Informed Consent Form

At PeacePlus, we see psychotherapy as a journey between the client and the therapist. The best of the journeys always start with transparency and a tentative idea of what to expect from the journey. This informed consent form provides important information about our professional therapy services and policies, as well as the procedures involved in the process for your review.

This document will help you better understand the therapy process, enabling you to make an informed decision regarding the initiation of therapy services.

Please read this document carefully before you indicate your consent for therapy. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to us; we are here to help clarify anything for you.

WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?

As humans, we, at any point of time may come across any difficulty in life that may affect our physical, emotional, social and professional well being. Psychotherapy is an evidence-based approach for addressing mental health issues and life challenges, designed to assist individuals experiencing significant distress and feeling unable to cope with their difficulties on their own. The goal is to help you alleviate psychological challenges and enhance your quality of life by enabling you to cope with or overcome the issues causing you distress. This is a collaborative process; the therapist will assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of your concerns and explore various strategies to address them, ultimately leading to an improved quality of life.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE SESSIONS?

It is paramount for the therapist to gain a thorough understanding of the client’s concerns and background before initiating therapy. Consequently, the first session is usually dedicated to exploring your clinical history and gaining a comprehensive understanding of the current issues. Following the initial two or three sessions, and psychological assessments (if required), both you and your therapist will collaboratively establish the therapy goals to focus on in subsequent sessions. The number of sessions will depend on the severity of issues presented by the client, adherence to treatment and progress in therapy. Please note that charges for diagnostic assessment (if conducted) are separate from therapy session fees and will be billed accordingly.

Therapy sessions at PeacePlus last 50 minutes. Initially, psychotherapy sessions are typically scheduled once a week, but the frequency can be adjusted by the therapist based on the client's needs. Sessions will be conducted online via Google Meet at a mutually agreed-upon time, and prior booking is necessary. The effectiveness of therapy relies on consistency, continuity, and collaboration between the client and therapist. As you begin to feel better and manage your issues, the frequency of sessions can be gradually reduced and ultimately concluded as determined together by both the client and therapist.

For Individual psychotherapy, only the index client is required to be in the session. Separate time will be provided for family members, friends, or other informants who wish to speak with the therapist.
For Couple/Marital therapy, both partners typically attend, unless one partner or the therapist requests individual sessions.
For Family therapy, all concerned members must be present.
For Individual psychotherapy with adolescents and children, they usually attend alone. Parents or guardians may participate and will receive guidance from the therapist regarding their concerns. However, whether parents can be present while the child or adolescent discusses personal issues will be determined by the therapist based on suitability and the child or adolescent’s consent.

PROCEDURE FOR BOOKING OF SERVICES

Appointments can be scheduled through the booking page on our website or by contacting the whatsapp number or email listed there.
Pre-booking is required for all sessions. To secure your preferred time slot, please book your appointment at least 48 hours in advance. An appointment is confirmed once payment is made at least 24 hours prior; after this time, the slot cannot be reserved.
Appointment slots are determined based on the availability and convenience of both the client and the mental health professional.
The PeacePlus website explicitly mentions the fee for each mental health session. Please be aware that at PeacePlus, we uphold the principle of “fairness”, meaning each mental health professional charges clients uniformly. Hence, requests for fee modifications are not accepted.
We provide a monthly subscription plan that includes 4 sessions, as well as a pay-as-you-go option for booking individual sessions.
For comprehensive psychological assessments, multiple slots may be needed. In this case, payment should be made before the first assessment session, and no additional payment is required unless the mental health professional determines that a reassessment is necessary after evaluating the client.
Payment is to be made online through our website.

If you encounter any issues with the payment process, please reach out to us on support@peaceplus.life for assistance.

CANCELLATION POLICIES & RESCHEDULING OF SESSIONS

Appointments may be canceled or rescheduled up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled time without incurring a fee. Cancellations or rescheduling requests made within 24 hours of the appointment will be charged at the full session rate.
Email reminders provide the opportunity to cancel or reschedule appointments without incurring a cancellation fee, provided such requests are made at least 24 hours in advance.
For emergency cancellations occurring between 24 and 18 hours prior to the appointment, clients are encouraged to contact us at support@peaceplus.life. The discretion to waive the cancellation fee resides with the PeacePlus team. Cancellations made less than 18 hours before the appointment will be considered missed, with no refund issued, and a new booking will be required.
For cancellation requests, please inform us via our support email. If an appointment is missed without prior notice, the session will be deemed cancelled, and no refund will be issued.
If a client arrives late but notifies us via our support email at least one hour prior to the session, the remaining time may be utilised. Appointment slots can be held for a maximum of 10 minutes beyond the scheduled start time; after this, the session will be classified as missed, and no refund will apply.
In the event that a mental health professional cancels an appointment, the session will be rescheduled without any cancellation charges. If the professional arrives late, the full allotted time will be compensated.
All refunds will be processed within 7-14 bank working days.

SESSION PROTOCOL

For Psychodiagnostic assessments and Psychotherapy services:

Below are a few guidelines we humbly request you to follow while in the session for enabling us to provide you with an uninterrupted and seamless mental health service.

Please arrive on time for your appointment. A notification reminder will be sent half an hour before the session.
For online video consultations, ensure you have a reliable internet connection.
If you experience any technical difficulties during the session, please inform the support staff and await further assistance from our team.
Use of any form of alcohol, tobacco-based products, or any other psychoactive substance is strictly prohibited during the session.
Attending while intoxicated is not allowed; violations will result in immediate discontinuation of the session by the therapist.
Please maintain a respectful tone and refrain from using abusive language. In cases of repeated misconduct or disrespect, the mental health professional reserves the right to terminate the session.
You are encouraged to take notes for your understanding and retention. However, recording, transcribing, or taking pictures during the session is strictly prohibited.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Please ensure a secure connection for consultations in a quiet, distraction-free, and private environment.

For individual sessions, only the index client is required to be present. In the case of an adolescent or child, a guardian may attend only if the client prefers their presence.

All information shared by a client with a mental health professional during therapy sessions, assessments, or psychiatric consultations is considered confidential. This confidentiality remains intact even if the client is no longer receiving services.

However, there are certain circumstances where information may be disclosed without written consent:

If the therapist determines there is a risk of harm to yourself or others, or any intent to commit a crime, necessary measures may be taken to prevent harm.
If a minor client reports ongoing sexual abuse.

It is important to note that confidentiality is also a shared responsibility, and clients are expected to uphold this principle as well.

RECORDS

For psychiatric consultations and psychological assessments, clients will receive a prescription and a psychological report, respectively.
In contrast, psychotherapy is a subjective journey where we hold confidentiality as priority. Therefore, written prescriptions are generally not provided by therapists unless deemed necessary.

NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

During sessions, the mental health professional will take notes, which are securely stored in password-protected folders. Access to these notes is restricted to the mental health professional to maintain confidentiality.
Information shared by the client may be used for discussion or case supervision purposes without revealing any identifying details. However, despite the security measures in place, there remains a risk of unintentional breaches due to technology. In such cases, neither the client nor the therapist will hold the other responsible.
Audio or video recording, as well as transcribing any part of the session, is strictly prohibited. Neither the client nor the mental health professional is permitted to record the session. If a confidentiality breach occurs, strict actions will be taken.
In the event of legal proceedings (such as lawsuits, divorce, or custody disputes), psychotherapy records cannot be disclosed unless subpoenaed by a court.
If it is discovered that either the client or the mental health professional has recorded or shared any part of the session inappropriately, both parties must provide evidence of the permanent deletion of such recordings. Violations may result in disciplinary action, including termination.

REFERRAL

Online video consultations have certain limitations, especially in handling emergencies. If at any point the clinician believes that another professional could provide better assistance, appropriate referrals will be made after discussion with the client.

Clients also have the freedom to choose or change their mental health professional as they see fit.

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

Certain situations, such as significant psychotic symptoms or threats of physical harm to oneself or others, are not suitable for audio, video, or computer-based psychotherapy services.

If you are in such a crisis or emergency, you should immediately seek help from a nearby hospital or health care facility, as we cannot serve as your emergency contact. We strongly encourage you to identify an emergency contact prior to beginning our services.

CONTACTING US

For all communications, please use PeacePlus official email as the primary mode of contact: support@peaceplus.life.

TERMINATION OF THERAPY

Participation in treatment is voluntary, and you may discontinue at any time without obligation. The approximate length of treatment will be discussed during the initial session and periodically in subsequent sessions. Termination typically occurs once you have achieved your goals.

If you feel you are not making progress or are dissatisfied with the treatment, please feel free to discuss your concerns with your mental health professional. If it is determined that you are not benefiting from the sessions or require additional treatment, this will be addressed, and appropriate referrals will be provided.

If we do not hear from you for one month following your last session (unless previously planned), we will close your file, and any advance payments for sessions will be forfeited. You are welcome to contact us in the future if you wish to resume treatment.