Body Wisdom Psychotherapy Practice Information and Consent to Treatment.

Welcome to my practice. This document is intended to provide important information to you regarding your sessions with me. Please read the document carefully and be sure to ask me any questions that you may have regarding its contents. I look forward to working with you.

UPON SCHEDULING A SESSION, PENELOPE WILL CALL YOU FOR A BRIEF CHAT PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT, TO ENSURE THIS IS A GOOD FIT.

About My Practice

I offer Core Energetics treatment sessions for individuals and couples. Core Energetics is a body-centred therapy that moves beyond talk therapy. It has a holistic approach meaning we will work with the body, mind and spirit. The goal of our work together is to allow you to have the experience of full contact with your body, emotions, mind and spirit. A sense of ownership of your life and the ability to open up and tolerate more complex and difficult feelings may result.

Core Energetics uses bodywork to release tight, armoured muscles and release feelings. This may be assisted by the use of touch for example through pressure or massage to muscles. The touch is non-sexual and can offer support and encourage the movement of energy through the body. Any intervention involving the body will always be with the client’s explicit permission. Exercises will be suggested only when clinically appropriate and with individual boundaries and personal safety in mind.

Examples of bodywork could be stretches, breathwork, and various exercises and experiences aimed at helping to get in contact with your emotions. You may refuse any intervention at any time.

Confidentiality

Everything you discuss with me is held in strict confidentiality. The only person with whom I may discuss your case, in an effort to ensure my work with you is free from personal bias, would be with a therapeutic supervisor. Your identity however will never be revealed.

Please be aware that there are certain conditions in which the law requires that I break confidentiality which are as follows;

If you present an imminent danger to yourself.

If you present an imminent danger to another person.

If there is reason to believe that child or elder abuse or neglect is present.

Billing and Payments

Payments can be made in cash (exact change) or via electronic transfer. There will be periodic rate increases, you will be advised of any rate increases in advance.

Cancellation Policy

Making an appointment reserves an amount of time at a given date, this time will be held for the client exclusively unless it is cancelled in advance.

A minimum of 1 business day is required to cancel a session. You will be billed for any session cancelled less than 1 business day of the appointment time e.g. if your appointment is at 4pm on Monday you will need to cancel before 4pm Friday. The only exceptions to this policy are accident, illness or family or other emergency. You will not be charged for these genuine emergencies.

Please be aware that there may be times when it will be necessary for me to re-schedule your session. I will do my best to notify you of schedule changes with ample time but in the event of an emergency or illness, cancellations on my end may occur on the day of the session.

Please do not attend sessions under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For safety reasons, clients who show up for a session under the influence of alcohol or any other drugs will not be admitted to their session. However, they will be fully charged for the session.

Please be on time. If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late, please let me know if possible. I will make every effort to be on time, however, because of the nature of this work, sometimes a session may run overtime. If I am late, you will still receive your time in full. If you are late, your session will be the remainder of your scheduled time.

Termination

You are free to terminate our work together at any time. However, I do request that if you are considering terminating work with me that you discuss this with me in person a minimum of two sessions before the termination date so that we can explore the reasons in depth. Sometimes a client will unconsciously arrive at a personal block and will seek closure to avoid it. It is my intention to help you navigate through these feelings rather than abandon the process at what may be a critical time in your therapy.

If I need to terminate our work together for any reason, I will also advise you in person a minimum of two sessions before the termination date to explore your feelings and experience and to provide support through the closure process.

Client Commitment

During your initial session, if we mutually agree to continue therapy sessions together, a certain amount of trial sessions (typically 3, sometimes 10) is set up. After this period the progress is reviewed and a reasonable long-term plan is established. You and I will work together collaboratively to determine what works best for you and your needs.

Client Responsibility and Safety

Your responsibility is to bring yourself as fully and honestly to each session as you can, to keep your appointments and to honour the cancellation policy.

COVID-19: We all need to work together to ensure we follow the government requirements. We will stay in ongoing communication about this.

Please do not attend an in-person session if you have any of the following symptoms; fever, cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

Please notify me if you are currently working with psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors or body workers. Please notify me of any medications you are taking, any health concerns, pain, or physical limitations which may or may not affect the work we do in general or in any given session. Please notify me of any changes in your contact information or living situation or health status.

Telephone Calls & Emails

I strive to return phone calls and emails as quickly as I can. Scheduling or changing session times is best done by telephone to ensure messages are received timely. Telephone calls and emails are not the best way to deal with issues or feelings brought up in session unless a telephone or Zoom session has been arranged. It is important to discuss any discomfort, physical or emotional that you experience in session, please bring this to your next session.

Recommendations for Maximising Your Process

Because of the powerful nature of core energetics, it is beneficial to have some time after your session for integration and grounding. You may want to take a walk or spend time writing in your journal.

Sessions can stir up memories and feelings. You may have vivid dreams and/or waking dreams. It is important for you to continue moving your energy by doing some of the exercises that you will learn, or gentle movements. If feelings become overwhelming it is a sign that you may need another session. You may contact me if you are concerned about what you are feeling or if you wish to have another session.

Consent to Treatment

I understand and am in full agreement with the contents of this form and I’m agreeing to treatment.

Location

In-person sessions are held at Freshwater Wellness Centre, 1 Rowe St Freshwater NSW 2096.