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Sanctus Sessions Policy

The Supplier (“we, our, us”) shall provide the Client (“you”, your”) the Services subject to the Agreement including the Polices set out below. In these policies the “Client” refers to the “Client Staff”.

This policy and others make up part of Schedule 2 of our standard terms and conditions.

Sessions Policy

Coach Client Relationship

The Sanctus Coach agrees to maintain the ethics and standards of behavior established by the regulatory body that they adhere to. It is recommended that the Client review those specific Code of Ethics and the applicable standards of behavior. The Client can do this by asking the Sanctus Coach which regulatory body they adhere to. (This is likely to be ICF, AC, EMCC, BACP or otherwise).

Client is solely responsible for creating and implementing his/her own physical, mental and emotional well-being, decisions, choices, actions and results arising out of or resulting from the coaching relationship and his/her coaching sessions and interactions with the Coach. As such, the Client agrees that the Coach is not and will not be liable or responsible for any actions or inaction, or for any direct or indirect result of any services provided by the Coach. Client understands coaching is not therapy and does not substitute for therapy if needed, and does not prevent, cure, or treat any mental disorder or medical disease.

Client further acknowledges that he/she may terminate or discontinue the coaching relationship at any time and that he/she may only be able to access Sanctus Coaching infrequently, that regular sessions are not guaranteed.

Client acknowledges that coaching is a comprehensive process that may involve different areas of his or her life, including work, finances, health, relationships, education, recreation and others. The Client agrees that deciding how to handle these issues, incorporate coaching principles into those areas and implementing choices is exclusively the Client’s responsibility.

Client acknowledges that coaching does not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the American Psychiatric Association and that coaching is not to be used as a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, or other professional advice by legal, medical or other qualified professionals and that it is the Client’s exclusive responsibility to seek such independent professional guidance as needed. If Client is currently under the care of a mental health professional, it is recommended that the Client promptly inform the mental health care provider of the nature and extent of the coaching relationship agreed upon by the Client and the Coach.

The Client understands that in order to enhance the coaching relationship, the Client agrees to communicate honestly, be open to feedback and assistance and to create the time and energy to participate fully in the program.

The parties agree to engage in a Coaching relationship through in- person and telephone meetings (where possible). The Coach cannot guarantee their availability to Client by e-mail and voicemail in between scheduled sessions as defined by the Coach.

The sessions shall be 50 minutes.

Procedure

The time of the coaching sessions will be determined by Sanctus and The Business based on a mutually agreed upon time. The Client will initiate all bookings with the Sanctus Coach through the Sanctus online booking system and takes responsibility for attending the session at their chosen time.

Confidentiality

This coaching relationship, as well as all information (documented or verbal) that the Client shares with the Coach as part of this relationship, is bound by the principles of confidentiality set forth in the Coaches’ relevant Code of Ethics.

However, please be aware that the Coach-Client relationship is not considered a legally confidential relationship (like the medical and legal professions) and thus communications are not subject to the protection of any legally recognised privilege. The Coach agrees not to disclose any information pertaining to the Client without the Client’s written consent. The Coach will not disclose the Client’s name as a reference without the Client’s consent.

The Coach agrees not to disclose any information pertaining to the Client to The Business. Sanctus Coaching is not Business Coaching therefore all content shared in a Sanctus Coaching session strictly falls under this agreement between Coach and Client.

The Coach will inform The Business with The Client’s consent if they have reason to believe that The Client is in danger of harming themselves or others. Confidential Information does not include information that:

(a) was in the Coach’s possession prior to its being furnished by the Client;

(b) is generally known to the public or in the Client’s industry;

(c) is obtained by the Coach from a third party, without breach of any obligation to the Client;

(d) is independently developed by the Coach without use of or reference to the Client’s confidential information; or

(e) the Coach is required by statute, lawfully issued subpoena, or by court order to disclose;

(f) is disclosed to the Coach and as a result of such disclosure the Coach reasonably believes there to be an imminent or likely risk of danger or harm to the Client or others; and

(g) involves illegal activity.

The Client also acknowledges his or her continuing obligation to raise any confidentiality questions or concerns with the Coach in a timely manner.

Risk & Suicide

It is not uncommon for conversations about suicide and imminent risk and/or safety to be associated with mental health in a broader context. While the Sanctus coaching space is not the best place to bring these thoughts and feelings (your GP, a suicide-prevention helpline or emergency services are the best port of call) it can happen that an individual does come to a Sanctus coaching session while experiencing some degree of these thoughts or feelings. Sanctus Coaches are trained to assess risk and understand what to do if suicide or situations of immediate danger emerge within a session, however Sanctus is not the place to actively seek this level of support.

The Client acknowledges that there are certain issues people face that are too broad and complex to work on during a Sanctus coaching session and other forms of support, such as therapy, counselling, or other medical support, are better suited, more thorough and more appropriate in these circumstances.

The Client acknowledges that there is a portion of the mental health spectrum which falls outside of the scope for which coaching is helpful or appropriate. This includes diagnosing or managing mental illness, severe mental health issues or conditions, trauma, deeply entrenched patterns seriously impacting a person’s ability to live their life well, some kind of experience or emotion that is regularly debilitating and interfering with regular functioning, or instances where an individual is taking or considering taking actions that are or could be harmful to themselves or others. Sanctus Coaches are not qualified to work with individuals on these types of issues and to do so in the Sanctus coaching space would be unsafe for all parties.

Sanctus welcomes all individuals to come to Sanctus coaching to be coached on a topic unrelated to the larger mental health challenge they are managing. The only examples in which this is not the case are instances where the mental health issue is so pervasive for a person that it effectively takes over their ability to be coached on another topic (e.g. are psychotic, in severe distress, or severely depressed). In this case Sanctus coaching would be unsafe for the individual, coach, business and Sanctus.

The Client acknowledges that Sanctus Coaching may or may not be the right place for them to work on their mental health, particularly if their current mental health relates to the issues named in point B. In these instances, where you may not be in immediate danger of harm, but you might be in a lot of pain and require an increased amount of care than what Sanctus coaching can offer, we offer the below suggestions:

If you are actively considering suicide or considering taking actions that may cause harm to yourself or others or if you feel that you or any other person may be in immediate danger or if you have a medical emergency then you must immediately contact the emergency services.

Refusal Policy

Sanctus Coaches maintain the right to refuse coaching or entry to the Sanctus coaching space to individuals who they feel are a threat to their physical, psychological or emotional safety, or the safety of the individual seeking to use the space. This is determined at the Coach’s discretion.

Release of Information

The Coach engages in training and continuing education in order to pursue and/or maintain their relevant Coaching Credentials. That process requires the names and contact information of all Clients for possible verification of hours coached by their regulatory body. By entering into this agreement, you agree to have only your name, contact information and start and end dates of coaching shared with the staff members of the Coaches chosen regulatory body. To accredit the Coach, someone from their regulatory body may contact you.

According to the ethics of our profession, topics may be anonymously and hypothetically shared with other coaching professionals for training, supervision, mentoring, evaluation, and for coach professional development and/or consultation purposes.

Cancellation & Late Policy

Client agrees that it is the Client’s responsibility to notify Sanctus of cancellations or rescheduling as soon as possible in advance of the scheduled calls/meetings and with a minimum notice of 24 hours. This is to make Sanctus Sessions as widely available as possible to other members of the team.Any sessions cancelled or rescheduled less than 24 hours will be considered delivered within the Coaching Subscription.

Client agrees that it is the Client’s responsibility to attend coaching sessions at the agreed appointment. The Client is aware that arriving to a session more than 5 minutes late could result in a loss of that session

Record Retention Policy

The Client acknowledges that Sanctus has disclosed their record retention policy with respect to documents, information and data acquired or shared during the term of the Coach-Client relationship. Such records will be maintained by the Coach in a format of the Coach’s choice (print or digital/electronic) for a period of not less than 7 years after Sanctus ceases to work with The Business.

All records made by the Coach will include the Client’s name and a very brief descriptive note that is purely content related, with no feelings or judgments attached. Notes will always be taken without any potentially compromising information.

Here are some examples of how notes are taken and how notes are not taken by The Coach.

How notes are taken by the Coach:

Joe talked about his marriage. Agreed he’d reflect on values for next time.

Jane talked about how she’s feeling about work and her relationship with her boss.

How notes are not taken by the Coach:

Joe is still struggling to manage his insecurities in his relationship. He talked about how difficult he’s finding it to manage his jealous feelings while his partner is on work travel. He was visibly upset and hard on himself. We agreed he’d reflect on what he needs to feel safe in his relationship.

Jane is thinking of leaving her job because she can’t stand her boss.

All digital notes are password protected and secured.