Terms of Service

Ardolino Counselling is the trading name of Jolian Ardolino, a sole trader providing private counselling and psychotherapy services.

For enquiries, you can contact me at: jolian@ardolinocounselling.com

Ardolino Counselling is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a Data Controller. ICO registration number: ZC098478

I provide private counselling and psychotherapy for adults aged 18 and over. Sessions may be offered online, by telephone, or in person, depending on availability and what has been agreed.

Counselling can be a valuable and meaningful form of support, but it is not a substitute for emergency, crisis or urgent medical care.

Sessions can be booked through my online booking system or by direct arrangement.

A booking is confirmed once you have selected an appointment and payment has been made, where payment is required in advance.

Before beginning ongoing work together, I may offer an initial consultation or first session to help us consider whether the service feels like the right fit.

Session fees are set out on my website or booking system at the time of booking.

• Sessions must be paid for in advance unless another arrangement has been agreed in writing.
• Payment can be made using the methods shown at the time of booking.
• Any future fee changes will be communicated in advance and will only apply to future sessions, not sessions already booked and paid for.
• If payment is not received on time, I may pause or cancel future sessions until the account is brought up to date.

If you book counselling online, by email, by phone, or by another remote method, your booking may be treated as a distance contract under UK consumer law.

This means you usually have the right to cancel within 14 days of entering into the contract. However, because counselling appointments are often booked to take place within that 14-day period, the following applies:

• If you ask me to begin the service within the 14-day cancellation period, and I agree, you expressly request early performance of the contract.
• If you then cancel before the service has been fully provided, you may be charged a proportionate amount for the service already provided.
• Once a booked session has been fully delivered, you will not normally be entitled to a refund for that completed session under the statutory cooling-off rules.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

If you need to cancel or rearrange a session, I ask for at least 48 hours' notice.

Where at least 48 hours' notice is given, I will usually offer either:

• a rescheduled appointment, or
• a refund, less a £20 administrative charge

If less than 48 hours' notice is given, or if you do not attend a booked session, the full session fee will usually still be payable.

I understand that emergencies and exceptional circumstances do sometimes arise. Any discretion in these situations will be exercised reasonably and compassionately.

If I need to cancel a session, I will offer an alternative appointment or a full refund.

If you arrive late, I will do my best to continue the session within the remaining appointment time. Sessions will usually still end at the scheduled time, and the full fee will remain payable.

If you are significantly late and I have not heard from you, I may treat the session as missed.

If we work online, you are responsible for ensuring that you have:

• a private and appropriate space for the session
• a stable internet connection where reasonably possible
• a device that supports the agreed platform
• a safe environment in which you can speak freely

I will take reasonable steps to protect privacy and confidentiality during online work, but no internet-based platform can ever be guaranteed to be completely risk-free.

If the connection fails, I will usually attempt to reconnect. If this is not possible, I may contact you by email, phone or another agreed method to rearrange the rest of the session or make another plan.

Ardolino Counselling is not an on-demand or crisis-response service.

Contact between sessions should usually be limited to practical matters such as booking, payment, or rearranging appointments, unless we have specifically agreed otherwise.

I aim to respond to messages within a reasonable timeframe during working hours, but I do not offer a guaranteed immediate response.

If you need urgent support, please use emergency or crisis services rather than waiting for a reply from me.

Confidentiality is a central part of counselling, and what you share with me will usually remain private.

However, confidentiality is not absolute. I may need to share information, with or without your consent, where I believe this is necessary for legal, ethical or safeguarding reasons. This may include situations where:

• there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else
• I am required to do so by law or court order
• disclosure is needed for the prevention or detection of serious crime

Wherever possible and appropriate, I will aim to discuss this with you first.

To provide counselling safely and ethically, I keep brief clinical records and administrative records.

I may also use professional supervision in line with ethical practice. Supervision supports safe, reflective and accountable therapy work. Identifying information is kept to a minimum wherever possible.

I work within relevant professional and ethical standards and expect clients to engage respectfully with the counselling process.

Counselling can end by mutual agreement, by you, or by me.

You are free to stop counselling at any time. Where possible, I encourage us to discuss endings openly so that the work can be brought to a thoughtful and supported close.

I may decide to end counselling if:

• I believe the service is no longer clinically appropriate for you
• your needs fall outside the scope of my practice
• there are unresolved safety concerns
• fees remain unpaid
• there is abusive, threatening, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate, unsafe, or persistently disruptive behaviour
• continuing the work would be unethical or professionally inappropriate

Where appropriate, I will try to provide notice and, if possible, signpost you to other suitable support.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service, I hope you will feel able to raise it with me first so that I have the opportunity to understand your concerns and respond fairly.

Complaints can be sent to: jolian@ardolinocounselling.com

If we are unable to resolve the matter and you wish to take it further, you may also contact the NCPS Conduct Department:

• Email: conduct@ncps.com
• Telephone: 01903 213683