Terms & Conditions / Working Agreement

 

Last updated: 31 October 2025

 

Please take time to read this page carefully before booking.

 

By booking a session with Olive Tree Therapies, you agree to these Terms & Conditions and the Privacy Policy. You also agree to attend the appointment you have scheduled.

 

Olive Tree Therapies is owned and operated by André.

 

1. Booking Appointments

 

Appointments must be booked via the website. I don’t take bookings via text, email or phone as managing appointments this way creates unnecessary administrative work. If you have difficulty accessing the internet or booking online, I’m happy to assist you.

 

Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive an email confirmation and a reminder 24 hours before your session. If you cannot find these emails, please check your spam folder and add my email to your contacts.

 

If you selected the SMS option at checkout, you’ll also get a text reminder 24 hours before your appointment.

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2. Consultation Forms

 

First-time clients must complete a consultation form before treatment. If this isn’t done in advance, you’ll need to complete it during your booked session time.

 

A new form is required every 6 months to keep your medical details up to date.

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3. The Client’s Role in the Process

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My practice is built on mutual respect, professionalism and care. To help sessions run smoothly and safely, please note the following responsibilities:

 

• Complete your consultation form before arrival. A new form is required every 6 months to keep your information up to date

• Arrive on time, no more than 5 minutes before your appointment start time, as there is no waiting room

• You are responsible for how you use your appointment time, including how much talking you wish to do before or after the touch therapy session

• Let me know as soon as possible if anything about your health or comfort changes that may affect treatment

• Be mindful of boundaries and communication, both verbal and non-verbal, during sessions

 

These agreements support a safe, grounded and ethical working relationship.

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4. Payment & Session Fees

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• Payment is preferred by bank transfer before attending the session

• Cash payment on the day is possible by prior agreement

• Advance payment helps ensure your session time is reserved and prevents delays or the need to chase payment after the appointment

• Session fees are reviewed periodically and may be adjusted from time to time. Any changes will always be communicated clearly at least one month in advance

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5. Cancellations and Late Arrivals

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If you need to cancel, please contact me as soon as possible by WhatsApp text or email, as I often can’t answer phone calls and don’t regularly monitor Instagram messages.

 

• Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice and no-shows will be charged the full session fee

• Exceptions for late cancellations due to illness, weather or unforeseen circumstances cannot be made as this time has already been allocated to you

• If you have a long-term or fluctuating medical condition that makes attendance unpredictable, we can agree on flexibility, but this must be discussed and agreed in advance

• An invoice will be sent for any missed appointment and is due within 24 hours of receipt

• Payment for any missed sessions must be received before new appointments can be booked

 

Please arrive 5 to 7 minutes early so your session can begin on time. If you arrive late, I may not be able to extend your appointment. Chaperones may wait at Leith Library nearby as there is no waiting room.

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6. Refund

 

• If you have prepaid for a session and cancel with more than 24 hours’ notice, you are entitled to a full refund

• No refunds are available for cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice

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7. Packages and Gift Cards

 

• Must be used within 365 days of purchase

• Non-transferable and non-refundable

• Appointments are first come, first served, so please plan ahead to secure regular sessions

 

8. Complaints

 

As a member of the Scottish Massage Therapists Organisation (SMTO), you can make a complaint through their formal process. Find their policy and complaint form here.

 

9. Confidentiality and Safeguarding

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All records and client information are kept strictly confidential and handled in line with GDPR.

 

• Information is only shared with your written consent or where legally required, for example if your safety or someone else’s is at serious risk

• For somatic trauma therapy clients, I discuss sessions anonymously with a clinical supervisor to maintain high standards of care

• Records are securely stored and kept for 7 years after your final appointment

• In exceptional circumstances confidentiality may be broken in accordance with adult and child safeguarding legislation

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10. Code of Conduct & Practice Standards

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I adhere to the Scottish Massage Therapists Organisation’s Practice Standards and Code of Conduct.

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11. Health and Safety

 

• I hold up-to-date First Aid certification and professional and public liability insurance

• I maintain high personal hygiene standards, and clients are asked to do the same

• If either of us is unwell or has a contagious condition, the session should be rescheduled. In certain situations, appropriate ventilation during treatment, PPE and HEPA filtration may allow the session to go ahead

 

If you are unwell, please contact me as early as possible. Cancellation fees may still apply depending on notice given.

 

I cannot accept responsibility for lost or damaged personal belongings while on the premises.

 

12. Disclaimer

 

My treatments, including massage, somatic trauma therapy, Ayurveda, Reiki and Yoga, are complementary and not a substitute for medical advice. I do not diagnose or prescribe.

 

You are responsible for sharing accurate health and medication information, and for updating me on any changes to your condition.

 

I reserve the right to refuse or stop treatment if:

 

• You are unfit for treatment

• It would be unsafe to continue

• You are physically or verbally abusive or behave inappropriately

 

Unacceptable behaviour may lead to a permanent ban and, in serious cases, legal action.

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13a. Professional Boundaries Statement (for all clients)

 

This professional boundaries statement provides you and me with guidance and rules for the duration of our work together. It applies for both touch therapies and/or somatic trauma therapy. Boundaries are not barriers, they are meant to help you and me maintain a professional, confidential and ethical relationship. They also allow for safe and authentic therapeutic work towards your therapeutic goals.

 

If you know of any shared social spaces between you and me, physical or virtual, please raise them during our sessions. The sheer fact of inhabiting overlapping social spaces, shared communities, volunteering, community participation, or shared personal relationships, does not necessarily prevent us from having a therapeutic relationship. There are many ways in which therapists maintain professional boundaries while having multiple relationships with clients, as long as those are within the boundaries of the code of ethical conduct of the governing body for my therapy work. However, not disclosing knowledge about shared social spaces may become a challenge to our relationship and inadvertently negatively affect our work together. I commit to addressing any potential overlaps in our social spaces if I become aware of them. I also commit to openly addressing any conflict of interest I might identify during our therapy process. Please address any potential shared places you might be aware of during our therapy session.

 

The dynamic, complex and changeable use of social media means that a finite set of rules cannot meet professional safety in social media. What is required is a therapeutic approach, a way of thinking and reflecting on the impact of social media. In my practice, I will not knowingly connect with my clients outside of our agreed communication channels, typically email, Instagram direct message, telephone or text message as you prefer. If I am providing you with additional information relating to digital spaces, websites, apps or social media accounts, I commit to providing you with professional content relating to our therapeutic work only. I will not knowingly connect with you outside of these boundaries, including Twitter, Facebook, recreational networking apps, or dating apps such as Tindr or Grindr. In return, I expect that you do not attempt to connect with me outside of our agreed communication channels unless we have explicitly discussed this in our sessions and have worked through our shared understanding of the impact and indication for any exemptions. Should either of us unknowingly and unintentionally realise that these rules were not followed, it is of utmost importance that we discuss and find ways of resolving any such situation.

 

Please bring any questions or thoughts you might have about this professional boundaries statement to our next session. Additional boundary agreements can be put in place to ensure boundaries are maintained in more specific settings, but this would be discussed together as and when the need for it arises.

 

13b. Professional Boundaries Statement (additional for somatic trauma therapy clients only)

 

Sometimes you and I might have social connections other than through our therapy work, often referred to as multiple relationships. Those multiple relationships are a common reality for practitioners working with the LGBTQI+ community as well as more widely in other smaller communities and can involve social and digital spaces. If the potential for multiple relationships exists between you and me, it is important that we openly address those as part of the therapeutic process. It also provides you with a choice and allows you to reflect critically on whether you feel comfortable working with me or not. At the same time, it also allows me to openly discuss with you if I have any concerns that might limit our ability to work together. In such a situation, we would discuss alternative ways of interacting with each other that would make therapy more permissible, or we could consider alternative treatment options, where possible I would signpost you to alternative services.

 

If we see each other out and about or while going about our lives, I would not acknowledge you should I see you in order to respect the confidential nature of our work. Still, you are welcome to acknowledge me, a nod, a smile, or hello if you wish, and I will respond in kind. Of course, you can choose not to acknowledge me, which is fine. And if we are still in therapy together, as part of my commitment to the boundary of our therapeutic relationship, I would like to invite a reflection of the sighting of each other after the event in the next session so that we can process anything that may have come up for you. Should we no longer be in therapy together, obviously I cannot check in with you, but we can review this at the end of our treatment together.

 

In the interest of maintaining best practice in terms of our therapeutic relationship, I will not be able to enter into a social relationship with clients with whom I am doing somatic trauma therapy work. However, as stated above, this does not mean we may not come across each other in the course of daily life. If we do so, the above boundaries statement still applies.​​

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13.c Relationships with Clients

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Therapeutic and touch-based work can create a sense of closeness and trust. To maintain a safe and professional environment, I do not enter into personal, social, or romantic relationships with current clients.

 

If a personal connection develops outside of sessions, treatments will need to end to prevent any conflict of roles. Where a friendship or other personal relationship is considered in future, at least one year must have passed since the last appointment.

 

For clients receiving somatic or trauma-focused work, I will make an individual assessment in consultation with my supervisor about whether a personal relationship would ever be appropriate. In most cases, due to the depth and nature of the work, it may never be suitable.

 

These boundaries are in line with the ethical guidance of the Scottish Massage Therapists Organisation (SMTO) and other professional industry standards, including CNHC and FHT. They are in place to ensure that your sessions remain a safe, supportive, and professional space focused on your wellbeing.

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14. Appointment Frequency & Your Role in the Process (somatic clients only)

 

We will meet with a frequency that suits you, although a minimum of once per month is the standard expectation. If you would like to have a break from therapy, please inform me of your plans so I am aware of this.  If you do not book an appointment within 1 month of your last appointment, and we have not agreed to have a break from therapeutic work, I will assume you no longer want to continue the sessions and may give your slot to another client as I have a limited number of slots for somatic therapy work.

 

You are responsible to book your own appointments via www.olivetreetherapies.com/book. Due to the fact my schedule can get booked up fast, I recommend that you always try to book a few sessions in advance. If you try to book a session and there isn’t a slot available, then please get in touch with me via email (olivetreetherapies@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (+447497142632) and I will attempt to fit you in as soon as possible.

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15. Waiting List

 

There is no waiting list for touch therapy appointments. Last-minute cancellations are shared on my Instagram stories, and clients are welcome to message me on WhatsApp if they would like to be notified of any short-notice availability. 

 

For somatic therapy appointments, I do operate a first come first served waiting list. If you would like to join it, please email olivetreetherapies@gmail.com with your full name, preferred session times and how regularly you would like to attend. When a space becomes available, the next person on the list will be contacted and will have 4 days to reply and accept the spot before it is offered to someone else.

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16. Contact

 

Olive Tree Therapies

20/2 North Junction Street

Edinburgh EH6 6HN

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Last updated: 31 October 2025

Prior updates: 20 July 2025 . 31 March 2025 . 30 September 2024 · 4 July 2024 · 8 April 2024 · 31 October 2023​