Terms & Conditions
— Including Confidentiality & Consent
This is a contractual agreement between
TLC Trauma and Centre and all Independent Contracting Practitioners operating under Trauma and Loss Centre
(hereafter referred to as TLC or Trauma and Loss Centre),
and
the Client, the Parent or Legal Guardian of the Minor Client, or the business/school and it’s representative
(hereafter referred to as the Client).
This document contains important information about the conditions of professional service delivery, business policies, rights & responsibilities, confidentiality and consent.
Practitioners
All professionals associated with the TLC Trauma and Loss Centre, operate as independent service providers registered with their respective professional governing boards, with their private accountability and liability. These may include the ASCHP – the Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners, the SACSSP – the South African Council for Social Service Professions, or the HPCSA – the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
They dutifully honour their respective professional ethical codes that prescribe the extent and limits of the service they are qualified to render, as well as their obligations and responsibilities, confidentiality and disclosure procedures. This ensures a high level of service standard to assist the client in the best possible way.
Participation
The client is participating willingly and may discontinue any session or group event at any time for any reason.
Manner of Consultation
Support Groups and Counselling sessions will be done through online video conferencing. There will be no opportunity for in-person contact.
End-of-Life Doula services allow for home and hospital visits to clients.
Workshops and Trauma Debriefing will take place at the client’s venue or one the client provides.
Bookings
Sessions are bookable and payable online, upfront, through the website only. On registering and making a booking one will specify one’s requirements and the dates & times that would be preferred.
The client will be communicated with on whether there is a space available at the moment, and if not, the client will be informed of other options or put on a waiting list, before the booking is finalised and payment made.
The client will receive the estimate with the confirmation email and booking/reference code. These preliminary bookings that await payment confirmation will be held for a period of 48 hours or up to 24 hours before the date and time selected. If not, the counsellor’s diary or space in an event or group will be cleared for another booking opportunity. Bookings will only be confirmed once full payments have been made.
Fees
The fee for end-of-life doulas and counsellors may differ depending on the person selected. The duration will be between 90 minutes and 2 hours. End-of-life doulas may also charge a call-out fee when doing home visits.
Online, support group meetings have a standard fee for the month. The cost of group sessions and workshops will depend on the number of attendees, the number of counsellors required, and on the location of the event. A rough estimate will be available during the preliminary booking. A final quote will be made closer to the date that will include the travelling costs and material needed for example.
Events, 3-day workshops or retreats are normally set for a specific group of people with a particular topic. Extra activities will depend on the venue used. The cost will also depend on the number of attendees and the number of counsellors required, and the hire of the event. A rough estimate will be available during the preliminary booking. A final quote will be made closer to the date that will include for example special catering arrangements. Any extra expenses during these events will be at the client’s own cost.
Cancellations and Refunds
Bookings may be cancelled with a refund (excluding an administration fee and costs incurred in lieu of the event) or kept on credit for a new booking, according to the following timeframes:
* 48 hours before a counselling session, a doula session, or the first support group meeting of the month,
* 1 week before a group debriefing session,
* 1 month before a talk, workshop or retreat.
Cancellations and refunds carry a 20% admin fee (with a minimum of R50 per individual participant booked in the case of workshops or debriefing sessions for example), deductible and payable to TLC administration.
A session may be rescheduled or postponed according to the following timeframes:
* 24 hours before an individual session, a doula session or a group debriefing session,
* 1 week before a talk or a workshop.
A session can only be rescheduled twice.
The client will be invoiced for any costs incurred in lieu of the event/s scheduled.
Group meetings cannot be rescheduled or refunded for an individual participant. A missed session is regarded as a forfeited opportunity.
The client remains liable for any outstanding payments on missed sessions, groups, workshops, retreats, et cetera that cannot be refunded or rescheduled.
Overpayments will not be refunded. It will be allocated as a deposit for future services.
Discount
Individuals who desperately need a support group, workshop or debriefing service may apply for a discount by replying via Email/WhatsApp when inquiring about a service. A short motivation or explanation will be required. This will be reviewed and if granted the client will be sent a Discount Code to be used when making a payment.
Donations and Sponsorships
The ability to grant discounts will depend on donations received from valued patrons and corporate sponsors. The funds acquired will be put in a separate savings account and used wisely.
Donations will exclusively be used to sponsor those who are not able to afford the services offered. The Trauma and Loss Centre will not take any profit or levy administration fees from these donations. Only the costs will be covered for these services.
Corporate sponsorships will be earmarked for specific projects. Credit will be given and the business may use the promotional material generated.
Claims through Medical Aids
The Trauma and Loss Centre will not be able to process any claims through medical aids or insurance schemes. The client may however be able to claim it back personally, depending on the terms & conditions of their health/savings plan.
Other Costs
Other services provided outside of regularly scheduled appointments such as report writing, preparation of records or treatment summaries, extended phone consultations, and the time spent performing any other service the client may request, are assessed pro rata and payable through the website before delivery or commencement.
In the unusual circumstance where a client may be involved in a legal proceeding that requires the counsellor’s participation, the client will be expected to pay for all of the counsellor’s professional time, including preparation and transportation costs, even if called to testify by another party. Because of the complexity and difficulty of legal involvement a separate legal fee will be charged from normal counselling fees.
Communication & Professional Boundaries
The best medium of communication will be through email. Messages will be monitored periodically throughout the day and replied to at the earliest convenience.
The listed telephone number is usable only during office hours and is managed by the administrative coordinator.
If your situation is an emergency, please make that clear in the message so it can be responded to as soon as possible.
Important to note that the counsellor will not be able to respond to messages outside normal office hours.
No form of counselling will be conducted through Email or WhatsApp messages or telephonically.
The counsellor and client will both refrain from informal contact outside the professional counselling relationship.
Confidentiality & Concent
Due to the nature of the counselling process, the counsellor will adhere to the strictest confidentiality of anything discussed during these sessions. It means that with some very limited exceptions, the counsellor will not reveal any information about the client or anyone mentioned, or send out information about the client, without permission.
Where required, as in the case of a minor or in a work setting where proof of attendance is required, a simple notification will be sent by email and the client will be copied on it. It will merely state that the client attended and whether or not further sessions are recommended.
Where the client requires the counsellor to share information with another party, for example, a physician, the client would need to give consent to do so beforehand. It will be sent by email, to which the client will also be copied.
Where more than one client is involved, for example with family or couple’s counselling, the consent of all the adults present would be required to share information with another party, and all will be copied on such communication.
Other situations which require that the client herewith provides written consent in advance, are as follows: (Your acceptance of this agreement provides consent)
* With minors under eighteen years of age, parents may claim the right to examine the counselling records. It is, however, the Trauma and Loss Centre’s policy to request an agreement from both parents to give up access to these records by accepting this consent form. If anything harmful or detrimental does come to the fore, the counsellor will share with the parent that which can be to the benefit of the child and/or will refer or enlist the services of someone who can best assist the child in that particular area. In honouring the value of the counselling relationship with the client, the counsellor may discuss any such action with the client first.
* Where there is a threat to cause harm to oneself or someone else; where one’s safety or that of someone else is in question.
* Where there is a revelation or reasonable suspicion that any child, elderly person, or incompetent person is being abused or neglected.
* Where it is required by a court of law, who may order the release of specific information or to testify.
Sessions may be recorded to assist the counsellor to process and document the content of a session for the benefit of the client. The recording will be destroyed as soon as transcribed, deemed not relevant or within 10 days. This will be done with the consent of the client.
Promotional material may be generated during events like workshops or retreats.
In order to provide the client with the best possible treatment, the counsellor may at times seek consultation from another licensed mental health professional. During these consultations, the subject matter and intervention options may be discussed, without revealing the client’s identity. The consultant would also be legally bound to keep the information confidential, although the exceptions to confidentiality apply to them as well.
The client takes note that he/she has the right to report any professional misconduct of the counsellor at the ASCHP, HPCSA or the SACSSP, and that the counsellor and/or any other professional involved has the right to lay a civil charge in response if not found guilty.
Group Work
With any group, workshop, or family interventions, those involved will be asked to keep whatever is said or happened in the group, confidential. This includes names and identifying information, and information shared in confidence, both during group interaction and afterwards. The conduct of other participants in groups can however not be guaranteed. Please use care in sharing personal information.
Members are to refrain from private social contact and intimate relationships with one another during the course of the group series.
Members are not to attack or criticise or judge each other, and will not force anyone to share information he/she does not feel comfortable sharing.
Members of a group share an understanding of the common circumstances that brought them together. It allows for sharing the values of respect, tolerance, patience, acceptance and compassion; of being open and receptive. It is expected of members to have an attitude of being curious, of listening, of not giving advice, and of being in the present moment – not trapped in one’s past painful experiences.
Counselling
Counselling is a process of self-learning, self-discovery and self-growth, where the counsellor makes the person aware of his/her physical, emotional and cognitive experience at the moment.
The counsellor is tasked to create a safe environment where there is no judgement and no criticism, to offer unconditional acceptance and appreciation for who he/she is, and to help the client gain control of him/herself in the situation.
The client sets the objectives and the pace and takes the responsibility for the change he/she likes to see.
Counselling is not about the counsellor giving answers or creating solutions or relieving symptoms. There are no quick fixes and no guarantees offered.
Much of the processing or integration happens outside or after the session. Disturbing symptoms may not dissipate at first and sometimes may even seem to get worse because the client becomes aware of it or because the client allows him/herself to actually feel it fully and not suppress it.
Counselling depends on transparency and honesty. If, however, the counsellor touches on a topic which the client would rather not talk about, whether it is incriminating or too painful to discuss at that moment, the client is urged to ask the counsellor to move on to the next question, or even to end the session at that point.
Note that with trauma and loss counselling there will be diagnoses of any kind, or dealing with mental disorders like schizophrenia, personality disorders, or situations where medication is dependent upon to be able to function. Where needed the client will be referred to a psychiatrist as a primary caregiver. If appropriate, the Trauma and Loss Centre will serve in a secondary role.
Families & Children
The counsellor will not be involved or compliant in keeping secrets, will not serve as a go-between, nor will the counsellor be used to inform or break news to the other family members.
If requested, the counsellor may facilitate a family session to assist, but will not take responsibility for it.
Best is to not disclose anything you do not want to be known. Secrets may include for example where a child is being abused, where the parents are in the process of getting a divorce, or where a teenage daughter is having sex with her boyfriend. All these will surface eventually, and when it does, someone will be used to blame it on. Secondly, children are very perceptive. They know. And if the child were to ask the counsellor directly, the counsellor will not lie about it.
Note that with a minor child as a client, the legal & ethical requirements, the welfare of the client, and the trust relationship between the counsellor and the client takes priority above the ‘special requests’ of a parent or legal guardian.
Supportive Therapies
Yoga, meditation and other complementary therapies are used in a supportive role in counselling and group work. These are skills the client can continue to use after an issue has been resolved, as a resilience or coping mechanism.
All practitioners are trauma-informed, with programs that are specially adapted to deal with emotional pain.
Signing Up a Minor Client (under the age of 18)
All parties concerned need to be registered on the system.
In registering a Minor Client the following will be required:
A Minor Client will need to provide an Unabridged Birth Certificate that provides the details of his/her parents.
Both Parents of a Minor Client will need to provide a copy of their IDs.
All legal Guardians of a Minor Client will need to provide a copy of his/her/their IDs and legal proof of his/her/their guardianship over the minor.
In the case of Minor Clients, the administrative organiser will first confirm by any means necessary the Parents and/or Guardians of the Minor Client, before the account will be activated.
Signing Up as a Business, Organisation or School-Client for Events
The responsible person who arranged the event will assume responsibility for all participants’ knowledge, cooperation, understanding and agreement to the Terms & Conditions as well as all forms of consent, especially if minors are involved.
The business, organisation or school are liable for all costs, as per the final invoice, and any claims made at the venue or because of the event.
Secondary to it, the Trauma and Loss Centre may require all participants to sign an agreement to the Terms & Conditions and/or Consent if deemed necessary.