Informed consent for psychological counseling

This page contains important information about psychological counselling, rules of work and costs.

Psychological counselling is a special kind of relationship that is built according to certain rules. It is not like a friendly conversation or counselling with an expert. A lot depends on the personality of the psychologist and the client, as well as the specific difficulties you want to solve.

Counselling with a psychologist is not like seeing a doctor either, you have work to do during and between counselling sessions. It is an active process that requires your participation. In counselling we will explore different aspects of your life including thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This process can bring up a range of emotions, including uncomfortable emotions, as reflecting on and working through personal issues often requires you to step out of your comfort zone. I can offer you self-work activities to help you deepen your understanding of yourself and assist the therapy process. These can be reflecting on certain topics, experimenting, taking notes, exercises, or studying materials.

I recommend assessing your progress and comfort in working with me. Counselling will require an investment of your time, money and energy, so it is worth choosing a psychologist responsibly. If you have any questions about my work, it is advisable to discuss them, as this is a normal process in counselling.

Consultation format and fees

The standard frequency of counselling is once a week, but we can arrange to meet more often or less often.

The duration of the consultation is 50 minutes. Consultations are conducted online via Jitsi, Google Meet, Telegram or any other service you prefer.

The cost of counselling is 50€.

If you are in a difficult situation and/or work for an NGO, we can negotiate other financial terms.

I ask for payment within 24 hours before or after the counselling session. The first session is payable in advance. Subsequent session can only be done if the previous session is paid for.

Payment methods: PayPal, SEPA transfer (IBAN), crypto transfer. In the process of our work I undertake not to increase the cost more than once a year and to discuss it in advance.

I ask you to inform me about cancellation or postponement of the consultation at least 24 hours in advance, otherwise I will ask you to pay 50% of the cost of the consultation. The same rule applies to me, if I ask for cancellation or rescheduling less than 24 hours in advance, the next consultation will be 50% cheaper.

If you are delayed, the length of the consultation will be reduced commensurate with that time. If I am late for a consultation, I will do my best to make up the time.

In case of regular postponements or missed consultations (more than 3 in a row), as well as breaches of payment arrangements, I may end our work by informing you in advance.

Communication

Confidentiality

In my work I rely on the APA Code of Ethics. Our communication is confidential, during counselling I take written and/or electronic notes only with your consent.

I do not seek information about my clients on the internet, but I understand that you may get information about me from the internet or from other people. If any information about me raises questions for you, please discuss it with me so that we can understand if the information will affect our work process.

I do not share information about our work with others without your permission. If we happen to cross paths somewhere (including online), I will pretend that we do not know each other and minimise all risks of disclosing the fact of our work. You may, however, make the fact that we know each other and work together public.

Confidentiality may be breached if I become aware of an incident or intention of you harming yourself or others, or of a threat to your life or the health of others. I will endeavour to discuss this with you before taking any action.

From time to time I consult with other professionals (such as a supervisor or psychiatrist) about working with my clients. During these consultations I do not disclose information about my clients and discuss client cases, having anonymized them beforehand.