First meeting with the therapist
The very first important step is to contact the therapist and agree on a possible meeting time. It is also advisable to write what topic you would like to work on and to ask any questions that matter to you.
Payment for the first session is made 2 days before the meeting to confirm your participation. After payment, please send a screenshot or receipt in a private message, and the therapist will send you a link to the Zoom meeting. All following sessions are paid for after the meeting.
The cost of a session is the equivalent of 70 euros for 50 minutes of work, paid in hryvnia at the exchange rate on the day of payment.
Everything you need for the meeting:
- a stable internet connection;
- a closed, safe room,
- an agreement with those close to you that they will not disturb you during this hour;
- if you want to write down important moments of the meeting, prepare paper and a pen (optional);
- openness and honesty during the meeting.
At the first meeting the therapist may ask about the reason for your visit, your emotional state, your life story and the problems that concern you. This is a time to build trust, discuss the goals of therapy and agree on the terms of work, including confidentiality and the frequency of meetings.
At the end of the session the therapist and the client should agree on the terms of further work together. Please read the main ones, and if you have any questions, discuss them during the meeting.
1. Payment: Payment is made after each meeting. After paying, be sure to send a screenshot of the confirmation in a private message.
2. Frequency of meetings: We will meet once a week for a stable therapeutic process. This frequency is recommended at the beginning of therapy and is confirmed by scientific research as effective.
3. Cancellation of a meeting:
- The client must notify the therapist of the cancellation or rescheduling of a session at least 2 days before the scheduled date. Otherwise, in case of a missed session, the client pays the full cost of the session.
- If the therapist cancels a session less than 2 days in advance, they must compensate the client by holding the next session free of charge.
- Exceptions: a terrorist attack, the death or sudden hospitalization of a loved one or of the client, force majeure circumstances.
- Rescheduling a session within the same day is possible if the therapist has free slots. If you need to cancel a meeting, let us know in advance to agree on a new date.
4. Mandatory final meeting: The client has the right to end therapy when they feel ready and want to, but must notify the therapist at least one session before the planned end.
The client and the therapist always hold a final meeting to consolidate the experience gained and integrate it into everyday life. This is an important stage for avoiding unfinished psychological processes and strengthening wholeness before the end of therapy.
I will be glad to discuss all the details and answer your questions at the first meeting.
You can read the terms of client–therapist work in more detail below:
I. Responsibilities of the therapist:
1. Ensuring safety and support: The therapist must create a safe, non-judgmental and supportive atmosphere for the client.
2. Confidentiality: The therapist must observe strict standards of confidentiality and must not disclose personal information about clients without their consent. / Situations in which confidentiality may be breached, in rare cases, include a threat of suicide or violence, a possibility of harm to other persons, and the obligation to comply with legislation on reporting certain types of violence, in particular child abuse or maltreatment.
3. Professional competence: The therapist is obliged to use only those methods that they have mastered at a professional level and that meet the client’s needs.
4. Respect: The therapist must respect and understand the client’s perspective regardless of their views or life experience.
5. Self-development and training: The therapist is obliged to continuously improve their skills and knowledge through training, supervision and professional development.
6. The therapist intends to act in the best interests of the client.
II. Responsibilities of the client:
1. Active participation: The client is obliged to take an active part in the therapy process, to express their feelings and thoughts, and to keep the commitments they have undertaken.
2. Openness and cooperation: The client is obliged to be open to cooperation with the therapist, to share important information, and to share their dissatisfactions or expectations, what suits them in working with the therapist, or where they find it difficult.
3. Keeping the agreement: The client must fulfil the agreement on conducting therapy, such as session times and payment for services, and cooperate with the therapist in carrying out tasks between sessions.
4. Self-responsibility: The client is obliged to take responsibility for their own process of change and development, making the necessary efforts to achieve the goals of therapy.
5. A private place for online work. During online sessions the client should independently ensure a safe and private place where no one will interrupt the session and confidentiality will be ensured. In particular, this can be a place where there are no other people, the door is closed, or time and space are secured when others will not disturb during the session.
The responsibility and cooperation of both parties, that is, the therapist and the client, are the key elements of a successful and productive therapeutic process.
III. Session setting rules for the client and the therapist:
1. Time and duration of sessions: Both parties undertake to keep to the agreed time and duration of sessions, which is 50 minutes, recommended weekly. In some cases, by mutual agreement, once every 2 weeks or twice a week.
2. Payment: Payment for a 50-minute individual session is the equivalent of 70 euros.
3. Punctuality:
- The client and the therapist respect each other, arrive at sessions on time, ready to begin work, give all their attention during the session to the process, and turn off their phone and messengers.
- Ending the session on time: Sessions end on time, even if the client is late. This ensures equality for all clients and supports the therapist’s working schedule.
- Lateness: If the client does not appear for the session or is late and has not notified the therapist within the first 10 minutes of the session, the therapist may have the right to message the client to find out the reason for the absence or lateness. This may be done to clarify the circumstances and the possibility of rescheduling.
4. Notification and compensation terms for missed sessions:
- Notice of session cancellation: The client is obliged to notify the therapist of the cancellation or rescheduling of a session at least 2 days before the agreed date. Otherwise, in case of a missed session, the client pays the full cost of the missed session.
- The therapist cancels a session suddenly: If the therapist suddenly cancels a session, they are obliged to compensate the client and provide the opportunity to hold the next session without additional payment at the next meeting.
This point of the agreement is important for defining the responsibility of both parties in case of session cancellation and helps create transparent terms for compensating missed sessions.
5. The right to end therapy and the mandatory final meeting:
- Freedom to end therapy: The client has the right to end therapy when they consider it necessary and are ready for it. They are obliged to warn the therapist of their intention to end therapy at least one or two sessions before the planned end.
- Mandatory final meeting: The client and the therapist are mutually obliged to hold a final meeting. This is necessary for completing the important process of assimilation. The stage of assimilation, which this meeting completes, allows the client to integrate and apply the knowledge and experience gained in everyday life, promoting their psychological development and the achievement of lasting positive changes. The client incorporates the knowledge and experience gained into their personal worldview and life practice. This meeting is necessary to avoid unfinished psychological “gestalts” or misunderstandings in relationships, to ensure the closure of topics that remain unresolved, and to strengthen the client’s psychological wholeness before the end of therapy.
6. The therapist’s right to raise fees:
- Notice of fee increases: The therapist has the right to raise the fees for their services once a year. They are obliged to notify the client of any fee increase at least one month before the new rates take effect.
- Discussion of new rates: The client and the therapist have the right to discuss and agree on any increase and, if necessary, to reach agreement in dialogue on the process and amount of the increase. If agreement is not reached during the discussion, the client has the right to decline the therapist’s further services without any financial obligations.
To work together, you must agree to all the terms!