TERMS & CONDITIONS

Sessions & Intensive Treatment

Notice: these terms and conditions form the basis upon which OCD Excellence services [referred to throughout as ‘OE’] will be made available to you. Please read carefully to be sure you understand them. Acceptance of an appointment, session or intensive treatment is acceptance of our Terms and Conditions.

The terms have the following meanings allocated to them:
   

• OE: to mean OCD Excellence. Administration address: 96 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SG

• ​Therapist: the person delivering therapeutic treatment

• Client: the person receiving therapeutic counselling from a therapist

Your information

1. Clients must provide a residential address and contact telephone number, an emergency contact (family or friends) as well as contact details for their general practitioner, PCP or psychiatrist

2. OE will respect your personal information and undertakes to comply with all applicable UK Data Protection legislation currently in force.  In the absence of contact with a Client for more than 24 months, we will delete all information stored pertaining to that Client

3. While in receipt of on-going treatment the Client should notify OE of any change of address, email or contact numbers

Appointments 

1. All sessions whether at OE, remotely (including, but not limited to, telephone, skype and video calling), at the Client’s home or at the therapist’s home are 50 minutes in duration

2. The Client must give 48 hours notice of any cancellation. If less than 48 hours notice is given then OE will charge the full fee due in respect of that appointment

3. Clients should arrive or call in  promptly for each appointment, as sessions cannot overrun their allotted time

4. For phone or video sessions, the Client needs to call the number detailed for their session 

5. The Therapist reserves the right to refuse treatment if the Client fails to arrive or, in the case of online or telephone-based appointments, login or call OE within 20 minutes of the appointment start time. In such cases the full fee for the appointment will be charged

6. No Client under the age of 18 can be treated without their parents’ or guardians’ written consent and must initially be accompanied by an adult for assessment.

7. Clients may terminate a session-based treatment at any time in compliance with the 48-hour notice of cancellation clause (2) above

8. Clients need to ensure that they are in a safe, private location before starting a Zoom session or assessment. If another person is present, off camera, the client needs to inform the therapist. Zoom sessions cannot take place whilst the client is outside in a public place.

9. Weekly sessions may not be appropriate for prospective clients with acute OCD symptoms or a complex diagnosis involving other conditions or a history of self harm. OCD Excellence reserves the right to refer such prospective clients for OCD Excellence intensive treatment or to their GP or psychiatrist or other external professional resources

10. As with all OCD specialist treatment, we have a waiting list for weekly sessions. We understand the urgency for treatment hence we adopt a fair system where each prospective client is added to the waitlist in the order that they confirm they want to progress to weekly sessions. Please note that the waitlist duration may change, especially during the Autumn/Winter months. During this time you may not hear from us until there is availability. If you are waiting for a particular therapist, then the wait is likely to be extended. Please email info@ocdexcellence.com if you would like a waitlist status update and we would be happy to provide this. We appreciate and thank you for your understanding in this regard.

Session Fees  

1. Fees for sessions must be paid in advance. Fees can be paid via PayPal, or if agreed via info@ocdexcellence.com faster bank transfer or international SWIFT payment, or credit card transaction (an additional 4% charge is incurred for credit card transactions).  For sessions paid by bank transfer or SWIFT, the client must send evidence of the transaction to info@ocdexcellence.com prior to the session start.

2. Fees for telephone or video sessions must be paid in advance as above. If payment has not been received before the appointment start time then the Therapist may not proceed with the session

3. If a credit card number is provided to cover the cost of sessions then the client agrees to allow us to use this card to pay for future sessions unless we are informed otherwise.  Any payment details will be deleted on request or in the absence of contact from the client for more than 24 months

4. The current list of fees for therapy sessions is available upon request

5. Failure to pay for appointments attended could result in OE refusing to book further appointments until all outstanding payments are received

6. OE reserves the right to amend the fees and will give 21 days notice of such amendment

7. In the event that a client has not settled an invoice after two reminders OE reserves the right to place any outstanding balance in the hands of a debt collector and to charge a fee of 18% of this balance to cover administration costs

8. OE has the right to charge simple interest on the overdue amount at the applicable rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, accruing on a daily basis from the due date (date invoice is submitted) up to the date of actual payment, whether before or after judgment

9. Interest charged will be at the current Bank of England rate plus 8%

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Intensive fees

1. Intensive fees can be paid via faster bank transfer or international SWIFT payment

2. A 50% deposit for intensive treatment is payable upon booking treatment, the balance is due 21 days prior to the group or individual intensive treatment start date  

3. The intensive treatment booking is final once mutually agreed in writing and the deposit (or full payment if preferred) has been made 

4. No refund will be offered in exchange for termination or non-attendance of all or any part of the group or individual intensive treatment following mutual agreement in writing

5. Postponement or date changes relating to intensive treatment within 14 days prior to the start date is at the discretion of OE and will incur a £150 administration fee. Postponement within 7 days of the start date will be considered only in the event of illness (evidence required) 

6. Requests to change dates of booked follow up sessions offered by OE will be considered, but OE reserves the right to refuse without offer of alternative

7. The client is liable for reasonable travel, parking, accommodation or other expenses incurred by the therapist as a direct result of providing the intensive therapy

8. If the therapist is driving to the client's location, travel expenses of 0.63p per mile will apply. Please note, if there are significant increases in fuel costs, these will be reflected in an increased travel expense per mile. Clients are responsible for informing a therapist of local road closures, transport strikes affecting their area, restricted parking arrangements & fees, congestion charges and any other local travel disruption. 

9. One hour of travel each way is included in intensive treatment fees. Any additional travel time will be charged pro rata at £75

   • In the event of a London public transport strike, or other unexpected disruptions (including but not limited to: acts of god, riots, protests etc), therapists will not be able to travel into Greater London and alternative treatment arrangements will be made

10. Free follow up services such as workshops and group intensive courses are valid for 12 months following the end of intensive treatment

11. Individual Follow Up Sessions are intended to be used within 6 weeks but can be extended to 3 months, by request, at which point they will expire. Further Individual Follow Up Sessions are at the discretion of the therapist and will need to be booked as paid sessions. This also applies to Carers Follow Up Sessions. 
     

Insurance:  

1. OE does not liaise or provide invoices or other administrative insurer requirements for domestic or international insurers. Clients who have insurance cover must pay fees directly and then reclaim any costs through their insurance providers.  OCD Excellence will only provide the automated receipt of payment that is generated upon booking.  Clients are reminded that they can click the view details link in their email confirmation to see an receipt with a date, time and price.            

​OE ethical commitment       

1. OE will adhere to a Code of Ethics which is available upon request

2. The client acknowledges that the therapist may contact the emergency contact, General Practitioner or Psychiatrist and/or emergency services, if they believe there is a credible risk to the life of the client.

General

1. During treatment, Clients will be responsible for their belongings at all times. OE cannot be held responsible for any loss, theft or damage whatsoever

2. OE reserves the right to cancel or alter appointments at short notice without prejudice and without explanation

3. OE reserves the right to vary the Terms and Conditions at any time and we will inform you of such changes through email, newsletter or other such medium as OE feels appropriate. The full Terms and Conditions can also be found on our website at www.ocdexcellence.com

4. OE reserves the right to terminate treatment in the event of abusive, threatening, aggressive or otherwise inappropriate behaviour

5. OE reserves the right to withhold treatment for any reason without prejudice and without explanation

6. An assessment does not constitute a therapeutic relationship

7. Our assessments are for personal use. They may not be accepted as a formal qualification by external organisations who may require a psychiatrist's or GP's diagnosis

8. If you are working with India Haylor or Steven Wignall, please note that there will be times when follow up calls may need to be rescheduled due to the fact that India and Steve are the only therapists on call for emergency situations involving clients

9. Any letters requested by clients to third parties, e.g., schools, employers, psychiatrists, GPs, etc. will be charged at the session rate of the therapist, with the exception of existing intensive clients who will be charged at £100 per letter. We do not produce reports following an assessment. A psychiatrist will produce a report following an assessment. This service is reflected in their initial appointment fees of £500-£1500 (UK) per appointment. Please bear in mind that initial psychiatrist appointment waiting times can be considerable. If we are required to produce a report for an existing intensive client, post intensive treatment, this will be at the discretion of the therapist and will be subject to their hourly session fee. 

10. In the case of intensive follow up sessions, it is the responsibility of the Client to book their follow up sessions using the link provided in the Post Intensive Guidelines.

11. If you are considering intensive treatment, please be aware that this treatment option is 'intense' as the title suggests. Whilst there is scientific evidence that it is the most effective format for treating moderate to severe OCD (1), potential clients need to be aware that the shorter initial treatment time frame, longer session times per day and intense focus upon ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) are associated with faster recovery, but there is increased discomfort relative to weekly sessions. Please discuss this with your therapist in advance of your treatment if you have concerns or questions.

12. During intensive treatment, the therapist reserves the right to stop treatment if they believe that it is too overwhelming for the client and an appropriate recommendation will be made by the therapist with a view to postponing treatment once the recommendations have been followed

13. According to UK NICE guidelines (2), the recommended treatment for OCD is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) with or without medication. Our treatment protocol adheres to NICE and consists of CBT. Please note that ERP (Exposure Response Prevention) is a component of CBT. It is the "B" in CBT, i.e., Behaviour Work. 

14. We understand that strong reservations & concerns regarding medication support can be characteristic of OCD. We respect these views and always refer clients to their doctor or psychiatrist to discuss their concerns. If a client is reluctant to consider medication we can embark upon therapy and monitor their progress. Exceptions would be complex diagnoses, self-harm and moderate to severe Contamination OCD where we wouldn't embark upon treatment in the absence of medication support.  In all other circumstances, if we believe that a client requires medication support in order to continue therapy we reserve the right to postpone the therapy and will refer them to their doctor or psychiatrist. 

15. CBT with an emphasis upon ERP is currently the only evidence-based treatment for OCD in the UK. Our therapists are trained in CBT and ERP (behaviour work) and therefore we wouldn't be able to consider a treatment protocol that didn't include ERP. 

16. As with all OCD specialist treatment, there will also be a waiting list for intensive treatment. Very occasionally we have to pause new intensive bookings but will open them again as soon as possible and inform waiting prospective clients. We appreciate and thank you for your understanding in this regard.

(1) https://spectrumcbt.com/writing-1/2021/11/23/why-intensive-treatment-for-ocd-works

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1077722922000293

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211364915000408

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(2) NICE Guidelines for OCD