Counselling agreement
Version 1, in use from 25 October 2026
1. About me
I am Crystal Jaquette, a counsellor / psychotherapist. I am a registered member of BACP (reference 01052284) and I work in line with its Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. My qualifications include Master of Arts degree in Counselling & Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy; US-Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist; UK BACP membership. I hold professional indemnity insurance with Oxygen. My practice provides in-person sessions in Exeter & Ottery St. Mary, and online session throughout the UK. You can reach me at hello@opalitecounselling.com and 07493 641895. You can check my registration on the BACP register at https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/bacp-register.
2. Purpose of this agreement
This agreement explains how we will work together and what you can expect from counselling with me. It is here to support clarity, safety and informed consent. Please ask about anything that is unclear before you sign, and at any point during our work together. Counselling is a collaborative process, and no particular outcome can be guaranteed. If you need any adjustments to take part fully, for example with access, timing, or how information is given to you, please tell me and I will do what I reasonably can.
3. Sessions
Sessions last 50 minutes, and usually take place weekly or bi-weekly, either in-person or online, as agreed. If you arrive late, the session will still end at the agreed time. Sometimes couples or families may benefit from longer sessions, and when this occurs the session time and cost will be pre-arranged, as agreed. We will review how the work is going from time to time, and we can discuss any changes together. The work may be open-ended or for an agreed number of sessions, as we decide at the outset.
4. Fees
Each session costs £85 - £100+, depending on the service (individual, couple, family, etc), payable by bank transfer or card before each session. If a payment is missed, I will raise it with you, and repeated non-payment may mean we pause or end sessions until the matter is resolved. If I plan to change my fees, I will give you at least one month's notice in writing.
5. Cancellations and missed sessions
Sometimes you will need to cancel a session. If you let me know at least 48 hours beforehand, there is no charge. Sessions cancelled with less notice than that, or not attended, are charged at the full session fee (this will never be more than the cost of one session), unless there are exceptional circumstances and we agree otherwise. If I have to cancel a session, I will give you as much notice as I can and you will not be charged; if I cancel at short notice, I will offer you a replacement session. I will tell you about my planned breaks and holidays in advance, and I ask you to do the same where you can.
6. Confidentiality and its limits
What you tell me is confidential. I will not pass on what you share with me unless one of the situations below applies. It is important you understand these limits before we begin.
Where disclosure may be required or justified. I may need to share information without your consent if a court orders me to, if the law requires it, if I am concerned that a child or an adult at risk is being harmed, or if I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or to another person. One legal duty applies to everyone: the Terrorism Act 2000 requires me to tell the police about information that might help prevent an act of terrorism or bring someone to justice for one. Apart from specific duties like this, there is no general legal duty on me to report crime. Wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so, I will aim to discuss this with you first. Any disclosure will be limited to what is relevant and necessary.
Apart from the situations above, I will not share information about you without your consent. I also discuss my work in supervision, which I explain next.
7. Supervision
As part of safe and ethical practice, I discuss my work in regular clinical supervision, in anonymised form where possible. Its purpose is to support the quality and safety of the counselling I provide. I take care not to share identifying information unnecessarily, and my supervisor is also bound by confidentiality.
8. Records and your information
I keep brief notes of our sessions, together with your contact details and relevant administrative information, so that I can work with you safely and effectively. They are stored securely and kept confidential. I keep records for 7 years after our work ends (for clients under 18, until their 25th birthday), then I destroy them securely. My separate privacy notice explains in more detail how I collect, use, store, retain and protect your information, your rights in relation to it, and any limited circumstances in which information may be shared. You should read this agreement alongside it. You can read my privacy notice for counselling here.
9. Recording sessions
I do not record our sessions, and I ask that you do not record them either. Either of us may record a session only if the other agrees in writing first.
10. Requests for your records
If a court orders me to disclose your records or to give evidence, I must comply, and where I am allowed to, I will tell you first. If a solicitor, insurer or other organisation asks for your records, for example in connection with a personal injury or employment claim, I will only release them with your written consent or if a court orders it. Before you consent, I will talk through with you what your records contain and what releasing them could mean. If I am asked to write a report about our work, I will discuss with you what it will cover before it is sent.
11. Contact between sessions
The best way to reach me is email, phone call or text, for practical matters such as appointments. I aim to reply within two working days during my working hours (9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday). Please do not use social media to contact me; to protect your confidentiality I do not accept social media connection requests from clients, and I will not acknowledge you first if we pass in public.
In an emergency. Counselling is not a substitute for medical, psychiatric, or emergency care, and I am not able to offer crisis support between sessions. If you need urgent help, contact your GP, call NHS 111, or in an emergency call 999 or go to A&E. You can also call the Samaritans free on 116 123 (24 hours) or text SHOUT to 85258.
12. Working with couples
When I work with you as a couple, I am working with your relationship, and I keep one joint record of our sessions. I do not hold secrets between you: if one of you tells me something on your own that affects our joint work, I will ask you to bring it into a joint session. If one of you decides to stop coming, we will talk together about whether and how the work can continue. You each have the same rights over the joint record, but I may need to withhold information that is only about the other person.
13. If you are under 18
If you are under 18, I will usually ask your parent or carer for consent before we begin. If I believe you understand what counselling involves and can decide for yourself, you may be able to agree to counselling without them; this is sometimes called being Gillick competent. What you tell me is confidential, including from your parent or carer, unless I am worried about your safety or someone else's, as explained in the confidentiality section. If I need to share something, I will try to talk with you about it first.
14. Endings
You can end counselling whenever you choose, though where possible I encourage us to have a final session to close our work well. I may end our work if I believe counselling is no longer helping you or if a different kind of support would serve you better. I may also need to end it in the case of repeated non-payment, repeated missed sessions, or a serious or ongoing breach of the boundaries in this agreement. If I end our work for any reason, I will discuss it with you and help you find alternatives where I can.
15. If I become unable to practise
If I am suddenly unable to continue working because of serious illness, incapacity, or death, a trusted colleague will contact you to let you know and to help you find ongoing support. They will only access or use the minimum information necessary for that purpose and will be bound by the same confidentiality as I am.
16. Concerns and complaints
If you are unhappy with anything about our work, I hope you will feel able to raise it with me first, in a session or by email, and I will take it seriously and try to put it right. If we cannot resolve the matter that way, you also have the right to complain to BACP, which operates a professional conduct procedure for concerns about the practice or conduct of its members: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/professional-conduct/.
17. Working online or by telephone
Sessions take place by a mutually agreed secure video platform, or by telephone if we agree. You are responsible for being in a private, comfortable space where you will not be overheard or interrupted, and where you feel able to talk freely; I will do the same at my end. You are also responsible for being physically in the United Kingdom during our sessions, as my insurance and registration cover UK-based practice only. If you are outside the United Kingdom, or cannot tell me where you will be, I may not be able to go ahead with the session, as this affects safe practice and my insurance. Before each session, please give me the address where you will be and the name and telephone number of an emergency contact, so I can arrange help in the unlikely event of an emergency during a session. If the technology fails, we will try to reconnect for ten minutes, then switch to telephone; if we lose more than half the session this way, I will offer a replacement. The recording rules above apply to online and telephone sessions too.
18. Changes to this agreement
If I need to change this agreement, I will give you the new version in writing at least one month before it takes effect, unless a change in the law means it must happen sooner. The version and date are shown at the top.