Therapy Length and Appointment Times

If we decide to work together then we will verbally agree on a specified amount of time e.g. 12 sessions, or more usually, or it will be for an open-ended therapy where your needs as a client will dictate the length of time we work together. Please let us know if you need this information provided in writing. We can also discuss if you have particular issues that you would like to work on, so that we can prioritise these in our work. Appointment times are subject to short-term change based on the therapists’ availability due to our delivery of other scheduled therapy commitments such as the Safe and Sound schoolholiday program. We can provide information about this program in your initial appointment if desired. Phone consultations or multi-disciplinary meetings relating to client work lasting 15 minutes or more are billed.

If your child is attending therapy, you must be available to collect your child 10 minutes before the scheduled end of the session. If you leave the building you must supply the therapist with your contact details and anticipated location. If a child is not collected on time following their session, there is a charge of $50 for every 10 minutes late the parent or guardian is. If a child has not been collected after 40 minutes and efforts to contact the parent or guardian have been unsuccessful, it will be necessary to contact the Department for Child Protection.

Lateness & cancellation

Our cancellation policy non-negotiable. Two business days notice is required when clients need to reschedule or cancel a session, otherwise a cancellation fee occurs (100%). One business Cancellation Fees will apply without adequate notice of non-attendance. NDIS participants; if you are unable to attend a session, it is your responsibility to inform the therapist in advance so that the time can be made available to others. If sessions are occurring at school or childcare, it is the responsibility of the caregiver to inform us if they are not in attendance for any reason(i.e. sickness, pupil free days), and the same cancellation (48 hours – business days) and reschedule policy (24 hours – business days) applies.

As we are only able to charge for a limited number of cancelled sessions - it's always preferable to reschedule sessions. AkindaCo reserves the right to discontinue appointments, if we feel that a lack of commitment to therapy is preventing goals being attained.

If the therapist is late for a session, they will make up the time so long as this is possible for you or reimburse you accordingly. If you are late, please expect the session to finish at the appointed time. If the therapist cancels a session, you will not be expected to pay for it and, if possible, you will be offered another appointment time. Please inform AKINDACO of any change in your contact details so we can reach you should we need to cancel a session.

If you need to cancel an appointment please call as soon as possible on 08 7081 5886, as emails may not reach us in time and you may be liable for a fee. AKINDACO reserve the right to terminate therapy if cancellations, no-shows or late payments become excessive; the therapist will discuss this with you prior to cancelling services.

Holidays & breaks

The therapist will try to give you good notice of forthcoming holidays and breaks and we hope you will give us as much notice as you can. As a guide a minimum of two weeks’ notice on either side is advisable.

Confidentiality, good practice and safety

What is shared in the session will be treated as private. Any information about you and/or creative work is held with utmost confidentiality and can only be released by the exceptions outlined below

Under mandatory reporting legislation AKINDACO are ethically and legally requiredt o tell other people;

If there is serious concern that you may endanger yourself or others
If there is a suspicion or disclosure of child abuse
If records are subpoenaed by court order

There may be times when you consent for your information to be shared, such as with your medical professional, allied health practitioner, case manager and/or psychologists. This would only occur with discussion and your written consent is required.If you do have any concerns whatsoever in this regard, please do raise them with the therapist.

If you prefer therapy services to be provide to you at home or another location, it is your duty to inform AKINDACO of any risks to safety that you may be aware of (for example, if you have an aggressive animal or if a former partner may visit during a session, who may pose a safety risk).

Waiting room

Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times in the waiting area.

Ending

Youhave the right to terminate therapy at any time by providing 2 weeks’ notice in writing(email is acceptable) and you will typically be the one who decides when therapy will end, with the following exceptions:

If cancellations and no shows become an issue, as described above.
If AKINDACO are not able to help with your particular difficulty (if it is outside of the therapist’s scope of practice), if this is the case AKINDACO will inform you of this at the earliest opportunity and refer you to another therapist who may meet your needs.
If you do violence to, verbally or physically, threaten or harass the therapist, AKINDACO reserve the right to immediately discontinue your therapy.

If AKINDACO terminate your therapy we will offer you referrals to other sources of care, but cannot guarantee that they will accept you for therapy. If we have been working together for any length of time, it is important to give as much notice as possible before you finish so we have plenty of time to plan an ending. AKINDACO would encourage you always to attend the ending sessions to appropriately conclude therapeutic work.

Payment and Fees

Private fees:

As of 15^th July 2024, the following pricing applies to all new clients. For existing clients (those with ongoing appointments booked as of July 15^th 2024), these prices will come into effect on 1^st August 2024. Our private fees will now have Tiers. These are representative of post-qualifying experience and senior clinician expertise. Some practitioners accept Private Health Rebates - clients are responsible for contacting their private health provider to assess their level of cover and rebates.

Tier 1: Clinical Director

$285 + GST per hour

Tier 2: Senior Psychotherapist

$235 + GST per hour

Tier 3: Psychotherapist/Child Psychotherapist

$200 + GST per hour

Confirmation of Initial Appointment session (90 mins) for private paying clients requires full upfront payment5 days before the initial appointment. If payment is not made within 5 business days of the Initial Appointment request, the InitialAppointment session is not confirmed and will be cancelled

For ongoing sessions, Credit Card details are required (via our IntakeForm, to be completed before initial appointment) in order for processing of fees to occur 30 minutes into session time

Initial appointments are charged as 90 minutes.

Communication

Please switch off your mobile phone and other devices for the duration of your therapy session. School aged clients are required to leave their device with their parents/carers for the session. Clients can contact the therapist by e-mail or text to confirm or change appointments or update basic information. Clinical questions and issues cannot be answered/discussed via e-mail/ SMS or text and will be deferred to the next session. This is because these forms of communication are not considered a secure/ confidential enough form of communication.

Letters and Reports

Please provide between 3 and 4 weeks’ notice when a report or assessment is required. All letters and reports under 200 words are free of charge. If you require a full progress report regarding your therapy this will be timed and charged at 2 hours of the standard session rate [see Fees section]. NDIS reports are charged as 2 hours.

Therapist Responsibilities

To be prepared and ready for each session
To provide a safe and supportive environment
To keep all personal information and creative work confidential

Client Responsibilities

To keep scheduled appointments, show up on time and leave promptly after sessions
To switch off your phone/devices
To be open and trust the process of therapy
To only share what you feel comfortable to share

Mrs Sophie Johnson GradDipForensicLegalPsych GradDipCouns MCounPsychTh - continuing (She/her)Psychotherapist

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