Administration

Funding for your Hypnotherapy treatment

Funding For Your Hypnotherapy Treatment

A question that I am often asked is whether there is funding available for your hypnotherapy treatment through the NHS. Even though some hypnotherapists are registered NHS providers, currently hypnotherapy is not usually available through the NHS.

If you were to ask your general practitioner to recommend a hypnotherapist, they may suggest using a hypnotherapist approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, a body accountable to Parliament to regulate standards of professional practice. Hypnotherapists who are registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council are recognised by the Professional Standards Authority as meeting the UK standards of patient safety and service quality. So you will get a recommendation from your general practitioner but funding your hypnotherapy treatment will still need to be paid by you.

If you are seeking general therapy in Cardiff (but not hypnotherapy) from your general practitioner, they are likely to place you on a waiting list. You may be seen by the Primary Mental Health Support Service, administrated by the Cardiff and Vale Action for Mental Health. If you are under 18 years of age, you will be placed on a waiting list and be referred to the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service). In some cases you may be able to refer yourself to the above – chat to your GP for further advice.

 

Funding for your hypnotherapy treatment using Private Health Cash Plans

Funding for your Hypnotherapy treatment
You can get funding for your hypnotherapy treatment using Private Health Cash Plans

There are a growing number of health insurance companies offering private health cash plans that will reimburse part or all of the costs of hypnotherapy treatments not funded by the NHS, or by private health insurance policies. These private health cash plans can be funded by your employer or purchased individually by you for yourself and members of your family. Each company offering private health cash plans will have varying levels of coverage for which they will reimburse your costs over an annual period.

The following Private Health Cash Plan providers recognise hypnotherapists registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, of which I am a registered member (please click the link in the website footer).

(Disclaimer – the following listed health cash plan provider companies are correct at the time of writing this article, summarised from the CNHC, last updated July 2019. These companies may change their policies without notice to the public or to the CNHC. Please contact the individual company to verify that the condition in which you are claiming reimbursement is accepted prior to starting your hypnotherapy treatment. No refunds for your hypnotherapy treatment will be given where there are any disputes about reimbursement between you and your health cash plan provider company).
  • Medicash – provide health cash plans for individuals and businesses, covering 50% of your treatment costs up to a set limit per year, depending on the health cash plan.
  • The Health Insurance Group – a broker that will find the best health cash plan for you or your business.
  • Pure Benefits – provide corporate health cash plans through Medicash (https://www.purebenefits.co.uk/product/health-cash-plan/ - Password needed to enter site).
  • Westfield Health – provide reimbursement for a limited number of corporate health cash plans.
  • Health Shield – provide reimbursement on specified corporate paid plans.
  • Elect – working with Health Shield, Elect provide reimbursement for hypnotherapy on their health cash plans.
  • Paycare – provide reimbursement for hypnotherapy on all of their health cash plans, up to an annual limit of £150 depending on the level of coverage.
  • Other health cash plan companies – there are other companies that list hypnotherapy as a treatment available for reimbursement on their health cash plans e.g. SMP Healthcare. Other companies may not list hypnotherapy as a therapy available for reimbursement, but may consider it on a case by case basis when an application is made. To be eligible for reimbursement for hypnotherapy, your condition must usually be at an acute stage and referred by your GP or company medical representative.

 

Funding for your hypnotherapy treatment: what conditions can be treated?

Funding for your hypnotherapy treatment may be available for your condition
Check with your private health cash plan company if they will accept hypnotherapy to treat your condition

As mentioned above, a referral from your GP or company medical representative will usually ensure that your hypnotherapy treatment is considered medically necessary and eligible for reimbursement. A diagnosis would usually indicate that you are suffering from stress, anxiety or depression in some way and it is affecting your personal quality of life and/or ability to work.

Some of the conditions that I have previously treated include anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety following an accident, panic attacks, smoking cessation, anger management, relationship issues and substance abuse (addictions). But other conditions may be accepted depending on the strong case that you make for your treatment with your GP and health cash plan company.

Your GP’s approval will be easier if they know that your hypnotherapist is a member of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

 

Funding for your hypnotherapy treatment: procedure

Make your application and receive your formal notification that part or all of your hypnotherapy treatment can be reimbursed through your health cash plan. Then contact me using the Contact Form stating that part or all of your treatment is eligible for reimbursement.

A formal receipt including any of your reference numbers can be given at the end of each consultation or at the end of your hypnotherapy course of treatment. Please specify if you would like a paper copy or email copy of your receipt.

You would send each receipt to your health cash plan company and they would reimburse the cost up to a certain amount within an annual period. Processing time of each receipt can vary between each health cash plan company.

 

For more information about funding for your hypnotherapy treatment using private health cash plans contact Richard J D’Souza Hypnotherapy Cardiff.

 

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Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice describes how we collect, use, share, retain and safeguard personal data. It explains your individual rights that in summary include your right to know what data is held about you, how this data is processed and how you can place restrictions on the use of your data.  

What is personal data?

Personal data is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. Examples include an individual’s name, age, and address, date of birth, gender and contact details. Personal data may contain information which is known as special categories of personal data. This may be information relating to and not limited to, an individual’s health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic and biometric data, or data relating to sexual orientation. Personal data may also contain data relating to criminal convictions and offences. For the purposes of safeguarding and processing criminal conviction and offence data responsibly, this data is treated in the same manner as special categories of personal data, where we are legally required to comply with specific data processing requirements.  

Personal data we collect

In order for us to provide and administer hypnotherapy treatments for you, we will collect and process personal data about you. We will also collect your personal data where you request information about our services, customer events, promotions and campaigns. You may provide us with personal data when completing the Contact Form and emails, when you contact us via the telephone (and text), through other websites linked to our services, when writing to us directly or where we provide you with paper based forms for completion or we complete a treatment form in conjunction with you during your hypnotherapy consultation. We will share personal data with authorised third parties only where we are required to do so by law. We will collect your personal data when you visit our website, where we will collect your unique online electronic identifier; this is commonly known as an IP address. Where we collect data directly from you, we are considered to be the controller of that data i.e. we are the data controller.
  • A data ‘controller’ means the individual or organisation which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
  • A data ‘processor’ means the individual or organisation which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
As a provider of your hypnotherapy treatment, we will process the following categories of data:
  • Personal data such as an individual’s name, address, date of birth, gender, contact details.
  • Relevant medical history.
  • Background information related to your hypnotherapy treatment.
If you object to the collection, sharing and use of your personal data we may be unable to provide you with a hypnotherapy treatment. For the purposes of meeting the Data Protection Act 2018 territorial scope requirements, the United Kingdom is identified as the named territory where the processing of personal data takes place. If you require more information about our data handling processes or further details on how we collect personal data and with whom we share data with, please contact Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  

Why do we need your personal data?

We use your personal data for the purposes of conducting your hypnotherapy treatment, and to respond to any requests from you about services we provide. We will also use your personal data to perform statistical analysis on the data we collect, for financial planning and business forecasting purposes and to help develop new and market existing products and services. By contacting us, you should understand that you are forming a contract with us and we consider ourselves as having a legitimate business interest to provide you with further information about our products and services. You may request to be withdrawn from all such marketing activities at any time. Please contact Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  

Data retention

  • We will retain your data for a period of 10 years. Your data is then destroyed.
  • Where you or law enforcement agencies inform us about any active investigation or potential criminal prosecution, we will comply with legal requirements when retaining this data.
The retention of data is necessary where required for contractual, legal or regulatory purposes or for our legitimate business interests, for statistical analysis (profiling) and product development and marketing purposes. Sometimes we may need to retain your data for longer, for example if we are supporting you or defending ourselves in a legal dispute or as required by law or where evidence exists that a future complaint may occur. Please contact Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  if you object to the use of, or you have any questions relating to the use of, your data, the retention of your personal data. You can opt out of receiving marketing services by e-mailing Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  

Your rights

Individuals are provided with legal rights governing the use of their personal data. These grant individuals the right to understand what personal data relating to them is held, for what purpose, how it is collected and used, with whom it is shared, where it is located, to object to its processing, to have the data corrected if inaccurate, to take copies of the data and to place restrictions on its processing. Individuals can also request the deletion of their personal data. These rights are known as Individual Rights under the Data Protection Act 2018. The following list details these rights:
  • The right to be informed about the personal data being processed
  • The right of access to your personal data
  • The right to object to the processing of your personal data
  • The right to restrict the processing of your personal data
  • The right to rectification of your personal data
  • The right to erasure of your personal data;
  • The right to data portability (to receive an electronic copy of your personal data)
  Rights relating to automated decision making including profiling Individuals can exercise their Individual Rights at any time. As mandated by law we will not charge a fee to process these requests, however if your request is considered to be repetitive, wholly unfounded and/or excessive, we are entitled to charge a reasonable administration fee. In exercising your Individual Rights, you should understand that in some situations we may be unable to fully meet your request, for example if you make a request for us to delete all your personal data, we may be required to retain some data for prevention of crime and for regulatory and other statutory purposes. You should understand that when exercising your rights, a substantial public or vital interest may take precedence over any request you make. In addition, where these interests apply, we are required by law to grant access to this data for law enforcement, legal and/or health related matters. If you require further information on your Individual Rights or you wish to exercise your Individual Rights, please contact Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  

Protecting your data

We will take all appropriate technical and organisational steps to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of your data, including when sharing your data with authorised third parties.  

Data Privacy Representative

To ensure data privacy and protection has appropriate focus within our organisation we have a Data Privacy Representative. Currently this Data Privacy Representative is Richard J D’Souza. The Data Privacy Representative may be contacted by email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk  

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the way in which we process your personal data please contact our Data Privacy Representative. You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO may be contacted via its website which is https://ico.org.uk/concerns/, by live chat or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.  

How to contact us

If you have any questions regarding this Notice, the use of your data and your Individual Rights please contact our Data Privacy Representative: Richard J D’Souza, email: info@clinicalhypnotherapy-cardiff.co.uk, or by telephoning 07738 938197, or by writing to Richard J D’Souza at the current practice address advertised in the Contact Details page of this website.
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Temporary location during refurbishment closure

Temporary location during refurbishment closure and Covid-19 information

The Therapy Centre is now closed for its extended refurbishment program. Reopening dates will be posted later in the year. The good news is that you can access your hypnotherapy treatment at Optimal Chiropractic & Wellness Centre in the meantime.  

Where is Optimal Chiropractic Clinic?

Optimal Chiropractic
Optimal Chiropractic, 44 Whitchurch Road, Gabalfa, Cardiff, CF14 3UQ.
Full address: 44 Whitchurch Road, Gabalfa, Cardiff, CF14 3UQ. Optimal Chiropractic is approximately 1.3 miles from The Therapy Centre when you drive up City Road and then through Cathays Terrace. The practice can be found on the right halfway between Sainsbury’s and The Heath pub. The practice building is on the corner of Whitchurch Road and Allensbank Crescent, opposite the Army Barracks.  

Parking

There is free unlimited roadside parking on Whitchurch Road between Talygarn Street and Optimal Chiropractic.  Some free parking can also be found in the side streets of Allensbank Crescent, Talygarn Street, and Manor Street. Free limited (1 hour) parking can be found on Whitchurch Road between Optimal Chiropractic and The Heath pub. More limited (1 hour) parking can be found further towards Sainsbury’s. There is also (2 hour) limited parking in Allensbank Crescent.  
   

Entering Optimal Chiropractic for your hypnotherapy appointment

Your hypnotherapy appointment may take place (1) during the Chiropractic Clinic opening hours or (2) when the Chiropractic Clinic is closed to chiropractic patients. 1. During Optimal Chiropractic opening hours Optimal Chiropractic has the following opening hours:
  • Monday 3pm – 8pm      
  • Tuesday 8am – 1pm 
  • Wednesday 3pm – 8pm
  • Thursday 8am – 1pm, 2pm- 6pm     
  • Friday 8am – 1pm
Enter the building from the main entrance on Whitchurch Road. You will be greeted by the Optimal Chiropractic receptionist who will ask you to wait in the reception area or direct you to the 1st floor waiting area. My treatment room is room 3 on 1st floor, accessible using stairs. Text me when you arrive. I’ll call you at your appointment time. Text me on 07738 938197 if you have any problems on the day. If your mobile phone is not functional or you do not receive a text back from me, then please wait outside the clinic main entrance at your appointment time. I will come down to the reception to greet you.   2. Outside of Optimal Chiropractic opening hours The practice is secured when the Optimal Chiropractic receptionist is not available. When I have finished with my previous client, I can personally let you in to the practice for your consultation, usually up to 5 minutes before your appointment time. Send me a text when you have parked your car or if you have walked to the practice, so that I know that you are nearby. I will reply as soon as I am available to allow you entrance into the practice. Enter the building from the main entrance on Whitchurch Road. My treatment room is on 1st floor and is accessible using stairs. Text me on 07738 938197 if you have any problems on the day. If your phone is not functional or you do not receive a text back from me, then please wait outside the clinic main entrance at your appointment time. I will come down to reception at your appointment time anyway if I have not had an arrival text from you.    

Clients with health issues

If you have any health issues and would like me to wear a face covering (mask), then please let me know in advance of booking your appointment. If you have any further health concerns about face to face treatment, I offer the very effective treatment option of online hypnotherapy by video call.  

Toilets

Toilets can be accessed on 1st floor towards the back of the building.  
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Deposit needed

Why is a deposit needed to confirm a booking?

So you want to make a booking, but the thought of paying a deposit is putting you off! Well, there are many good reasons to request a deposit when you are ready to make an appointment. Please read on...

What can happen between the time of making a booking and attending the first appointment?

• There’s a high DNA (Did Not Attend) rate

Did you know that the ‘Did Not Attend’ rate for missed NHS appointments is nearly 10%? This costs the NHS £162 million per year! This is a staggering number of patients who will make an appointment and then decide not to show up. Ok, I’m not the NHS, but I’m sure you can appreciate that “no shows” do impact on any business.

If you are an employee, that would be the equivalent of your boss randomly turning you away from your workplace one in every ten days. And no, you wouldn’t get paid for that lost day.

How long has your issue been on your “to-do” list? Hmm, for several months! Well, you are not alone...

• Some patients struggle to be decisive

Many anxiety-related conditions have avoidance as a feature of the condition e.g. phobias, social anxiety and addictions. You will wait until your fear is debilitating you before you proactively deal with it.

Most of you will appreciate that the avoidance of dealing with something just makes the situation worse in your mind. As the event looms closer, the anticipatory anxiety increases. This further influences you to run away from resolving the situation unless you have good reason to follow through.

Without a strong motive to attend your appointment, you could be slave to this obstructive feature of anticipatory anxiety. Although you will have had good intentions at the time of booking, the anxiety/fear takes over and you struggle to show up on the day of your appointment. You don’t set out to deceive anyone, but the emotional volatility of your condition can render you helpless.

You are then too embarrassed and ashamed to deal with the booking and may not communicate your cancellation. In the long term, your therapy is delayed and indeed your condition can deteriorate as a result. Not to mention that the therapist has also lost their appointment space!

So, are you serious about your having your condition treated?

• A deposit commits you to the therapy process

Many clients who are unsure about whether to have a treatment or not are often swayed by the ‘moment’; the therapist has “sold” their treatment to you in your initial enquiry. But once you hang-up the phone, you are still dominated by apathy.

A financial payment is a true indication of your commitment to your goal. It shows that you have made your decision to pursue your goal and are prepared (within reason) to do what it takes to achieve it.

This is an essential ingredient for any effective therapy and creates the inertia to start looking past your own (emotional) obstacles. It means that you are no longer prepared to procrastinate.

How does a “no show” affect my business?

• I’m self-employed

Being self employed and having a client not show up is preventing me from earning my living. I can only treat one client at a time, so if a client does not attend their appointment, I have lost the revenue for that appointment space.

A ‘no show’ effectively means that I also lose nearly 20 minutes chasing up my ‘lost’ client before finally accepting that they are not attending. There is no opportunity to fill that hour lost at such short notice.

I have created a 24 hours notice cancellation policy for any changes in appointment times. This gives me a reasonable opportunity to allocate another patient into that ‘lost one hour appointment space’.

• I rent the treatment room

Unlike some therapists who work from home, I rent a treatment room in an established therapy centre. When a client does not attend, not only am I unable to earn my living, but it costs me rent for that lost appointment space. Using the scenario (above) of your boss turning you away from your work without pay every ten days, it also means that you would lose your travelling expenses and have a wasted part of your day at your ‘leisure’ to fill at short notice.

So what helps you to trust that this is a professional hypnotherapy service?

• You can discuss your issues before booking

There are many stages to build up your confidence that this is a professional service. You can contact me:

By email to have your enquiry and the booking stages validated in writing,
By phone to discuss your condition and for me to consider your suitability for treatment
• If this has not resolved your doubts about the treatment, you can meet me as part of a free ten minute initial consultation. No treatment will be given during that initial meeting.

• The hypnotherapy practice is very well established

I have been practising professional hypnotherapy since 1997. I am a registered practitioner with the following associations who will confirm that I am qualified, insured and DBS (formerly CRB) checked. Registration with these associations means that I am bound by a strict code of professional conduct and ethics:

The General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)

The International Hypnotherapy Association (IHA)

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)

The Therapy Centre (as a premises) was established in 1995 and continues to offer the local community orthodox and complementary professional therapies.

• PayPal is very secure

registered hypnotherapy practitioner in Cardiff
As a customer, you are protected with PayPal

The reason that I have chosen PayPal as a payment method is because security is excellent. PayPal help to arbitrate any disputes should a situation arise that requires a third party.

My terms and conditions (T & C’s) can be found here. Your acceptance of these T & C’s is required when making a booking. The main term is a 24 hours notice requirement for any changes in your appointment. If you wish to cancel with more than 24 hours notice, you can have a refund (minus PayPal transaction fees) or rebook using the same deposit.

Are these T & C’s are too restrictive?

If you are in a situation that finds these terms and conditions unhelpful, then please contact me. I will attempt to make any reasonable changes to the booking system that will suit your lifestyle.

How effective is the appointment confirmation process?

Since the implementation of a deposit confirmation, I have noticed a reduction in my “Did Not Attend” rate. As my prospective patient, I believe that you start your treatment with a more focused commitment to achieve your therapeutic goal.

For more information on booking a hypnotherapy appointment contact Richard J D'Souza Hypnotherapy Cardiff

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Hypnotherapy Home Visits

Hypnotherapy Home visits in Cardiff

Hypnotherapy home visits

If you are unable to travel to The Therapy Centre in Roath, Cardiff, then enquire about Hypnotherapy home visits in Cardiff and the surrounding districts. There are certain situations that can prevent you from visiting the hypnotherapy practice: Physical mobility issues – Any physiological conditions that make travelling a problem for you e.g. arthritis, M.E. or pain issues. Treatment conditions – Any treatment conditions that cause anxiety or stress when you leave your
Hypnotherapy home visits
Hypnotherapy home visits: If you can't travel to me, I may be able to travel to you
home e.g. certain phobias or panic attacks. Preference – Maybe you would prefer to be treated at home for a number of different reasons.   My therapy room at The Therapy Centre is on the 1st floor and so your ability to climb stairs is required. (If you wish to visit the practice and find stairs difficult, a ground floor treatment can be arranged in advance).  

Hypnotherapy home visits: Costs

There are additional charges for hypnotherapy home visits. These are estimated according to the journey times:
  • £10 minimum journey fee is for a journey up to 10 minutes away.
  • £40 can be charged for a journey up to 45 minutes away for the surrounding districts.
An estimate is usually made prior to the first consultation and the travelling fee is then set for follow-up consultations. Please note that whilst travelling includes petrol costs, the majority of the travelling fee takes into account the total travelling time i.e. for the outward and return journey back to the clinic. Thus a 20 minute outward journey requires an extra hour being allocated in my diary to allow for potential traffic delays.  

Hypnotherapy home visits: Payment

Payment is by cash/cheque. PayPal payment can also be made via my website in advance. Since hypnotherapy home visits require extra time being allocated in my diary, I require a deposit in advance of the next consultation.  

Hypnotherapy home visits: Arrangements for the home treatment

Ideally a quiet, private area in your home would be suitable, but is not essential.  As with the Therapy Centre, there are traffic noises and other noises within the building. Your home will have its own house sounds e.g. home telephone. If these sounds are anticipated, they don’t normally cause too much of a distraction to the consultation. Your comfort: At the hypnotherapy practice, I use a reclining chair. This isn’t always necessary. You being able to sit in a comfortable chair with your head supported would be preferable. This is obviously dependent on the furniture that you have at home. Some patients like to lie down on their settee. My comfort: I prefer to use an upright chair e.g. kitchen or dining room chair, positioned fairly close to you and facing you to conduct the consultation.

 

For further information on hypnotherapy home visits, contact Hypnotherapy Cardiff

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