"Bringing Out The Best In You"

Please read through the following informed consent agreement. What follows is a basic understanding between client and counsellor. In general, what are listed below are the responsibilities and obligations of your counsellor, and also some expectations of you as the client. This document also contains important information about our professional services and business policies.
•  Counselling
• Voluntary Participation: All clients voluntarily agree to treatment, and accordingly may terminate any time without penalty, unless stipulated. Counselling involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be thoughtful about the counsellor you select. In the first couple of sessions, you should be deciding whether your counsellor is right for you. If you feel it is not a good match, then your counsellor will be happy to assist you in finding a new counsellor.
• Client Involvement: All clients are expected to show up to appointments on time, prepared to focus on and discuss counselling goals and issues, and will not attend while under the influence of mood altering chemicals. All clients are expected to be open and honest so your counsellor can assist you with your goals. Counselling is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for counselling to be most successful, you are encouraged to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home. Inconsistent attendance can negatively affect your counselling progress.
• Counsellor Involvement: Your counsellor will be prepared at the designated time, (barring emergencies), and will be attentive and supportive in meeting the counselling goals and do everything possible to assist you in achieving a greater sense of self-awareness and work toward helping you resolve problem areas.
• Guarantees: Although the majority of people do get better in counselling, some do get worse. Accordingly, your counsellor makes no guarantee of results. It is not possible to guarantee results such as: becoming happier, saving marriages, stopping drug abuse, becoming less depressed, and so forth.
• Risks of Counselling: Just as medications sometimes causes unexpected side effects, counselling can stimulate painful memories, unanticipated changes in your life, and uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. In some cases, client’s symptoms become worse during the course of counselling. Another risk of counselling is that throughout the process of therapeutic change it is not uncommon for clients to reach a point of change where they may feel they are different and no longer able to be the same person they were upon entering counselling. At times these feelings can be unsettling.
• Benefits of Counselling: The benefits of counselling can include: a higher level of functional coping, solutions to specific problems, new insights into self, more effective means of communicating in relationships, symptomatic relief, and improved self-esteem.
• Alternatives to Traditional Counselling: can include: stress management, twelve step programs, peer self-help groups, and support groups.
• Credentials and Qualifications: Your counsellor at the Quality of Life Agency holds an honored diploma in Counselling Skills from the International Career Institute with DEAC accreditation, as well as being best-selling author, certified fitness trainer and qualified nutritionist.
• Counselling Approach & Theory: Your counsellor focuses largely upon client responsibility in counselling, building a relationship with clients, creating a nurturing environment conducive to change, exploration of past events and how they continue to affect you today, analysis of underlying belief systems and their relation to inadequate functioning of hindrance to change, and implementation of specific emotional, cognitive, and behavioral techniques designed to aid in change toward specified goals.
• Colleague Consultation: In keeping with standards of practice, your counsellor may consult with other professionals in the same field regarding care and management of cases. The purpose of this consultation is to ensure quality of care. Your counsellor will maintain complete confidentiality and protect your identity by not using real names or any identifying information.
• Meetings and Length of Counselling: Once we have agreed to work together, we will usually schedule one appointment each week at a time we can both agree upon. Session length is usually 50 to 60 minutes. Occasionally sessions may run as long as 90 to 120 minutes with couples or unless specified by clients. Because our meetings are your time, you are expected to come to each session with a sense of what it is you would like to discuss or work on during that particular session. Length of counselling is quite variable based on client motivation, number and severity of issues to resolve, and work efforts outside of counselling sessions. On average, many people feel they have obtained what they were looking for in 10-25 sessions. For some it is fewer and for others it may go longer.
• Confidentiality and Privilege: The information and content shared in therapy will remain confidential, except as noted in the next section: Exceptions to Confidentiality and Privilege. Your information will not be shared with anyone without your written consent. Your information is also privileged, which means that your counsellor is free from the duty to speak in court about your counselling unless you waive that right, or a judge orders it.
• Exceptions to Confidentiality and Privilege: Your counsellor is legally obligated to violate confidentiality under the following circumstances:
 - When the counsellor has reason to suspect that the client has been, or is currently, involved  in the abuse or neglect of a child
 - When the counsellor has reason to suspect that the client has been, or is currently, involved in the abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults
 - If a client is pregnant and taking street drugs
 - If the client reports sexual misconduct by another counsellor
 - If a client is a serious danger to themselves, i.e., if suicidal
 - If a client is a serious danger to someone else, i.e., if homicidal
 - If the courts order copies of records
• Another time when confidentiality has limitations is for minor clients. Parents and guardians have a legal right to access a minor client’s records
• Minor clients do have the rights to complete confidentiality in obtaining counselling for pregnancies and associated conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, and information about alcohol or drug abuse
• Custody Issues & Counselling for Minors: It is general policy that for minor children, where legal custody is split (joint) between parents or guardians who are no longer married or cohabiting, we need authorization and signature from both parents on our Informed Consent and Confidentiality Notice prior to the child being seen. These forms are available upon request and can be emailed and completed prior to arrival.
• Ethical Guidelines: Your counsellor follows the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association code of ethics and standards of practice guidelines. Copies of these materials can be viewed at www.ccpa-accp.ca.
• Treatment Records: The laws and standards of our profession require that we keep treatment records. You are entitled to receive a copy of the records unless we believe that seeing them would be emotionally damaging, in which case we will send them to a mental health professional of your choosing. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers. We recommend you review them in your counsellor’s presence so we can discuss the contents. All records will be maintained by your counsellor in a secured area for a period of seven years from the time of service termination. As a client you have a right to access your records. You also have a right to contest material in your records and it will be duly noted in your record. You do not have a right to alter your records or dictate information be removed. You have the right to access and view your records, but you do not own the records, they are property of the Quality of Life Agency, Professionals.
• Counseling and Records for Minors: If you are under 18 years of age, please be aware that the law provides your parents the right to review your treatment records as well as obtain information from us about your diagnosis, progress, and treatment. It is our policy to request an agreement from parents that they agree to avoid unnecessary review of records and involvement in your treatment with us. If they agree, we will only provide them general information about our work together, unless we feel there is a high risk that you will seriously harm yourself or someone else. In this case, we will notify them of our concern.
• Professional Fees: All counsellors will perform an initial gratis consultation. If both parties feel they would like to commit to further sessions, the fees will be paid prior to the agreed upon times and dates.

• Financial Agreement and Terms Billing and Payments: You will be expected to pay for each session at the beginning of our meetings, unless we have agreed upon other arrangements.

• Cancellation, No Show or Late Arrival: In general, all clients must provide the counsellor a minimum of 24 hours’ notice in the event of a cancellation, which does not include weekends. This means if you have an appointment at 1:00pm on Monday, you will need to have canceled by 1:00pm on the Friday prior. Clients will be charged for appointments that are not canceled at least 24 hours in advance and for all no shows. No reduction in fees will result from shortened sessions due to a client’s late arrival. Additionally, if a client misses two appointments, your counsellor has the option to terminate his/her assistance and refer you to another counsellor for services.

• Collections: If your account has not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, we have the option of using legal means to secure payment. This may involve hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court. In most collection situations, the only information released regarding a client’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of the services provided, and the amount due. Accounts turned over to collections may be subject to future requirements such as providing a retainer for future services.

• Termination: Either the client or the counsellor may end counselling at any time. Your voluntary involvement allows you to discontinue at any time. If your counsellor feels you are no longer benefiting from counselling or he/she feels there is a conflict in values, they may discuss termination. If you desire additional counselling, your counsellor will provide you with a referral competent to address your issues.

Informed Consent for Counselling Agreement