The following section contains important information about my professional services and business policies. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and client, and the particular problems one brings forward. There are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that a client may hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit; instead it calls for a very active effort on the part of the client. In order for the therapy to be most successful, the client is required to work on things in their lives as discussed during sessions. 

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

The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of the client’s needs. By the end of the evaluation, I may be able to offer some first impressions of what the therapy work will include and a treatment plan to follow. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so one should be very careful about the therapist selection. 

MEETINGS

I normally conduct an evaluation that will last from 2 to 4 sessions. During this time, we can both decided if I am the best person to provide the services needed in order to meet treatment goals. If psychotherapy commences, I will usually schedule one 50-minute session (one appointment hour of 50 minutes duration) per week at a time agreed upon, although some sessions may be longer or more frequent. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, the client will be expected to pay for it unless 24 hours advance notice of cancellation is provided. This is unless it has been agreed that the client was unable to attend due to circumstances beyond his/her control. If it is at all possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment, in such a case.

CONTACTING ME

I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually available between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, I may not answer the phone when I am with a client. When I am unavailable, my contact number will go to voicemail (that I monitor frequently). I will make every effort to return calls on the same day they are made, with the exception of weekends and holidays. 

PROFESSIONAL RECORDS

I am required to keep records of the professional services I provide. Because these records contain information that can be misunderstood by someone who is not a mental health professional, it is my general policy that clients may not review them; however, I will provide at the client’s request, a treatment summary, unless I believe that to do so would be emotionally damaging. If that is the case, I will be happy to send the summary to another mental health professional who can assist the client in reviewing the records.

MINORS

In the case of a client being under the age of eighteen, I will provide guardians only with general information about the minor’s therapeutic treatment, unless I feel there is a high risk that the minor will seriously harm his/herself or someone else. In this case, I will notify the legal guardians of my concern. Before giving them any information, I will discuss the matter with the minor client and, if possible, do my best to handle any objections the minor may present. At the end of the minor’s treatment, I will prepare a summary of the work done in treatment for the parents/guardians; the therapist and the minor client will discuss it before I send it to them. I will require that parents/guardians co-sign the consent form to ensure that they understand my procedures in this regard.

CONFIDENTIALITY

In general, the privacy of all communications between client and psychologist are protected by law. Information about treatment is in most cases, only ever released with the client’s written permission. There are however, exceptions to confidentiality of which these will be discussed in detail during initial sessions or upon the client’s request.