Informed Consent, Privacy and Service Agreement

Section 1

About me and my practice

I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology (PsyD, United States) and a doctorate in education (EdD, United Kingdom). I work with teenagers, adults, and parents using evidence-based approaches including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), the SPACE programme for parents, and functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP). I practise alone and have supervision.

Section 2

What therapy with me involves

A free 15-minute consultation is a chance to see whether we are a good fit. It is not therapy and no clinical relationship is formed until we agree to work together. Our first one to three sessions are usually an assessment: I gather history, clarify what you want to address, and we agree on goals and a way of working. I will tell you which approaches I recommend and why, and I will explain any technique before we use it. Sessions are 25, 50, or 75 minutes, in person or online, at a frequency we agree and review together. Therapy is active: it usually involves structured exercises in session, practice between sessions, and periodic review of progress.

Section 3

Benefits, risks, and alternatives

Psychological therapy helps many people reduce distress, function better, and live more in line with what matters to them. Results vary and I cannot and do not guarantee any particular outcome. Common risks and discomforts include:

• Talking about painful memories, thoughts, and feelings, which can be upsetting.
• A temporary increase in anxiety or distress, especially early on or when a new skill is being practised, before improvement is felt.
• Exposure-based work (ERP), which deliberately brings on anxiety in a graded, planned way so that it can be learned from and reduced. Nothing is done without your agreement, and you can stop at any point.
• Direct feedback about patterns I notice in session, which can feel confronting.
• Changes in relationships, routines, or family dynamics as you change. For parents following SPACE, a child's distress may briefly rise when accommodation is reduced.
• Information you share may become relevant in legal matters (for example, family proceedings), because records can be compelled by a court. See section 6.

Alternatives include working with a different psychologist or a different therapeutic approach, seeing a psychiatrist or your doctor about medication, school or workplace counselling, group programmes, self-guided resources, or choosing not to have treatment now. I am happy to discuss these, and you are free to seek a second opinion at any time.

Section 4

Voluntary participation, pausing, and ending

Taking part is your choice. You may decline any technique, ask for a change of direction, pause, or end therapy at any time. If you are thinking of stopping, I encourage you to raise it with me first so we can plan a good ending or a referral, but you do not need my agreement to stop. I may also recommend ending or referring you elsewhere if I believe I am not the right fit, if I become aware of a conflict of interest, if you need a service I cannot provide, or if the therapeutic relationship is not working. In that case I will explain my reasons and end sessions. If I become unable to practise unexpectedly, a designated colleague, Jared Dubbs, holds sealed instructions to contact current clients, help arrange continuity of care, and secure or return records in line with this agreement.

Section 5

Confidentiality

What you tell me is confidential. I do not release information about you, or confirm that you are my client, without your written authorisation, except in the situations described in section 6. I handle all personal data under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486). I collect only what I need to provide care, arrange appointments, communicate with you, and collect fees. If we see each other in public I will not acknowledge you unless you speak to me first.

Routine handling that does not require separate authorisation. I use secure practice management software (i.e. Cliniko) for scheduling, notes, and invoicing. Some of this data is stored on encrypted servers outside Hong Kong (currently in Australia) by providers who are bound by contract to protect it and who may not use it for their own purposes. I may discuss cases in anonymised form with a professional consultant or supervisor, who is bound by the same duty of confidentiality.

Fee recovery, if ever needed, uses the minimum information necessary and never clinical content.

Session notes and AI transcription: Unless you ask me not to, I may use transcription software that meets HIPAA standards and is operated under Cap. 486 to transcribe and summarise sessions. Audio is processed and not retained; the summarised notes become part of your confidential record. I review every summary myself for accuracy and to correct any bias from the technology. Your data is not used to train these systems. You can opt out at any time, before or after we start, simply by telling me, and I will take notes by hand instead. This does not change your care.

Section 6

Limits to confidentiality

Hong Kong law does not give psychologist-client communications legal privilege. I may have to disclose information without your consent when:

• There is a serious risk of harm.
• If I believe you are at imminent risk of seriously harming yourself, or someone else is at risk of serious harm from you, I will take steps to keep people safe. This may include contacting emergency services, your emergency contact, or another person who can help.
• A child is at risk. Under the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance (Cap. 650), in force since 20 January 2026, clinical psychologists are specified professionals.
• If I have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child under 18 has suffered, or is at real risk of suffering, serious harm, I am legally required to report this to the Social Welfare Department or the Police as soon as practicable, whether or not the child is my client and whether or not consent is given. I apply the same standard of care where a vulnerable adult is at serious risk.
• A court or the law requires it. If I receive a court order, subpoena, or other lawful demand, I must comply, disclosing no more than is required. I will tell you if I am able to. Records of family or parent sessions can be requested in family proceedings.
• You ask me to share it. With your written authorisation I may liaise with your doctor, psychiatrist, school, or another professional. Any transfer of information, electronic or physical, carries some risk. If you submit my receipts to an insurer, it may ask you for a diagnosis; that is your decision.

Wherever I can, I will discuss any disclosure with you first, involve you in the decision, and share only what is necessary.

Section 7

Your records and your rights

I keep a clinical record for every client: contact and intake details, assessment findings, session notes, correspondence, and invoices. Records are kept securely for at least 7 years after our last contact, then destroyed confidentially. Under Cap. 486 (section 18 and Data Protection Principle 6) you have the right to request a copy of the personal data I hold about you, including clinical records, and to ask me to correct anything inaccurate. I respond within 40 days and may charge a reasonable fee directly related to providing the copy. In almost all cases you will receive your records. I may withhold information only in the limited situations the Ordinance allows, mainly where release would be likely to cause serious harm to your or another person's physical or mental health (section 59), where it would identify another person who has not agreed (section 20), or where legal professional privilege or legal proceedings apply (sections 60 and 60B). If I rely on any of these I will tell you and explain as far as I am able. Requests should go to Hello@Rick-Smith.com.

Section 8

Fees and payment

My current rates are published at rick-smith.com/pricing and confirmed with you before we begin. I give at least 30 days' written notice of any change.

• Payment is by bank transfer, cash, or card, in advance or within 24 hours of the session. I send receipts by email and do not raise an invoice until a session has taken place.
• Packages of six or ten sessions are prepaid and pre-booked. I hold the balance and draw it down as sessions occur, with a receipt each time. Unused prepaid sessions are not refundable and expire 12 months after purchase.
• Time is billed at the same rate whether it is spent in session or on your behalf outside it: letters, reports, forms, school or professional liaison, and telephone consultations are billed at my standard session rate in 30-minute increments. Brief scheduling messages are not charged.
• I do not accept insurance as payment and cannot guarantee that sessions qualify for reimbursement. I will help with reasonable paperwork.
• If a session is unpaid, I pause further work until the balance is settled. If fees remain unpaid I may take appropriate legal steps to recover them under Hong Kong law, using only the information needed to do so.

Section 9

Cancellations, lateness, and weather

I need at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule; with that notice there is no charge. A session cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, or missed, is billed at the full rate. I make exceptions for unavoidable circumstances such as a T8 typhoon, sudden illness or injury, provided you tell me as soon as you can. Where possible I will offer to hold the session online instead. If you arrive late the session still ends at the scheduled time and is charged in full. If I need to cancel, there is no charge and I will offer the next available time. If a typhoon signal 8 or higher, or a black rainstorm warning, is in force at the time of your session, it is never charged: we reschedule at no fee or hold it online if you prefer. I charge for late cancellations because a clear and consistent policy is what keeps regular times available for everyone.

Section 10

Emergencies and contact between sessions

I am not an emergency service and I am not available around the clock. Email and WhatsApp are for scheduling and brief practical matters; I reply during working hours, usually within 2 working days, and I do not monitor messages in the evening or at weekends. Please do not use them for urgent clinical concerns. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest Accident and Emergency department. If you need to talk to someone urgently at any hour:

• Emergency services (police, ambulance): 999 (24 hours)
• The Samaritans Hong Kong: 2896 0000 (24 hours, English, Cantonese, Mandarin and other languages)
• Suicide Prevention Services: 2382 0000 (24 hours, Cantonese; youth line 2382 0777)
• The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong: 2389 2222 (24 hours, Cantonese and English)
• Hospital Authority Mental Health Direct: 2466 7350 (24 hours)
• Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre: 18288 (24 hours)
• OpenUp (young people): WhatsApp 9101 2012 (24 hours, text-based)
• If you are outside Hong Kong during an online session, use your local emergency number. I ask for an emergency contact at intake and will only use it in the situations described in section 6.

Section 11

Online sessions and technology

Online sessions are held over Zoom, an encrypted video service. Please join from a private place where you will not be overheard or interrupted, and tell me at the start where you are. Sessions may not be recorded by either of us without the other's written agreement. If the connection fails, you may call me on the mobile number in the confirmation email to continue by phone or reschedule the remaining time. If I think in-person sessions or a local service would serve you better, I will say so. If you are outside Hong Kong for more than a short period, please tell me as I may need to refer you locally. I use ProtonMail, which is advertised as secure. However, no Email is fully secure; therefore I use it for logistics and receipts and share clinical documents by email only with your agreement. I do not connect with clients on social media.

Section 12

Responsibilities, complaints, and the law

I undertake to provide services with reasonable professional care and skill, in line with Hong Kong law. Your role is to take part as fully as you can, to tell me about anything that affects your safety or care, including other providers, treatments, and medications, and to say if something is not working. Dr Rick Smith Ltd. is not responsible for the services of other professionals to whom you are referred, or for outcomes that follow from information withheld from me or from decisions you make outside our work. Nothing in this agreement limits or excludes any liability for negligence, or any right you have under Hong Kong law. If you are unhappy with any aspect of my service, please tell me so we can try to resolve it. This agreement is governed by Hong Kong law. If I make a material change I will give you a copy and ask you to reconfirm.