a confidential space for the appointments. 

Recording of video call appointments is not permitted. 

Should technical difficulties occur and the video call cannot continue, Heather will call the client to continue the session over the telephone if that suits the client’s needs. 

Payment of Fees

Self-funded clients (those not paying via an insurer) will pay for appointments at least 48 hours before the appointment. Fees are paid via bank transfer or by cash. Should the client wish to pay by cash on the day of the appointment, they should discuss and arrange this with Heather. The bank transfer details will be provided via email once the first appointment is booked. The client should contact Heather if there are difficulties with making the payment. Heather will attempt to make reasonable arrangements if payment cannot be made prior to the appointment. If an appointment remains unpaid one week after the appointment is completed, an invoice will be sent to the client to request the fee be paid.

Cancellation Policy

If the client is unable to attend their appointment, they should let Heather know as soon as possible via email: heather@drheatherboland.com. For standard 90-minute assessment and 50-minute therapy sessions, cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance will be charged the full fee. For Extended Session Therapy (2-hour sessions), cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance will be charged half the fee. An invoice will be sent requesting this payment.

Confidentiality and Record Keeping

Engaging with therapy is likely to involve the disclosure and discussion of sensitive and personal information. Therefore, confidentiality is essential and the information the Client discloses with Heather will remain confidential. Heather is bound by professional codes of conduct as defined by the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This includes the responsibility to manage the Client’s information confidentially and in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

There may be situations where Heather may be required to break confidentiality. Heather will always attempt to speak with the Client before breaking confidentiality. In addition to situations in which the Client provides consent for information to be shared with a third party (e.g., other health care professionals), there are certain situations in which Heather may be required to break confidentiality without consent such as: 

• Where Heather is compelled to by regulation or law; or
• Where the information is of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained. This includes instances in which Heather considers the Client or others could be in immediate danger; or
• Where the situation concerns a safeguarding issue regarding the welfare of a minor.
• Supervision – all therapists are required by their profession to have regular supervision sessions where they discuss aspects of their clinical work. In such supervisions, therapists do not reveal individual identities during these sessions and supervision itself is confidential between the therapist and supervisor.

Data storage and security

Personal data is securely stored with appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. All Confidential digital information will be stored in a secure cloud service offering high levels of security. Confidential information containing sensitive data or information shared by the Client will be sent by Dr Heather Boland via an encrypted emailing system. All electronic devices used to access stored information will themselves be password protected.

Only the psychologist, Dr Heather Boland, will have access to the Client’s personal data.

Record keeping

Heather will take notes during the assessment and therapy appointments. The notes tend to be brief and help Heather to keep track of information disclosed and themes of conversations. Heather may take paper notes or electronic notes. All notes will be stored electronically and in a secure cloud service. All notes are kept anonymously and in accordance with GDPR and HCPC standards.

Data retention

Heather will only keep personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes the data was collected for. Personal data may be retained for a longer period in the event of a complaint.

The Client’s data protection rights

Under data protection law “you”, the Client, have rights including:

• Your right of access – You have the right to ask for copies of your personal information.
• Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask me to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask me to complete information you think is incomplete.
• Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask me to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask me to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that I transfer the personal information you gave me to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances. You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, I have one month to respond to you. Please contact Dr Heather Boland at heather@drheatherboland.com if you wish to make a request.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about my use of your personal information or comments on any of the terms and conditions, you can contact me via email: heather@drheatherboland.com.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how I have used your data.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk

Ethical practice

Heather is a registered practitioner clinical psychologist and follows the code of ethics approved by the UK Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC registration number: PYL042011).