Karen Harris Posture, Health and Fitness.
Terms of Engagement & Consent Form.
By making an appointment, you are agreeing to the terms below

3 Step Initial Intake – 3 Appointments.

 You will book in for 3 appointments, spanning the course of 4-6 weeks. This is to ensure the most effective start to the process possible.

The first appointment is ‘Discovery’ where we discuss your symptoms, take posture photos, manage expectations, and after seeing how you move and stand, I set you 3 exercises to get your body used to the routine of exercising daily and start the alignment process. You will have 24/7 access to video instructions, diagrams and written instructions for each exercise, and full support from me should you need it. This appointment may take 1-1.5hrs. The next appointment will be booked for 10-14 days later.

Step 2 is ‘Movement’ where we revise your progress, further explore exercises that will become your bespoke ‘menu’ of exercises, to complete in your own time, and continue to set the building blocks for a more aligned, balanced body. Again, you will have my full support and access to video instructions, diagrams and written instructions for each exercise. This may take 1-1.5hrs

Step 3 of the intake (7-14 days later) is a 1hr ‘Evaluation’. In this appointment, we will check how you’re doing, discuss changes, see if your ‘menu’ needs tweaking, and make sure you are performing the exercises correctly.
The cost for this 3 step intake is £180, which is payable on the first appointment in cash. Two cash payments can be made of £95 each, the first on the first appointment, the 2nd on step 2

After this initial 3 step process, you can then book 30 min ‘check-in’ appointments (£30) which are similar to step 3, or 1-1.5hr appointments (£60) for whenever you feel like your progress is plateauing, which will happen as your postural alignment changes, your body gets stronger and you get used to the exercises.

Most people have an appointment every 4-6 weeks for a while and then the time in-between appointments generally becomes longer as you become more confident and pain free

The initial 3 sessions are an introduction. This is the start of a process of change to get you functional and out of pain. Three sessions may, or may not, get rid of years of pain caused by dysfunctional movement problems

Practitioner and Postural Alignment Therapy.

I am a Posture/Body Alignment Specialist certified with The Egoscue Institute and have been practicing for 16 years, a Barefoot Training Specialist certified by EBFA, and a Fitness Trainer of 30 years. I do not have a medical background

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Postural Alignment Therapy uses corrective exercises to improve the function of the muscles in the body, to improve the position of the joints and to restore the body’s natural balance and strength. Whilst many symptoms and conditions will be eliminated through this process, I do not treat them. Your symptoms/conditions lessen over time due to increasing levels of balance and function within the body, but I will not be specifically treating your pain, the reduction of pain is a by-product of improved function.

The amount of appointments you will ‘need’ is not something I can pre-determine. The levels of muscular dysfunction in your body, how immobile/mobile you currently are, and, crucially, how much work you are willing to put in and how much you communicate with me, will all impact the process hugely.
Your body is ‘ready’ when you have restored full range of movement and have gained the importance of maintaining a movement regime. You can become pain free and still move extremely poorly. At some point, poor movement patterns will lead you back to pain again.

Please do not have any expectations that 3 appointments will ‘cure’ you. Whilst it will most certainly help you understand more clearly what is going on with your body, long term movement patterns will not be permanently changed after 3 appointments.

Client Responsibilities
You are responsible for making a commitment to yourself to change. You will need to implement your exercise plan into your daily routine. This can take as little as 20 minutes. (I will ask what you can manage to commit to.) This process only works if you do!

With my help, you will fix yourself through the daily exercise programmes, changing habits that contribute negatively to your body, and asking for help if something feels wrong. I am here to guide and support you along the path to better movement habits and becoming pain-free. This support is an extremely important component of this process, if there is something that doesn’t feel right it is easy to modify your ‘menu.’ By communicating, and doing this together, it is much more beneficial.

The principles of ‘The Egoscue Method’ work for people that want to empower themselves to make themselves better. They don’t want to rely on massages, chiropractic, osteopathy, surgery or painkillers forever. They want to take matters into their own hands and not be reliant on others.

Once you start moving differently, you will need to maintain some form of functional movement routine for the rest of your life. This doesn’t mean you need to have appointments for the rest of your life – just that you will need to keep moving for the rest of your life! I offer group classes which are lower cost alternatives to personal appointments where you can keep finding new ways to move well. These may be an option for you going forward.

You must accept total responsibility to work within the limits of your body. Posture Alignment Therapy is a hands-off therapy where you are remotely guided through movements. For this reason, it is down to you to tell me immediately if anything causes you aggravated levels of tension. I can easily amend the exercises I give you. If you do not tell me you feel worse, and grit your teeth and fight through increased levels of pain/tension, you will have an exercise menu that is unsuitable for you.
I won’t be held responsible for causing you pain - you are in charge of moving your body, working within your limits and informing me of any concerns you have.
If appropriate, please advise your GP/Specialist of the Postural Alignment protocol you will be following. If you are unclear about any part of your plan, then you should always ask for clarification. Please report any concerns to me as soon as possible.

Payment
Payment details for the intake are as above. Further appointment payments can be made by cash or bank transfer. I do not take cards.

Cancellation Policy
24 hrs notice is required if you wish to cancel an appointment.
For missed appointments, or late cancellations, the full fee is payable, if the appointment is rebooked within 7 days only a 50% charge is applied. 

Maintaining ‘Current Client’ Status
Once you have had your initial 3 sessions, you will need to have at least one appointment every 9 months to maintain “Current Client” status. If more than 12 months have lapsed between appointments, you are re-categorised as a “New Client” and will go through the initial 3-step process again. You will not be able to buy an ad-hoc appointment. This is because your body can change monumentally in a year and you will need to be properly assessed again.

Privacy of Data
I am committed to safeguarding and ensuring the privacy and security of your personal information. I may collect and process personal information from you, such as your name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses, as well personal health details. This information will be stored and retained in line with the UK’s current data protection policy. I will not disclose your personal information to another party.

Communication with Other Practitioners
Our work together may give rise for the need to contact other practitioners you may be working with, this is to ensure a synergistic approach to your care and to maintain your safety at all times.

Recommendation
It’s not a requirement, but I would recommend reading my book 'Staying Aligned' (purchase here) or one of Pete Egoscue’s books on this method to get a better understanding of the basics and thought process behind it.