Initial Assessment - $175

60 min. Psychotherapy Session - $150

90 min. Psychotherapy Session - $180

The Healing Place EMDR & Holistic Therapy is a private, self-pay psychotherapy practice. I do not accept insurance or provide Superbills (Insurance regulated document). Fees are paid in full at the time of service.

Payment is accepted in the form of credit or debit card. You may also use a Flex Spending or Health Savings Account to pay for services.

STATEMENT AND DISCLAIMER: If you are uninsured or insured but self-pay, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) for services. These estimates may change as the treatment progresses and are not a guarantee of treatment frequency, length or cost. If estimates or services are added or changed, you will receive a new GFE. Your signature does not create a contract or require you to receive psychotherapy services from me. If actual costs of services greatly exceed the estimate, you may initiate dispute resolution (DR) by contacting me within 120 days. Initiating DR will not adversely affect your quality of care. Additional services must be scheduled or requested separately.

No. I have made the choice to remain OUT-OF-NETWORK in order to put my client’s needs first. This means I do not provide Superbills and my practice is self-pay.

By contracting with Health Insurance companies, it means labeling you with a diagnosis that may put your health privacy at risk and limit your future abilities to attain health or life insurance, affect employment opportunities, and affect legal disputes, such as divorces and child custody cases.

Contracting with Health Insurance companies also means adhering to their rules for treatment and care. I provide a very specific type of psychotherapy that has to be adjusted to the needs of each client and can not always adhere to a third party's rules.

I do accept Health Savings Account as a form of payment.

Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance or No Shows to scheduled psychotherapy sessions will be charged the full fee to the credit card on file.

The proven results of EMDR psychotherapy are based in consistent treatment. Missed sessions & gaps in treatment will diminish your results.

Making arrangements to support your commitment to treatment is imperative to your success in EMDR.

The length of time it takes to see results with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can vary depending on several factors, including the nature of the issue being treated, the severity of the trauma or distress, and the individual's unique circumstances.

In general, EMDR is known for its relatively brief treatment duration compared to other forms of therapy.

The therapy typically progresses through several phases, including assessment, preparation, desensitization, installation of positive beliefs, and closure. The desensitization phase, where the client processes traumatic memories, is usually the most time-intensive part of the therapy.

Each session typically lasts around 60-90 minutes, and the frequency of sessions can vary, with some individuals attending weekly sessions and others spacing them out over longer intervals.

At this time, I only offer tele-therapy options over a phone, tablet, laptop or computer. When you schedule your initial psychotherapy assessment, you’ll receive a link for where to log in for your scheduled appointment.

You will need a reliable internet source and privacy to participate in treatment.

In-Person therapy options are in the works and you can change your preference when it becomes available.

SERVICE AGREEMENT

This document (the Agreement) contains important information about our professional services and business policies. It also contains summary information about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law that provides privacy protections and patient rights with regard to the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) used for the purpose of treatment, payment, and health care operations. HIPAA requires that we provide you with a Notice of Privacy Practices (the Notice) for use and disclosure of PHI for treatment, payment and health care operations. The Notice, which accompanies this Agreement, explains HIPAA and its application to your personal health information in greater detail. The law requires that we obtain your signature acknowledging that we have provided you with this information. Although these documents are long and sometimes complex, it is very important that you read them carefully. We can discuss any questions you have about these procedures. When you sign this document, it will also represent an agreement between us. You may revoke this Agreement in writing at any time. That revocation will be binding on us unless we have taken action in reliance on it; if there are obligations imposed on us by your health insurer in order to process or substantiate claims made under your policy; or if you have not satisfied any financial obligations you have incurred.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the therapist and patient, and the particular problems you are experiencing. There are many different methods we may use to deal with the problems you hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work at home on things we talk about in our sessions.

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.

Our first few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, we will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan, if you decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with your therapist. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have doubts about our procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, we will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion.

SESSIONS

We normally conduct an evaluation that will last from 1 to 2 sessions. During this time, we can both decide if your therapist is the best person to provide the services that you need in order to meet your treatment goals. If psychotherapy is begun, we will usually schedule one session per week at a time we agree on. Please notify us as soon as you know that you will be unable to keep a scheduled session.

PROFESSIONAL FEES

Intake: $155

60 Minute Sessions: $125

90 Minute Session $150

CONTACTING Me

Due to my work schedule, I am often not immediately available by telephone. Generally I will not answer the phone when we are in session. When unavailable, calls will be routed to a voice mail service that is monitored frequently, and I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it, with the exception of weekends and holidays. Please inform me of some times when you will be available if you are difficult to reach. If you are unable to reach me and feel that your situation is life threatening, contact your family physician or the nearest emergency room. If we will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.

LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY

The law protects the privacy of all communications between a client and a psychologist. In most situations, we can release information about your treatment to others only if you sign a written Authorization form that meets certain legal requirements imposed by HIPAA. There are other situations that require only that you provide written, advance consent. Your signature on this Agreement provides consent for those activities, as follows:

We may occasionally find it helpful to consult other health and mental health professionals about a case. During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of the patient. The other professionals are also legally bound to keep the information confidential. If you don’t object, we will not tell you about these consultations unless we feel that it is important to our work together. We will note all consultations in your Clinical Record.

I may access your Clinical Record with an appropriate purpose including but not limited to, documenting the patient's treatment, billing insurance; conducting peer review or quality assurance activity, supervision, or for a purpose expressly authorized by the patient.

If a client threatens to harm himself/herself, we may be obligated to seek hospitalization for him/her, or to contact family members or others who can help provide protection.

There are some situations where I am permitted or required to disclose information without either your consent or Authorization:

• If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information concerning your diagnosis and treatment, such information is protected by the psychologist-client privilege law. We cannot provide any information without your written authorization, or a court order. If you are involved in or contemplating litigation, you should consult with your attorney to determine whether a court would be likely to order your therapist to disclose information.

• If a government agency is requesting the information for health oversight activities, we may be required to provide it for them.

• If a client files a complaint or lawsuit against us, we may disclose relevant information regarding that client in order to defend ourselves.

• If I am being compensated for providing treatment to you as a result of your having filed a worker’s compensation claim or through an automobile insurance plan, we must, upon appropriate request, provide information necessary for utilization review purposes. There are some situations in which we are legally obligated to take actions which we believe are necessary to attempt to protect others from harm and we may have to reveal some information about a patient’s treatment. These situations are unusual in our practice.

• If I have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect, the law requires that we file a report with the Family Independence Agency. Once such a report is filed, we may be required to provide additional information.

• If we have reasonable cause to suspect the “criminal abuse” of an adult client, we must report it to the police. Once such a report is filed, we may be required to provide additional information.

• If a client communicates a threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable third person and the client has the apparent intent and ability to carry out that threat in the foreseeable future, we may have to disclose information in order to take protective action. These actions may include notifying the potential victim (or, if the victim is a minor, his/her parents and the county Department of Social Services) and contacting the police, and/or seeking hospitalization for the client.

If such a situation arises, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action and we will limit our disclosure to what is necessary.

While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should prove helpful in informing you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have now or in the future. The laws governing confidentiality can be quite complex. In situations where specific advice is required, formal legal advice may be needed.

PROFESSIONAL RECORDS

You should be aware that, pursuant to HIPAA, we keep Protected Health Information about you in two sets of professional records. One set constitutes your Clinical Record. It includes information about your reasons for seeking therapy, a description of the ways in which your problem impacts on your life, your diagnosis, the goals that we set for treatment, your progress towards those goals, your medical and social history, your treatment history, any past treatment records that we receive from other providers, reports of any professional consultations, your billing records, and any reports that have been sent to anyone, including reports to your insurance carrier. Except in unusual circumstances where disclosure would physically endanger you and/or others or makes reference to another person (unless such other person is a health care provider) and we believe that access is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to such other person, you may examine and/or receive a copy of your Clinical Record if you request it in writing. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers.

For this reason, I recommend that you initially review them in the presence of your therapist, or have them forwarded to another mental health professional so you can discuss the contents. In most circumstances, we are allowed to charge a copying fee of $1 per page. The exceptions to this policy are contained in the attached Notice. If I refuse your request for access to your Clinical Records, you have a right of review (except for information supplied to us confidentially by others), which we will discuss with you upon request.

In addition, I also keep Psychotherapy Notes. These Notes are for our own use and are designed to assist us in providing you with the best treatment. While the contents of Psychotherapy Notes vary from client to client, they can include the contents of your conversations with your therapist, our analysis of those conversations, and how they impact your therapy. They also contain particularly sensitive information that you may reveal that is not required to be included in your Clinical Record. They also include information from others provided to me confidentially. These Psychotherapy Notes are kept separate from your Clinical Record. Your Psychotherapy Notes are not available to you and cannot be sent to anyone else, including insurance companies, without your written, signed authorization. Insurance companies cannot require your authorization as a condition of coverage nor penalize you in any way for your refusal to provide it.

CLIENT RIGHTS

HIPAA provides you with several new or expanded rights with regard to your Clinical Records and disclosures of protected health information. These rights include requesting that we amend your record; requesting restrictions on what information from your Clinical Records is disclosed to others; requesting an accounting of most disclosures of protected health information that you have neither consented to nor authorized; determining the location to which protected information disclosures are sent; having any complaints you make about our policies and procedures recorded in your records; and the right to a paper copy of this Agreement, the attached Notice, and our privacy policies and procedures. We are happy to discuss any of these rights with you.

BILLING AND PAYMENTS

I ask that you pay for each session at the time it is held, or I can provide a monthly statement of your account and ask that you settle your account at that time. Payment schedules for other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested. (In circumstances of unusual financial hardship, I may be willing to negotiate a payment installment plan.) If there have been no payments to your account for more than 45 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, we have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This may involve hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court which will require us to disclose otherwise confidential information. In most collection situations, the only information we release regarding a client’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of services provided, and the amount due. (If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim.)

ItemHIPAA Rights Policy

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.

I will provide a copy or a summary of your health information, usually within 30 days of your request. I may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask me to correct your medical record

You can ask me to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask me how to do this.

I may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications

You can ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.

I will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask me to limit what we use or share

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations.

I am not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.

If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask me not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer.

I will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.

I will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). I’ll provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. I will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.

I will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

You can complain if you feel I have violated your rights by contacting us using the information at the top of the page.

You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting Filing a Complaint.

I will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell me your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell me what you want me to do, and I will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell me to:

Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care

Share information in a disaster relief situation

Include your information in a hospital directory

Contact you for fundraising efforts

If you are not able to tell me your preference, for example if you are unconscious, I may go ahead and share your information if I believe it is in your best interest. I may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases I never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing purposes

Sale of your information

Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

In the case of fundraising:

I may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can tell me not to contact you again.

Uses and Disclosures

How do I typically use or share your health information?I typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Treat you

I can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you.

Example: A doctor treating you for an injury asks another doctor about your overall health condition.

Run my practice

I can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary.

Example: I use health information about you to manage your treatment and services.

Bill for your services

I can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.

Example: I give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

How else can I use or share your health information? I am allowed or required to share your information in other ways – usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. I have to meet many conditions in the law before I can share your information for these purposes. For more information see: Your Rights Under HIPAA.

Help with public health and safety issues

canI share health information about you for certain situations such as:

Preventing disease

Helping with product recalls

Reporting adverse reactions to medications

Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety

Do research

I can use or share your information for health research.

Comply with the law

I will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that I’m complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests

I can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.

Work with a medical examiner or funeral director

I can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual dies.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

I can use or share health information about you:

For workers’ compensation claims

For law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official

With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law

For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions

I can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

My Responsibilities

I am required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.

I will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.

I must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.

I will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell me I can, you may change your mind at any time. Let me know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information see: Notice of Privacy Practices.description

The Healing Place EMDR & Holistic Therapy

2222 W. Grand River AVE STE A, 48864

Phone: (248) 206-5890 Email: virginia@thehealingplaceemdr.com

This notice went into effect on 3/29/2023

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

I. MY PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:

I understand that health information about you and your health care is personal. I am committed to protecting health information about you. I create a record of the care and services you receive from me. I need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice. This notice will tell you about the ways in which I may use and disclose health information about you. I also describe your rights to the health information I keep about you, and describe certain obligations I have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. I am required by law to:

Make sure that protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you is kept private.

Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.

Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.

I can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information I have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in my office, and on my website.

II. HOW I MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:

The following categories describe different ways that I use and disclose health information. For each category of uses or disclosures I will explain what I mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways I am permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations: Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations. I may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.

Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.

Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, I may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. I may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.

III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:

Psychotherapy Notes. I do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:

a. For my use in treating you.

b. For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.

c. For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.

d. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate my compliance with HIPAA.

e. Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.

f. Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.

g. Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.

h. Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others.

Marketing Purposes. As a psychotherapist, I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.

Sale of PHI. As a psychotherapist, I will not sell your PHI in the regular course of my business.

IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION.

Subject to certain limitations in the law, I can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:

When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.

For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.

For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.

For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on my premises.

To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.

For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.

Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.

For workers’ compensation purposes. Although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, I may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers’ compensation laws.

10 Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.

V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.

Disclosures to family, friends, or others. I may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.

VI. YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:

The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask me not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. I am not required to agree to your request, and I may say “no” if I believe it would affect your health care.

The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.

The Right to Choose How I Send PHI to You. You have the right to ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and I will agree to all reasonable requests.

The Right to See and Get Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes,” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information that I have about you. I will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request, and I may charge a reasonable, cost based fee for doing so.

The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures I Have Made.You have the right to request a list of instances in which I have disclosed your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. I will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request. The list I will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. I will provide the list to you at no charge, but if you make more than one request in the same year, I will charge you a reasonable cost based fee for each additional request.

The Right to Correct or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that I correct the existing information or add the missing information. I may say “no” to your request, but I will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request.

The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right get a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.

Acknowledgement of Receipt of Privacy Notice

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information. By checking the box below, you are acknowledging that you have received a copy of HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices. description

ItemThe Healing Place EMDR & Holistic Therapy

2222 W. Grand River AVE STE A, 48864

Phone: (248) 206-5890 Email: virginia@thehealingplaceemdr.com

PRACTICE POLICIES

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours.

The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 50-60 minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the 50-minute session needs to be discussed with the therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.

A $10.00 service charge will be charged for any checks returned for any reason for special handling.

Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a full charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time.

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact me between sessions, please leave a message on my voice mail. I am often not immediately available; however, I will attempt to return your call within 24 hours. Please note that Face- to-face sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, in the event that you are out of town, sick or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so. While I may try to return messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail is considered telemedicine by the State of California. Under the California Telemedicine Act of 1996, telemedicine is broadly defined as the use of information technology to deliver medical services and information from one location to another. If you and your therapist chose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that:

(1) You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.

(2) All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable.

(3) Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine consultation is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a reasonable fee.

(4) Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.

(5) There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved communication capabilities, providing convenient access to up-to-date information, consultations, support, reduced costs, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice, improved access to therapy, better continuity of care, and reduction of lost work time and travel

costs. Effective therapy is often facilitated when the therapist gathers within a session or a series of sessions, a multitude of observations, information, and experiences about the client. Therapists may make clinical assessments, diagnosis, and interventions based not only on direct verbal or auditory communications, written reports, and third person consultations, but also from direct visual and olfactory observations, information, and experiences. When using information technology in therapy services, potential risks include, but are not limited to the therapist's inability to make visual and olfactory observations of clinically or therapeutically potentially relevant issues such as: your physical condition including deformities, apparent height and weight, body type, attractiveness relative to social and cultural norms or standards, gait and motor coordination, posture, work speed, any noteworthy mannerism or gestures, physical or medical conditions including bruises or injuries, basic grooming and hygiene including appropriateness of dress, eye contact (including any changes in the previously listed issues), sex, chronological and apparent age, ethnicity, facial and body language, and congruence of language and facial or bodily expression. Potential consequences thus include the therapist not being aware of what he

or she would consider important information, that you may not recognize as significant to present verbally the therapist.

TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. I may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if I determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. I will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another therapist, I will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

Should you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I must consider the professional relationship discontinued.description