AMINDSET.HK

SOPs/FAQs for Counsellors

1.        Location

LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central

We have two counselling rooms at LKF. Room 2116 on the 21st floor and room 2317 on the 23rd floor.

2.        Room Booking and Use

While most appointments are more or less agreed upon before the client or counsellor makes the booking, there are many direct bookings through the Acuity system on the website. Please make sure your Acuity availability times are accurate.  Use the Regular (top) Table in the Availability page. The bottom table is only for temporary changes. Entries here supersede the top table.

Remember that we share the area with other practitioners, so please respect the space.

There are sit-out areas on both floors where your clients can wait.

There are also booths which you are free to use for any purpose - personal work or even online sessions.

3.        Appointment Duration

Be strict with your timing. The room booking is for one hour and must be available for the next counsellor to start on time. You will gain access to the room a few minutes before the hour and must leave it in a tidy state one hour later. A late client must lose session time regardless of whether the room appears to be free after your session.

If the previous counsellor does not vacate on time, you must still leave a few minutes before the following hour as a courtesy to the next counsellor. Please inform office@amindset.hk if you do not gain access on time.

4.        Appointment Times

All Face-to-Face sessions must now start on the hour and be for one hour - or possibly two. To facilitate this, make your availability period start on the hour, not the half hour. The system automatically provides one-hour slots from your start time. Please do not use the ‘custom’ facility to make custom start times or to give yourself a short break between clients.

5.        Acuity Appointment Bookings – Clients

Generally, it is preferable for the client to make the booking as they cannot proceed without paying and reading/agreeing to the T&Cs - and, for first bookings, filling in the intake form. We understand that it is often more convenient for you to make the booking quickly into a vacant slot while the going is good rather than risk getting gazumped. So:

a.        If you have made the booking for your clients, please ensure that they pay and agree to the T&Cs and register their details. This is particularly important for the first session, where they will be asked to complete the Intake Form, which will give you advance notice of their problem and contact details and cover ethical considerations. The $ sign at the top right of the booking in your calendar indicates that payment has been made. Also, you can tell easily when you reopen the appointment. There is no need to verify payment with the client if the system indicates a payment.

6.        Acuity Availability

Do not use the Block feature - but instead, amend your available hours in the bottom (temporary) availability table.

7.        Acuity Rescheduling

Encourage your clients to reschedule rather than cancel. This way, the payment goes with the rebooking, and the process is more straightforward. It is worth doing this even if the new booking might need to be changed.

8.        Free Introductory Sessions

The 20-minute free introductory session is for full-paying clients and is not a consultation. It has been established to help the client determine if there is potential for a good therapeutic alliance between the therapist and the client before paying for the session.

The free session is not available to LCC clients.

9.        Low-Cost Counselling (LCC) Sessions

The LCC rates are HK$450 x 4 sessions and HK$650 x 6 sessions.

Each therapist has a separate Acuity link for the prices of the two sessions.

LCC initial bookings are now filtered through Liz McCaughey (LM) for suitability and appropriate allocation – this is now stated on the website.

On completion of the Session quota:

a.        At the 4th session of the LCC HK$450 rate, the therapist will let the client know it is the last session and provide the HK$650 link.

b.        At the 6th session of the LCC HK$650 rate, the therapist will let the client know it is the last session and ask if they want to continue at the therapist's usual full-price therapy rate.

The Acuity booking system cannot limit the clients' session bookings. The therapist must remind the client when it is their last session. The maximum number of sessions is clearly stated on the website, and the client should be reminded of this at the start of the LCC session.

10.             Referral within Team Members

There are protocols to be followed when referring a client to an AM Team Member.

a.        Refrain from referring a client to a team member who is expected to be away within four weeks from the first client introduction. The office must approve any exceptions to this rule.

b.        All referrals are to be completed with a correct handover:

                                     I.             You must receive written permission from the client before divulging any information or contacting other parties.

                                   II.             For the client’s well-being, as much information as possible must be given to the counsellor.

11.             Supervision

Australian Counselling Association (ACA) - Membership of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) requires you to complete at least 10 supervision hours per membership year, plus 25 OPD points.

The ACA recommends 1 hour of supervision per 20 client contact hours.

AMindset uses the same recommendation of a 20:1 ratio of contact hours and supervision. However, if you are an inexperienced therapist, you are asked to consider a 10:1 ratio. Peer support supervision does not count for this 1 in 20 rule but may be used towards professional association hours. Maintaining this regular supervision, whether with LM or an outside supervisor, is a condition of being an AM team member.

LM is an authorised ACA supervisor and can sign the ACA logbook for supervision sessions with her.

Please enter the dates in the log book if you attend any supervision sessions. The session's maximum duration is 60 minutes. Individual supervision sessions can be booked through the Acuity Booking system.

For group supervision sessions, please enter the dates on separate lines with a maximum duration of 60 minutes for each session. Therapists can organise group supervision by a request sent to LM asking for a suitable date. Or, LM may organise a group session and let the therapists know when they can book through the Acuity website. Group sessions can be online or face-to-face, depending on requests by therapists.

12.             Competency & Code of Ethics

All AM therapists are expected to follow the minimum code of ethics outlined by the ACA.

a.        All AM counsellors must follow the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics. A copy of this Code of Ethics is available in each counsellor’s personal Google file.

b.        Counsellors must not provide a counselling service they are not qualified to conduct. If at any time the counsellor believes they are working beyond their counselling abilities, they must contact the AM supervisor immediately.

13.             Disciplinary Procedures

If there is a complaint against an AM team member, the following disciplinary will occur.

a.        The office will request a copy of all communication between the therapist and the complainer.

b.        If the counsellor is found to be in error:

                                     I.             The therapist will receive a letter of reprimand

                                   II.             The therapist must follow the recommendations stated in the letter of reprimand.

c.        Only in extreme circumstances will a therapist lose their position within AMindset.

                                                         l.          Liz McCaughey, the AM clinical supervisor, will make that decision.

                                              ll.            Her decision will be final.

14.             Liability

The therapist is responsible for professional liability and compensation for an aggrieved client.

a.        AMindset will do all it can to support a therapist administratively. However, each therapist who is part of AMindset is an independent business owner.

b.        AM does not accept any liability for the therapist’s actions.

c.        This is clearly stated on the Terms & Conditions contract all AM therapists must sign before joining the AM team.

10.          Health Insurance

Requests for receipts and proof of attendance.

Health insurers are regularly tightening their requirements, and assisting clients to make successful claims is to the benefit of both our clients and our business.

Please refer clients to their automatic payment receipts from Acuity, their confirmation emails and their Stripe or PayPal receipts. If they need proof of attendance or therapist details, fill in the Client Attendance/Information Form for Insurers, which you can download HERE. You may add multiple session dates to this form.

If these measures are unsuccessful, ask the client to contact the office and we will try to help.

NOTE: All clients are made aware that insurance is their own responsibility and should be confirmed with their insurer before the first paid appointment. AMindset accepts no responsibility for unsuccessful claims.

11. Weather - Special Arrangements under Inclement Weather Conditions.

Tropical Cyclone Warning 8 or above - all appointments will be moved online or rescheduled. Therapists must contact their clients directly to arrange the online session.

Black Rainstorm Warning or Extreme Conditions - the appointment will be moved online or rescheduled depending on when the warning was issued. Therapists must contact their clients directly to arrange the online session.

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FAQs

My employer does not allow me to receive payments for outside work but the website indicates I charge for counselling.

Contact the AMindset office to receive a letter explaining that LCC student counsellors are not paid for their placement work.

Do the clients get refunded when they cancel an appointment?

Not automatically - we have to initiate refunds manually. But, if they reschedule, the payment goes with them. So, it is better to reschedule, even if you think you might have to reschedule again.

How do I deal with technology-challenged clients?

Firstly, you can book for them - either by selecting ‘New’ above your calendar or clicking on the calendar itself at the date and time you would like. Secondly, you can forward the ‘direct link’ for the particular appointment type, which will take them straight to that particular booking type - find the link in the ‘Scheduling Page Link’ menu item on the sidebar.

Why is the booking limited to less than 45 days ahead but as close as 2 hours before?

The booking ahead is limited to prevent any individual from setting up for a year ahead when, realistically, most of the bookings would have to be cancelled. The 2 hours is so that you are able to make a quick booking for that day if you and the client agree on a time. It is highly unlikely that a cold customer will book an appointment only 2 hours away without some sort of contact with us. If it happens, we will deal with it then.

I am having difficulty setting my availability. Can you help?

See the instructions for setting up that you were sent when you became a User in the system - or, go here. If you select the Set Regular hours table, you can add the standard hours for the week, which will be repeated forever. On the bottom table, you will see those hours reflected for the current week. You can add temporary variations here. The bottom table supersedes the top Regular table. Maybe you have a staycation - just delete each day in the temporary table, and it comes up as closed to bookings. Maybe an afternoon meeting - just redo the times for that day. The changes come up as bold text. This is so much better than Blocking.

My client wants to book a custom time because of work commitments. How do I do this?

We have had to revert to only allowing Face-to-Face bookings that start on the hour and are for one or two hours' duration. This avoids waste and leaves more availability for everyone.

For Online sessions, you can start at any time. Either select ‘New’ at the top of the calendar page and select ‘Custom’ before setting the date & time or just click on the calendar at the desired date & time.

If you wish to conduct your online session from the room, the session times must start and finish on the hour.  See further information on this below.

Do I need to book my online sessions in the Acuity system?

Yes, please - even if they are free sessions for your outside placement. Booking online sessions through Acuity has advantages. Firstly, for us, it provides a record of your and the client’s sessions, which we are required to keep - and could be useful to you when updating your logbooks. Secondly, the system will know you are busy and ensure you do not get double-booked.

How do we manage client cancellations?

Clients must give 24 hours' notice or pay for the appointment. We are not hard with this - each case is different. But do not reschedule if they have not given enough notice, as it transfers the payment to the next session. They must book a new appointment and, if they choose, request a refund from AM giving the reason for the late cancellation.

Should counsellors give clients their telephone numbers?

It is up to the counsellor if they wish to share their WhatsApp number. The recommendation is for professional counsellors to have 2 numbers (a work number and a private one). Email is the other alternative for communication, but it is much slower.

How can a client communicate with their counsellor?

If you do not want to give your WhatsApp number, please let clients know your email address. Once you start with a client, you will liaise with them directly.

Should clients contact the AMindset office to cancel appointments?

No. Please let clients know that, because of confidentiality, the AMindset 'office' phone is not to be used for any client/counsellor-related issues.

How many AMindset website biography updates can a counsellor do in a 12-month period?

Inclusion in the AM Low-Cost Counselling entitles you to two amendments per 12-month period.

As a MOC student counsellor, can I use the Acuity Booking system to input 'Online' clients from external placements?

If these placement clients have been organised through AMindset – yes, you can manually input these ONLINE ONLY clients into the booking system.

Does AMindset offer free supervision to qualified counsellors?

No. We originally offered 1 hour of free group supervision, but this turned out to be impractical.

What are the 'confidentiality' rules when working with minors?

At AMindset, all students and therapists must abide by the following rules:

1. Do not share what happens in the therapy session with anyone outside of the session, and that includes the legal guardians. This allows for a strong therapeutic alliance to develop.

2. Once the therapy starts, all communication between the guardian and counsellor must be kept to a minimum and be limited to bookings and logistics.

3. A guardian can ask the minor to bring up certain topics at the therapy session, but it is up to the minor whether to mention them or not. The counsellor will not ask the minor if the guardian has anything they want to be brought to the session.

Who completes the paperwork when working with minors?

The legal guardian must complete the intake paperwork for clients <18 years of age.

Are there exceptions to the 'confidentiality' rules when working with minors?

Yes. It is understood that some parents may want to discuss items with the minor's counsellor. This will be done on an individual basis and the parent is asked to contact liz@amindset.hk to find out about these exceptional circumstances.

How do I know if my client has paid?

A Dollar sign or Certificate (package bookings) in the corner of the appointment box in your calendar indicates payment.

What if My client wants to pay cash?

This is to be greatly discouraged as it is quite inconvenient to yourself and there are many other ways of paying, including direct payment to the bank account for those who do not have a credit card. However, if necessary, receipt books have been placed in the therapy rooms. If payment is in cash, let the client have a receipt and lodge the cash into the AMINDSET LIMITED account, and send details to office@amindset.hk.

Please note that the AMindset bank account has changed to accommodate the new Ltd company:

‘AMINDSET LIMITED’

Bank of China HK - Bank Code: 012

Account Number:  875 - 21336630

What can I do if I no longer want to accept new clients?

Let office@amindset.hk know and we will attach a note to your BIO. This means that you can keep your availability open for your ongoing clients, and they can continue to book through the Acuity platform.

Can I do ONLINE THERAPY in the therapy room?

YES. But the Acuity online booking does not book the use of the room. This is not a problem if you are using one of your own reserved timeslots. If you wish to use one of the spare times, perhaps make the booking F2F to ensure the room is booked. Note that there is a room charge for the spare timeslots.  And, Online bookings using a room must comply with the normal F2F times of 1 hour from the top of the hour. There are booths on each floor which are available free on a first come first served basis that can be used for online sessions.

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As always, we are happy to receive your comments and ideas, and to answer your questions:

THE AMINDSET TEAM

WHATSAPP: 6270 9109

OFFICE@AMINDSET.HK