Client Information & Electronic Informed Consent Form
PRIME MGL LIMITED is a limited company registered in the United Kingdom, company number 0721167.
PRIME MGL LIMITED conducts mostly internet based therapy services, although not limited only to the internet.
PRIME MGL LIMITED registered office is at: 229 Station Road, Stechford, Birmingham, B33 8BB, United Kingdom. Services are not exclusive to only the United Kingdom.
Prime Counselling and Prima Consulenza are divisions of PRIME MGL LIMITED.
N.B “therapist" is taken to include mental health practitioners specifically trained in working online, and the qualifications of the practitioner allocated may vary.
ELIGIBILITY
This Site is governed under UK Law. Under UK law this site is solely for users who are to be eighteen (18) years of age or older. Any registration by anyone under 18 is unauthorised, unlicensed and in violation of these Terms of Use. By using the Service of the Site, you represent and warrant that you are at least18 years old and that you agree to and to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The age of consent may vary from country to country but for the purpose of providing mental health care online, you will agree to abide by the consent age of eighteen (18) years of age or older as stipulated in UK law regardless of your present location
REGISTRATION DATA; ACCOUNT SECURITY
In consideration of your use of the Site, you agree to (a) provide accurate, current and complete information about you as may be prompted by the registration form on the Site ("Registration Data"); (b) maintain the security of your password and username; (c) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data, intake questionnaire, medical notes and any other information you provide to PRIME MGL Limited through primecounselling.com, to keep it accurate, current and complete; and (d) be fully responsible for all use of your user account details and usage.
You agree to notify us immediately if you are aware of any credit card fraud, loss, theft, or unauthorised use of any of your password(s) or account numbers.
PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN SITE CONTENT; LIMITED LICENSE
All content on the Site and available through the Service, including designs, text, graphics, pictures, video, information, applications, software, music, sound and other files, and their selection and arrangement (the "Site Content"), are the proprietary property of PRIME MGL Limited, its users or its licensors with all rights reserved. No Site Content may be modified, copied, distributed, framed, reproduced, republished, downloaded, scraped, displayed, posted, transmitted, or sold in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without the Company's prior written permission.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ONLINE THERAPY
Advantages:
Able to select from a wide variety of specialised therapists without having to search your local business directory.
Gives access to mental health information to people in rural or remote areas.
Offer accessibility to individuals who are disabled or housebound.
The system is flexible – You control what service you wish to use and how you do it.
You can seek consultation with a therapist online if you’re unwilling or unable to see anyone face to face.
The Internet makes mental health information more accessible.
Online therapy can be an important tool to help people learn more about psychological health.
Online therapy is a cost effective alternative.
Disadvantages:
Concerns about confidentiality, privacy, and unreliable technology.
Therapists cannot respond to crisis situations.
Online therapy is not appropriate for those with serious psychiatric illnesses.
Online therapy eliminates geographic restraints, making the enforcement of legal and ethical codes difficult. Therapists can treat clients from anywhere in the world, and many states have differing licensure requirements and treatment guidelines.
In some online services, therapists cannot see facial expression, vocal signals, or body language.
Most insurance companies do not cover online therapy.
It is important to take note that online therapy involves a different method of delivery to more traditional methods, but the therapeutic process remains the same. Online therapy is robust enough to deal with many of the difficulties you may have. However, some certain issues cannot be resolved or discussed using an online method. If you’re in a situation where the therapist, in his/her professional opinion, deems that you would benefit better from a face to face appointment, they will attempt to assist you in searching for a therapist in your country / area.
If you feel you would benefit from online therapy, we are here to help.
THE PROCESS OF THERAPY/EVALUATION
Participation in therapy can result in a number of benefits to you, including improving interpersonal relationships and resolution of the specific concerns that led you to seek therapy. Working toward these benefits requires effort on your part. Therapy requires your very active involvement, honesty and openness in order to change your thoughts, feelings and/or behaviour. We will ask for your feedback and views on your therapy, its progress and other aspects of the therapy and we will encourage you to respond openly and honestly. Sometimes more than one approach can be helpful in dealing with a certain situation. During evaluation or therapy, remembering or talking about unpleasant events, feelings or thoughts can result in your experiencing considerable discomfort or strong feelings of anger, sadness, worry, fear, etc. or experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc. We may challenge some of your assumptions or perceptions or propose different ways of looking at, thinking about, or handling situations that can cause you to feel upset, angry, depressed, challenged or disappointed. Attempting to resolve issues that brought you to therapy in the first place, such as personal or interpersonal relationships, may result in changes that were not originally intended. Therapy may result in decisions about changing behaviours, employment, substance use, schooling, housing or relationships. Sometimes a decision that is positive for one family member is viewed quite negatively by another family member. Change will sometimes happen quickly, but more often it will take time and patience on your part. There is no guarantee that therapy will yield positive or intended results. During the course of therapy, our practitioners will utilise various therapeutic approaches according, in part, to the problem that is being treated and according to the practitioners qualifications and training. Our practitioners are qualified in various different psychological approaches including but are not limited to behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, existential, system/family, developmental (adult, child, family) or psycho-educational. For a list of psychological terms please click here.
APPOINTMENT BOOKINGS
Appointments can only be booked with a therapist after completing the intake questionnaire, which is a series of questions regarding your background and current condition. This information should be completed as accurately as possible as your treatment plan will be based upon it. Appointments are booked online with your chosen therapist once you are logged into the prime counselling system. Please be sure to insert an emergency contact when completing the intake questionnaire. The emergency contact details are held on file for the therapist to contact the client if the therapist evaluates that the situation is putting the client in danger (life threatening or risk of harm to themselves or persons around the client) or the psychological state of the client can degrade into a dangerous situation for the client or the persons around the client. The therapist will use the emergency contact only if the client is unreachable for the amount of time the therapist evaluates as unsafe or the therapist evaluates that the client is unable to ensure their own safety or the people around him.
DISCUSSION OF TREATMENT PLAN
During the first session and throughout this process, the therapist will discuss with you your understanding of the problem, treatment plan, therapeutic objectives and your view of the possible outcomes of treatment. If you have unanswered questions about any of the procedures used in the course of your therapy, their possible risks, the expertise in employing them or about the treatment plan, please ask and you will be answered fully by your therapist. You also have the right to ask about other treatments for your condition and their risks and benefits. If you could benefit from any treatment that we do not provide, the therapist has an ethical obligation to assist you in obtaining those treatments.
DUAL RELATIONSHIPS
Not all dual relationships are unethical or avoidable. However, sexual involvement between therapist and client is never part of the therapy process, nor are any other actions or dual relationship situations that might impair the therapist’s objectivity, clinical judgment, or therapeutic effectiveness or that could be exploitative in nature. In addition, we will never acknowledge working therapeutically with anyone without his/her written permission. In some instances, even with permission, we will preserve the integrity of our working relationship. For this reason we will not accept any invitations via social networking sites nor will we respond to blogs written by clients or accept comments on our blogs from clients. Our therapists will follow up any requests with a simple explanation / reminded of the terms and conditions, paying attention to the section on dual relationships.
CULTURAL SPECIFICS THAT MAY IMPACT TREATMENT
Therapists will endeavour to ensure that before engaging in treatment with a client from another location in the world that they have an understanding of certain aspects of the specified culture. During your initial session the therapist will discuss what your expectations are and ensure that you understand the service that is being offered. Therapists and clients may not be working in their first language, so a clear understanding of the chosen language is requested.
TERMINATION
During the initial intake process and the first couple of sessions, the therapist will assess if he / she can be of benefit to you. If you have requested online therapy, the assessment will include your suitability to therapy delivered via technology. We do not accept clients who, in the professional opinion of the online therapist cannot be helped. In such a case, we will give you a number of referrals that you may contact. If at any point during therapy, the therapist assesses that they will not be effective in helping you reach your therapeutic goals, they are obliged to discuss this with you, up to and including termination of treatment. In such a case, we will attempt to give you a number of referrals that may be of help to you. If you request and authorise in writing, we will attempt to talk to the therapist of your choice (in order to help with the transition. If at any time you want another professional’s opinion or wish to consult with another therapist, we will attempt to assist you in finding someone qualified and, if we have your written consent, will provide the local therapist with your intake questionnaire and client notes in the interest of to your ongoing health care if applicable. You have the right to terminate therapy at any time. If you choose to do so, we will offer to provide you with names of other qualified professionals whose services you might prefer.
If the therapy is terminated you will be given a full refund from the session where the outcome to terminate was decided.
Therapy may be terminated immediately if towards the therapist any of the following mannerisms are breeched which are not deemed part of the therapeutic process; any harmful, threatening, unlawful, defamatory, infringing, abusive, inflammatory, harassing, vulgar, obscene, fraudulent, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, manner.
You as a client will not be abandoned; you will be eligible at the therapists’ discretion the chance to redeem yourself with one further session. The termination of your account is done solely if the therapist in his or her opinion sees that your mannerisms are menacing outside of the therapy. In this case no refund will be given from the session; the remaining account balance will be refunded, Internet protocol address (IP) blocked and account deleted.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality of E-mail, Chat, Telephone or VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) and Webcam Video Conferencing: All services are delivered from our website without the use of any third party software; access to all services will be dealt with through our secure dedicated server located in Germany. Where deemed necessary and in most cases we will be using the SSL Security socket of which we hold a valid certificate.
If you choose to email us from your personal email account, please limit the contents to housekeeping issues such as cancellation or change in contact information or appointment enquires. We will not respond to personal and clinical concerns via regular email. If you call, fax or text message (sms) your therapist, please be aware that the services are not confidential from a technological point of view. Neither Prime MGL nor its therapists currently own a secure security encrypted telephone line. Any computer files referencing our communication are maintained using secure and encrypted measures. Journal information of therapy sessions are made only available using the Prime counselling system. The therapist is not obliged to journal any information online regarding the client. Journaling is available at the discretion of the therapist No journal information is to be shared by other means of communication. The prime counselling system is secure and it’s in your own interest to use it. You understand that message exchange between sessions that contain confidential information will be sent utilizing encryption via our dedicated email therapy service only integrated within our website.
We make every effort to keep all information confidential. Likewise, if we are working online together, we ask that you determine who has access to your computer and electronic information from your location. This would include family members, co-workers, supervisors and friends. We encourage you to only communicate through a computer that you know is safe, i.e. wherein confidentiality can be ensured. It could be possible that someone has a vested interest in your online / computer communications and can spy all keystrokes on a particular computer. Be sure to fully exit all online therapy sessions and emails by logging out of the system. We stress to use a computer that is safe.
If we are unable to connect or are disconnected during a session due to a technological breakdown, please try to reconnect within 10 minutes. If reconnection is not possible, you can message your therapist via the integrated system or email to schedule a new session time and no fee will be paid. Text messaging can also be used if mutually agreed within the intake questionnaire.
Legal action Limitation: Due to the nature of the therapeutic process and the fact that it often involves making a full disclosure with regard to many matters which may be of a confidential nature, it is agreed that should there be legal proceedings (such as, but not limited to divorce and custody disputes, injuries, lawsuits, etc.), neither you (client) nor your lawyer, nor anyone else acting on your behalf will call on us to give evidence in court or at any other proceeding, nor will a disclosure of the therapy records be requested.
Considering all of the above exclusions, if it is still appropriate, upon your request, we will release information to any agency/person you specify unless we conclude that releasing such information might be harmful in any way.
TELEPHONE & EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
If you need to speak with a representative of PRIME MGL LIMITED between sessions to alert us of an emergency - please call +44 121 288 0072 and your call will be returned as soon as possible. Messages are checked daily (but never during the night time, so please be aware of our geographical location. We located in Europe GMT + 1). Messages are checked less frequently on weekends and public holidays in the UK and Italy. If an emergency situation arises that requires immediate attention, you may call The Samaritans if you are located in the UK or Ireland (ROI) on UK: 08457 90 90 90 or ROI: 1850 60 90 90. Elsewhere please refer to the Befrienders website. www.befrienders.org, contact the emergency services where you happen to be located. UK 999 or go to the Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital.
If a life-threatening crisis should occur, you agree to contact The Samaritans, Befrienders, emergency services or go to the Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital immediately.
FEES
Fees are charged at the rates quoted at time of service. We reserve the right to adjust our charges at anytime, after giving sufficient notice, of our intention to change the rates quoted. Individual therapists set their price agreed upon with PRIME MGL LIMITED. Payment is made either by credit / debit card connected securely to Paypal or via bank transfer if opted to do so. Cash can only be excepted for a face to face client, which is external to the PRIME MGL LIMITED and no liability, can be imposed.
For planning reasons all sessions for any of our services are scheduled in 60 minute blocks. The system is flexible whereby the client or therapist can have a shorter or longer session. Please ensure you have enough credits to participate in a 60 minute session block. If mutually agreed, and the therapist feels it beneficial for the client, the session can be extended / shortened accordingly. Any changes to the session will be charged at the standard minute rate. In turn if the session is drawing to an end but the client does not have sufficient credit to continue the session. The money counter will be stopped by the therapist to allow the therapy session to end in as much time that is deemed necessary by the therapist, with no financial gain.
CANCELLATION
Since scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of time specifically for you, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required for re-scheduling or cancelling an appointment. Unless you reach a different agreement with your therapist, 50% of the full fee will be charged for sessions missed without such notification.
You as the client understand that webcam, VOIP, phone, chat and email sessions have certain limitations, as well as benefits, compared to in-person sessions, among those being the lack of “personal” face-to-face interactions, the lack of visual and audio cues (in the chat and email sessions) in the therapy process, and the fact that most insurance companies will not cover this type of therapy. You understand that telephone/online psychotherapy with us is not a substitute for medication under the care of a psychiatrist or doctor. You understand that online and telephone therapy is not appropriate if you are experiencing a crisis or having suicidal or brutal thoughts. As stated previously, if a life-threatening crisis should occur, you agree to contact The Samaritans, Befrienders, emergency services or go to the Accident and Emergency department of your local hospital immediately.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
Complaints are taken seriously by PRIME M.G.L Limited and any complaints against the private practitioners that operate on behalf of PRIME M.G.L will be dealt with accordingly. All complaints must be addressed to PRIME M.G.L Limited in writing and sent to the following address below. Please be sure to include the therapists full name as the subject matter.
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Name/designation :
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PRIME M.G.L Ltd
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Department :
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Complaints Department
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Address :
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229 Station Road, Stechford, Birmingham, B33 8BB, United Kingdom
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If you wish to take the complaint further then you can contact the individual therapist’s organisation where they are registered. The registered organisation of the individual therapist can be found on their profile page. After which you can consult the Complaints Procedures page for the contact details of the organisation sought after.
LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY
Neither PRIME MGL LIMITED, or its associated companies (either in existence now or that might exist in the future), agents, licensors, or delegates, or our or their directors, officers, or collaborators or employees ('Relevant People') will be liable for any losses, costs, liabilities or expenses (including, without limitation, loss of profit) (together 'Losses') incurred by you in connection with these Terms and Conditions (including, without limitation, any loss which may arise directly or indirectly from your inability to access either Prime Counselling services or The Prime Counselling Website(s) for any reason or for the failure of a transmission of information to your mobile phone or any other devices, including, but not limited to, those that receive email). This indemnity does not apply to any Relevant Person in so far as Losses result directly from the proven negligence, wilful default or fraud by such Indemnified Person (i.e. a 'Relevant Person').
The content provided and or sourced by PRIME MGL LIMITED, and provided to you or others on this site, via webcam, via VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), via chat, via email or via SMS or any other medium, including, but not limited to that which is quotes, data and other information, is sourced from third parties for your personal information only, and is not intended for any other purpose. Content provided and or sourced by The PRIME MGL LIMITED is not appropriate for the purposes of making any decisions with regard to your mental health.
Working online in a purely text based environment means neither individual can hear verbal tone or read facial expressions and body language. Consequently misunderstandings are more likely and it is essential that both client and therapist commit to clear communication and a high level of clarification and understanding. Other online therapy options via Webcam and phone / microphone will help to ease some of the limitations of online text based therapy and we recommend clients to use this option. We endeavour to take all the relevant security measures to protect your security and confidentiality but cannot be entirely guaranteed when working via e-mail, webcam, SMS, microphone (VOIP / Phone) and text chat, although every effort will be made to do so.
Whilst PRIME MGL LIMITED will endeavour to ensure the accuracy or timeliness of any information supplied, PRIME MGL LIMITED makes no guarantees in relation to these factors and you should manage your use of PRIME MGL LIMITED service(s) and Prime Counselling Website accordingly.
Neither PRIME MGL LIMITED nor its third party service or content providers shall be liable for any errors, inaccuracies or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. PRIME MGL LIMITED EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE ACCURACY OR TIMELINESS OF ANY OF THE CONTENT PROVIDED, OR AS TO THE FITNESS OF THE INFORMATION FOR ANY PURPOSE, REGARDLESS OF THE MEDIUM USED TO SUPPLY THIS CONTENT
PRIME MGL LIMITED does not guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions given by, or found in any third party content. PRIME MGL LIMITED may point to or refer to other Internet sites that it feels may be of interest to you; however PRIME MGL LIMITED does not endorse or take responsibility for the content on such other sites PRIME MGL LIMITED may provide content from other internet sites, and other third-party information sources including, but not limited to, printed material, however PRIME MGL LIMITED does not endorse or take responsibility for the content sourced from third-party internet sites, third-party printed material or any information sourced from third parties of any kind.
You agree to indemnify PRIME MGL LIMITED, its associated companies, agents and delegates and its and their directors, officers or collaborators and employees (each an 'Indemnified Person') against Losses incurred by us or in connection with these Terms and Conditions. This indemnity does not apply to any Relevant Person in so far as Losses result directly from the proven negligence, wilful default or fraud by such Indemnified Person.
PRIME MGL LIMITED does not guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions given by its associated therapists, companies, agents and delegates and its and their directors, officers and employees (each an 'Indemnified Person'). Any complaints must be made in writing to Mr Martin Hardy, 229 Station Road, Stechford, Birmingham, B33 8BB, United Kingdom.
In the event of any inconsistency between this Clause and any other Clause in these Terms and Condition the provisions of this Clause shall prevail.
GOVERNING LAW
These Terms and Conditions are governed by UK Law and you and PRIME MGL LIMITED submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts for all matters arising in connection with these Terms and Conditions. PRIME MGL LIMITED controls its business from within the United Kingdom. It can, however, be accessed from other places around the world. Although these places may have different laws from those of United Kingdom, by accessing primecounselling.com and using any PRIME MGL LIMITED services you agree that the laws of United Kingdom, without regard to rules relating to conflict of laws, will apply to all matters relating to your use of any and all PRIME MGL LIMITED Website(s) and services. You and PRIME MGL LIMITED also agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts, with respect to such matters. Users of PRIME MGL LIMITED services and sites, accessing from places outside of United Kingdom acknowledge that they do so voluntarily and are responsible for complying with local laws.
By agreeing to these conditions you indicate that you have thoroughly reviewed the information available at www.primecounselling.com and have read and understand these terms and conditions and the Privacy Policy of PRIME MGL Limited.
Your therapist will discuss again all of these conditions during your first session.
