Terms & Conditions of Service: Redefine Program

This agreement covers the service provided to you by Dr Sam Cockle, Balanced Health & Wellbeing in the Redefine Program. It is intended to provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision about participating in the program. It covers information about the program and what will be provided to you, and what is expected of you in the course of the program, including the terms and conditions of service. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything before accepting this agreement, please contact me. Thank you. 

The service is provided by Balanced Health & Wellbeing, Dr Sam Cockle, Registered Health Psychologist (HCPC), Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow (BPS). The program is designed to support you over the next 3-6 months, to take a more compassionate, empowered and sustainable approach to weight loss, so that you can be free from diet struggles and strict deprivation.

The first session of the program is an assessment session in which we will explore what you want to achieve and why, what makes this harder to achieve, and I will seek to understand a bit more about your personal circumstances. On the basis of this I can tailor future program sessions to you. 

Subsequent sessions will focus on a range of relevant topics – we can spend more or less time on each, as relevant to you. The program includes a mixture of education, practical tasks, goal setting and review, discussion and reflection.

Appointments are provided either online or in-person, depending on your location, preferences and availability. I offer a limited number of appointments each week so that I can ensure that I give each client a quality service, including completing the work I do for you outside of our session time together. These take place by prior appointment only. The usual minimum time between booking and appointment is 2 days, to allow me adequate time to prepare properly for your appointment. It may be longer than this before I can offer you an appointment, depending on availability. 

•  The service is not an emergency or crisis service. I will aim to respond to queries as promptly as I can but to protect my own health and wellbeing, this will only be within my working hours and may be delayed during busier periods. This includes all channels of communication, including emails and WhatsApp messages. If you need crisis or emergency support, contact: 
  • NHS 111 or your GP
  • The Samaritans on 116 123
  • In an emergency call 999 or attend A&E
• The service does not include any kind of formal diagnosis, although I can work with people with pre-existing diagnoses under certain circumstances (see section 5. Health conditions).
• Although the service may have beneficial indirect effects for those with mental health conditions, it is not a direct mental health treatment like therapy or counselling.

Through the program, I aim to support you in the best way I can but getting the most out of sessions and making progress towards your goals also requires engagement and commitment from you. We are in this together.

During sessions, I understand that some things are unavoidable but would ask that you keep outside distractions to a minimum, for example, by putting mobile phones on silent. I ask that you engage and work with me during sessions, ask questions when you are not sure and please tell me if there is something you do or don’t want to focus on.

Outside of sessions, there will be things for you to do like reflecting, practical tasks or working towards goals. I will support you and set you up for when you step out of the (virtual or physical) room, but some of the most important work needs to take place outside of sessions for you to see progress. I work with you in sessions to help you leave feeling comfortable and confident in completing any outside activities. 

Balanced Health & Wellbeing should be made aware of any existing physical or mental health conditions or symptoms that may be relevant to the service being provided. This information should be provided no later than during the first session, to ensure I can incorporate your requirements into the service I provide. There are some conditions for which I would recommend other specialists, including but not limited to, diagnosed or suspected eating disorders. This is where I think you would be better supported by another professional.

The service provided by Balanced Health & Wellbeing is not intended to replace treatment or management of physical or mental health conditions recommended by other qualified healthcare professionals. The aim would be to find ways of supporting your existing provision in improving your health and wellbeing. Where applicable, I will talk to you about how the changes you are looking to make can fit in with this.

If you have existing conditions, it is recommended that you seek medical advice before making changes, particularly if you are unsure about the impact of those changes.

Balanced Health & Wellbeing is committed to ensuring confidentiality, protecting your data and storing it securely. The policies and procedures used are in line with current data protection legislation and are reviewed annually or upon changes to legislation.

Information shared in the course of the program will be treated in the strictest confidence. There are certain exceptional circumstances in which I may need to break this confidentiality, largely where I am concerned about harm to you or others, or where I am made aware of criminal activity. Wherever possible I will speak to you first to inform you of my intentions.

If you consent to receive marketing updates, your name and contact details only will be accessible to my trusted partner, Persephone Marketing Ltd, solely for the purpose of providing you with updates you have agreed to receive.

As part of my practice, I undertake regular supervision sessions. This helps me to maintain the quality of services by allowing me to reflect on my practice and gain advice where needed. In the course of these sessions, I may discuss the service I am providing to you, and your context, but in so doing I will not name you or provide other identifiable information.

I will only ever ask you for information that is relevant to the service you are being provided, to protect your health and safety, maximise your enjoyment and achievements from attending, and to improve services for yourself and others.

You are free to decline to provide any information that I ask for, without needing to provide a reason. Doing so will not prevent you from using the service unless it is an essential requirement that I have this information. If this is the case, I will inform you as such and you will be given further opportunity to decide whether you wish to provide the information or not.

Details of how I handle, use, and store your personal information are available in the Balanced Health & Wellbeing Privacy Policy. This also details your rights and what to do if you have a complaint. The Privacy Policy is available on the website at www.healthwellbalanced.com or you can contact me to request a copy. 

You can pay for the program in full or in instalments. Where paying in instalments, it is possible to only commit to the first 3 months of the program initially and decide later if you would like to continue for the full program. In such cases, the decision to continue would need to be made before the second or third payment is due.

Fees include all one-to-one sessions as well as additional resources provided outside of these sessions such as practical tasks, reflections and Facebook group membership.

If you are in any doubt about what is included in the price you are paying, please do not hesitate to ask. 

 All payments are required in advance of services received. You will be emailed a link to make payment online. Once payment is received the cancellation policy applies.

You will be sent a link to book your first one-to-one session after the initial payment is received. Thereafter, where payment is made in instalments, program access may be paused or suspended if subsequent payments have not been received.  

I understand that from time to time it may be necessary to cancel or change bookings made for one-to-one sessions in the program. Cancellations made 24 hours or more before the appointment time are fully transferrable (can be changed to another day/time). Cancellations with less that 24 hours' notice are non-refundable and non-transferable. This excludes in exceptional circumstances, solely at the discretion of Balanced Health & Wellbeing (Dr Sam Cockle). 

You are free to withdraw from the program at any time, without needing to provide a reason if you do not wish to. For sessions booked and fees already received, the cancellation policy applies. You can request a refund for unused sessions and resources that have already been paid for, subject to limitations. All refunds will be  calculated by Balanced Health & Wellbeing based on sessions and resources used and reasonable costs incurred.

In very exceptional circumstances I may withdraw the program. Other options would always be explored first, and I would give you as much notice as I possibly could. Any unused fees paid would be refunded. I would aim to recommend an alternative service provider but availability could not be guaranteed. 

I am registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and I am a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS). These organisations have checked my qualifications meet the required standards for a Registered Health Psychologist (HCPC) and Chartered Psychologist (BPS) and ensure I am suitably skilled to practice as such. They also require me to ensure I undertake continuing professional development, which means me refreshing and furthering my skills and knowledge and keeping up to date with developments in the field. 

You can confirm my registrations by searching their pages here:

• British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC)

I am registered as Dr Samantha Cockle.

I am registered and insured to provide services in the United Kingdom. 

All documents and materials supplied during the program remain the intellectual property of Dr Sam Cockle, Balanced Health & Wellbeing. They should not be shared onwards without prior consent.