TERMS AND CONDITIONS – Adults and Couples

We are a low-cost service, made possible through also being a training facility, therefore your counsellor/psychotherapist will be one of the following;

Trainee (has completed 2 years of study and working to complete a minimum of 100 sessional hours)

Fully Qualified and Pre-accredited (has completed studies and a minimum100 sessional hours)

Fully Qualified and Fully accredited (has completed studies and a minimum of 500 sessional hours)

 All counsellors work within the code of practice outlined by their professional bodies and within Finglas Counselling Service operational guidelines. All counsellors receive regular supervision as per regulatory guidelines and are fully insured. As a client of the service, you will have access to a maximum of 26 weekly sessions (unless otherwise agreed) which are approximately 50 minutes in length (approximately 90 minutes for couples).

 Missed Appointments and Short Notice Cancellations

Appointments will generally be weekly at a fixed time. Where possible, if you are unable to keep an appointment or need to cancel, please let us know within 24 hours. Due to the high demand for our service, we must consider the use of our resources carefully, therefore, we implement a policy whereby three unplanned, missed appointments means you can no longer avail of the service and we will offer you the opportunity to return to the waiting list for a more suitable day/time.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is important to us, any information given by you will be kept confidential by your counsellor unless you give written permission otherwise. Whilst some aspects of your work together may be discussed with their supervisor, your identity will not be disclosed. However, there are some exceptional circumstances when confidentiality cannot be upheld, these are:

• Intent to cause fatal harm to yourself or others. Disclosure of attempted suicide may need to be referred to crisis services, e.g. GP, A&E, PIETA HOUSE
• Issues in relation to harm to a child, as set out in the Children First Act 2015 which includes Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse. Child Protection Legislation does not require mandated people to report to Tusla when an adult discloses historic child abuse provided there is no reasonable suspicion that a child is at risk.

 Fees

Fees are based on a person’s income and we ask you to select from the options below. As a guide, if you are a student/unemployed/in receipt of an old age pension we suggest €5 to €10. If you are in part time employment we suggest €10 to €15. For full time employees we suggest €20 to €35. In recognition of the fact that unexpected expenses arise from time to time and you may not be in a position to pay the agreed amount, you may agree with your counsellor that the fee can be waived for that week, to ensure there is no barrier to attending.

 Permission to Share information

 We would like your permission to collect, retain and share information between other professionals involved in your care. This helps improve your care plan and avoids asking you for the same information more than once. This information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis and you can change your mind at any time by contacting the service or your counsellor. To help with this FCS may need to contact you regarding your treatment plan/appointments etc via postal mail, phone, text or email.

As some of the information that FCS will hold about you is sensitive, we must follow the principles of The Data Protection Act (2018). These will ensure that your information is:

• Used fairly and legally
• Used only for the purpose of which it was collected
• Adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Correct and up to date
• Kept only for as long as needed and destroyed securely after given timeframe
• Processed in accordance with a person’s rights
• GDPR compliant
• Stored safely on our Database System (Dropbox Cloud Services) and secured in individual counsellor lockers

 Covid/Sickness

Please be considerate of others before attending the service where there may be a spread of infection. Do not attend if you feel unwell especially if your symptoms are Covid related. If you test positive for Covid do not attend the service as you can pass on the virus to other people. If you have tested positive but do not have symptoms, stay at home for 5 days from the day you first tested positive. Otherwise stay at home from the date you first had symptoms. You can leave home after 5 days if your symptoms have fully or mostly gone for the last 48 hours.  It’s ok to leave home after 5 days if you still have a mild cough or changes to your sense of smell. These can last for weeks after the infection has gone. Please inform the service as soon as possible if you will not be attending your appointment.

Measurement Tools

To support the counselling experience and to track your progress you will be asked to fill in the following Questionnaires: CORE 34 (on Screening & Completion) and CORE 10 (at every session).

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS – U18’s

We are a low-cost community service who aim to support a wide range of clients including adolescents. When working with adolescents please know that all counsellors are fully qualified and must have participated in additional training specifically aged at this age group.  All counsellors work within the code of practice outlined by their professional bodies and within the Finglas Counselling Service operational guidelines. All counsellors receive regular supervision as per regulatory guidelines and are fully insured. 

 Under 18’s

Parental participation is important in order to support a young person in the therapy process.  Both parents, where possible, should be invited to take part in the therapy process and provide their written permission for Counselling/Psychotherapy to proceed. Written permission from both parents/legal guardians is required before commencing Counselling/Psychotherapy with a minor (A minor is a person under the age of eighteen).

However, sometimes there are situations where it is not possible to obtain written permission from both parents/legal guardians.  Where circumstances such as this arise, written permission must be obtained from at least one parent/legal guardian.  Under 18’s must be accompanied by an Parent/Guardian at every appointment and must stay on the premises at all times.

 Missed Appointments and Short Notice Cancellations

Appointments will generally be weekly at a fixed time, they are 50 minutes in length and a maximum of 10-12 sessions.  Where possible, if the client is unable to keep an appointment, please let us know within 24 hours.  Due to the high demand for our service, we must consider the use of our resources carefully, therefore, after three unplanned, missed appointments we can no longer provide that allocated session and if required we can return you to the waiting list.

Legal Requirements and Reporting

Working with under 18s takes place within specific legal and statutory requirements of Irish and EU law. It is incumbent on all who engage in this work to maintain an up to date knowledge base in regard to child protection and relevant legislation. Professionals who are qualified to work with under 18s, have a competent knowledge of all legal requirements which govern children’s lives and the competencies for those working with children in a professional context.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is important to us, any information given by the client will be kept confidential by the counsellor unless you give written permission otherwise. Whilst some aspects of the work together may be discussed with their supervisor, identity will not be disclosed. However, there are some exceptional circumstances when confidentiality cannot be upheld, these are:

• Intent to cause fatal harm to yourself or others. Disclosure of attempted suicide may need to be referred to crisis services, e.g. GP, A&E, PIETA HOUSE
• Issues in relation to harm to a child, as set out in the Children First Act 2015 which includes Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse and Sexual abuse.  Child protection legislation does not require mandated people to report to Tusla when an adult discloses historic child abuse provided there is no reasonable suspicion that a child is at risk.

 Permission to share information

We would like permission to collect, retain and share information between other professionals involved in the clients care. This information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis and you can change your mind at any time by contacting the service or your counsellor. To help with this the FCS may need to contact you regarding the treatment plan/appointments etc via postal mail, phone, text or email.

As some of the information that FCS will hold about you is sensitive, we must follow the principles of The Data Protection Act (2018). These will ensure that your information is:

• Used fairly and legally
• Used only for the purpose of which it was collected
• Adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Correct and up to date
• Kept only for as long as needed and destroyed securely after given timeframe
• Processed in accordance with a person’s rights
• GDPR compliant
• Stored safely on our Database System (Dropbox Cloud Services) and secured in individual counsellor lockers

 In the unlikely event, counsellors must obtain parents’ / legal guardians’/ consent before making audio or video recordings of sessions, making them aware of the purpose, storage and disposal of same.

 CoVid/Sickness

Please be considerate of others before attending the service where there may be a spread of infection.  Do not attend if you or your child feel unwell especially if your symptoms are CoVid related.  If you test positive for CoVid do not attend the service as you can pass on the virus to other people. If you do not have symptoms but have tested positive, stay at home for 5 days from the day you first tested positive. Stay at home from the date you first had symptoms.  You can leave home after 5 days if your symptoms have fully or mostly gone for the last 48 hours.  It’s OK to leave home after 5 days if you still have a mild cough or changes to your sense of smell. These can last for weeks after the infection has gone.  Please inform the service as soon as possible if you will not be attending your appointment.

Measurement Tools

To support the counselling experience and to track progress the client will be asked to fill in an assessment form called YP CORE as needed.