Terms and Conditions

Counselling & EFT Services

As part of providing our counselling service to you it is necessary to collect and record personal information. The information gathered is part of our assessment, diagnosis and treatment. It enables your therapist to provide a relevant and informed therapeutic service.

Confidentiality

All personal information gathered by the counsellor during the provision of the therapeutic service will remain confidential and secure except where:
1.It is subpoenaed by a court.
2.Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk.

There may be times where, as part of the assessment and therapy process, it may be helpful for your counsellor to liaise with other people or agencies that are relevant to your goals. Additional consent forms will be requested in these instances.

We will request your written consent in the event to the forwarding of any documents or reports to the referring clinician if deemed to be in of best service towards your continued support.

Session Length & Fees

All fees are 55 minutes in duration. The cost of therapy sessions will be discussed and set out before treatment commences. Fees are payable at the end of the session. Payment can be made by cash, Eftpos or through direct deposit.

Cancellation Policy

If for some reason you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, at least 48 hours notice is required. A cancellation fee of 100% will be charged if insufficient notice is given (i.e. notice within 48 hours). All cancellations must be made via phone (0412664585), e-mail cancellations will not be accepted. If you fail to attend an appointment, with no notice of cancellation, the full fee will apply.

If a cancellation was made due to unavoidable circumstances, then we will try our best to reschedule the appointment but it will be at the discretion of Mell Symonds to determine whether cancellation fees apply. If numerous consecutive cancellations are made, then it is also at our discretion to charge a non-refundable deposit for future sessions.

Repeat Cancellations

Clients who fail to attend three confirmed scheduled appointments in a row will have their appointment slot automatically reallocated to another client on the wait list and they will not be able to resume treatment with Mell Symonds until they have paid a non-refundable deposit of 50% of their therapy session fee. Clients will forfeit this deposit if they fail to attend subsequent appointments or cancel. Clients with a pattern of late cancellations and non-attendance may have their appointment slot reallocated to another client on the wait list or their frequency of therapy reduced.

Tardiness

Sessions are strictly one hour and will not be extended past the hour due to late arrivals. Full fees apply in circumstances of late arrival.

Conditions of Cancellation Policy

If a cancellation fee has been charged, it must be paid prior to the provision of any further services. These cancellation fees apply to all clients of Mell Symonds, even those whose services are paid for by another organisation (Medicare, Private Health funds, etc). The cancellation fee will need to be paid personally by the client as third party organisations do not typically cover cancellation fees for nonattendance at scheduled appointments.

Pre–payment Policy for First Appointments

1. PREPAYMENT IS REQUIRED FOR NEW CLIENTS BOOKING THEIR FIRST APPOINTMENT
Mell will be in contact prior to your appointment to process a pre–pay for your first appointment in full. The full payment will be forfeited if you no show or late cancel within 48 hours of your appointment time.

2. OUR REFUND POLICY
Our pre–paid services are not refundable but you can change your appointment time (with 48 hours notice).