POLICIES
CONFIDINTIALITY
Unless you give me specific written consent to disclose information, all client/patient information is confidential. I may, and sometimes must, break confidentiality under the following circumstances:
If you present an imminent threat of harm to yourself or others.
When there is an indication of abuse of a child, dependent adult or elderly adult.
If you become gravely disabled.
If information is required by a court subpoena or court order.
I share non-identifying client/patient information with consultants and supervisors and in case conferences with professional therapists as permitted by law. I keep limited treatment, billing, and appointment records for each session, which are held under multiple security layers and are stored in therapy-specific software in the cloud.
If you use your insurance provider to reimburse you for our sessions, or if your parents/ guardians are paying for therapy, and/or you are under the age of 18, these individuals or entities may have access to your medical records. If your records are ever requested by a third party, or if anyone contacts me in regards to your treatment, I will notify you. In some cases, I may be required to disclose information, but in these cases I will attempt to reach you so that we can decide together the best course of action. I am also permitted by law to disclose pertinent medical information about you to medical providers if deemed important to my ability to provide adequate care. One exception to my ability to notify you about requests for disclosure is the Patriot Act, which states that if you are suspected of terrorism by the Federal government, they are allowed to subpoena my records of your treatment and I may not be allowed to notify you. Please let me know if you have any questions about these or other issues of privacy or confidentiality.
CANCELATION POLICY
I do my best to offer a consistent, reliable meeting time for us at the same time and day each week. Therefore, if you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice for any session, you will be charged your normal fee, unless we can reschedule within one week.
In addition, my policy permits two (2) missed sessions per calendar year with 48 hours notice (or up to a week’s worth of sessions with notice, whichever number is greater) free of charge. If you miss more than two (2) sessions (or more than a week’s worth of sessions, whichever number is greater) per calendar year, you will still be charged your usual fee for any additional missed session, even if you cancel your session with 48 hours’ notice.
I can make an exception to this policy given the following circumstances: You have canceled outside of 48 hours, and we can reschedule the missed session within seven (7) calendar days on either end of your usual appointment time. Keep in mind that if my calendar is full, we may not be able to reschedule your missed session, and you will be liable for your fee.
Additionally, I take 4 to 6 weeks off during the calendar year, for which you are not financially responsible for.
THERAPY HOUR
Unless you and I agree otherwise, therapy sessions are 50 minutes.
MISSED SESSIONS/NO SHOWS/LATE ARRIVALS
If you are going to be more than 15 minutes late to a session, please call or email me to let me know you will be late or are not coming. If you do arrive late, we will end on time to preserve the following person’s full session time.
I do not hold sessions that are less than 30 minute long. Therefore, the cut off time for running late and still being able to have the session is 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I consider the session canceled and charge the full fee.