OUR TERMS OF SERVICE For Counselling
SERVICE AGREEMENT
Counselling is a confidential process designed to help you or any family member address concerns and learn practical personal and interpersonal skills to thrive. It involves a supportive, respectful and understanding relationship between you/any family member and a trained counsellor who has the desire and willingness to help you/any family member accomplish individual goals. Counselling involves sharing personal information; this process may sometimes be distressing. In the course of counselling, there may be periods of increased anxiety or confusion.
The outcome of counselling is often positive; however, the level of satisfaction for any individual is not predictable. You/any family member may receive services offered by qualified professional counsellors or child and youth specialists. Professional counsellors have obtained either a Masters or BA in Counselling, Psychology Degree, BA or Masters in Social Work or a related field. Child and Youth Specialists have obtained a Child & Youth Care Diploma, Child and Youth Worker Diploma, Psychology Degree, Child and Youth Worker Degree or BA in Social Work. Our Counsellors are not Psychiatrists or Psychologists and will therefore not be working with clients with severe mental illnesses who require the above professionals but will instead refer clients when needed.
Please feel free to discuss with your counsellor any questions that you may have about the counselling process. Counsellors, Child & Youth Specialists will not offer you or any family members advice or suggestions on any type of medication, whether it be a prescription or over the counter or natural. Counsellors, Child & Youth Specialists will not offer, suggest any mental health diagnosis for you or any family members.
CANCELLATION POLICY
If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please advise Virtually Calm via email at least 24 hours in advance. All appointments cancelled or missed with less than 24 hours' notice will not be refunded. Please cancel on Friday, for a booking on Monday. At times Counsellors may need to reschedule a session either with more than or less than 24 hours notice, additional times will be offered to reschedule the session.
NON SOLICITATION
To ensure you/any family member's information's confidentiality, we require all sessions be completed through our secure system. Counsellors, Child & Youth Specialists will not share their contact information and do not do sessions outside of our system. As apart of our Terms Of Service, Families will defer from asking Counsellors, Child & Youth Specialists for their contact information or arranging sessions out of the Virtually Calm protected system.
INFORMATION ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY
Virtually Calm has several different types of counselling services available to you. All interactions with Virtually Calm, including the scheduling of your appointments, your attendance at appointments, your sessions' content, your progress in counselling, and your records, are confidential.
EXCEPTIONS TO CONFIDENTIALITY
The Virtually Calm staff works as a team in consultation with their manager. Your counsellor may consult with other counselling staff to provide the best possible. Furthermore, disclosure may be required in any of the following circumstances; There are reasonable grounds to believe that there is a risk of imminent harm to you or specifically identified others, the abuse of children, or when a court orders disclosure.
Client files will be kept on a secure system. Virtually Calm counsellors will document information from your session on a protected system information to revisit for your next session. Your information will be sent to a new counsellor if your previous counsellor is no longer available for any reason.
By making payment and starting a session you agree that you both understand and agree to the limitations concerning confidentiality and accept those limitations. You also understand the purpose, expectations, possible benefits, risks, cancellation policy, and Virtually Calm confidentiality policies.
By making payment and starting a session you are consenting to participating in the counselling process and consenting to Virtually Calm's Terms Of Service.