Welcome to my therapy practice. This page contains important information about my professional services and policies. Please read it carefully and jot down any questions you might have so that we can discuss them at our next meeting. When you give your consent in writing it will represent an agreement between us.
Therapy and Counseling
Therapy and Counseling are not easily described in general terms. Fundamentally, therapy is about learning about yourself and your relationships with others by putting your thoughts and feelings into words. Therapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for active participation on your part. For the therapy to be most successful you will work on things we talk about both during our sessions as well as outside of our session times.
Although every client’s goals are individualized there are certain basic things you can expect from therapy. Therapy will help you to better manage the stress and challenges of daily life. 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. Ongoing discussion of your specific goals and progress will be a central part of our therapy process.
Be aware that therapy often requires the sharing of difficult thoughts and feelings and that you may feel uncomfortable at times. At other times you may feel that you are not making enough progress. It is especially important that during these difficult times you continue to communicate with me. I will want to work with you to consider all options available to help you meet your therapeutic goals.
Fees and Insurance
Individual, Couples, and Family Therapy sessions are 45 minutes long and cost $225 per session. Group Therapy sessions are typically 90 minutes long and range from $50 to $70 per session depending on the group and are payable monthly. My preferred method of accepting payment is via Zelle, Cash App, or personal check . Please let me know if you would like to use another form of payment and we can discuss this.
I do not file insurance and am usually considered an out-of-network provider. I will provide you with itemized statements on a regular basis that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. However, you and not your insurance company are responsible for full payment of my fees.
Cancellations and Missed Appointments
If you are unable to attend a session due to illness or an emergency, please notify me as far in advance as is possible. If you do not show up for an appointment or fail to cancel at least 24 hours prior to your appointment you will be responsible for paying 100% of your fee for the missed session. If you are late for your appointment you will be charged the full fee and the appointment will end at the scheduled time. Fees for no-shows and cancellations without 24 hours notice must be paid by the end of your next therapy session.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is the cornerstone of psychotherapy. In general I make every effort to keep anything you tell me confidential as this is central to successful counseling.
When I am working with a couple or a family, I may see you individually as well as together. You are free to bring up what we talk about in individual sessions with your family members. However, that is up to you and I will do my best to keep specifics of what people tell me in an individual session confidential and I will not bring anything we talk about in an individual session with another family member.
Please see the Notice of Privacy Practices for more information and a detailed listing of the exceptions to confidentiality.
Minors
If you are under eighteen years of age, please be aware that the law may provide your parents the right to examine your treatment records. It is my policy to request an agreement from parents that they agree to give up access to your records. If they agree, I will provide them only with general information about our work together unless I feel there is a high risk that you will seriously harm yourself or someone else. In this case I will notify them of my concern. Before giving them any information I will discuss the matter with you, if possible, and do my best to handle any objections you may have with what I am prepared to discuss.
Contacting Me
I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually in my office during regular business hours I will not answer the phone when I am with a client. When I am unavailable my telephone is answered by confidential voice mail that I monitor frequently. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it with the exception of weekends and holidays. I may occasionally reply more quickly than that or on weekends, but please be aware that this will not always be possible.
Be aware that there may be times when I am unable to receive or respond to messages, such as when out of cellular range or out of town. If you are unable to reach me and feel that you can’t wait for me to return your call, contact your family physician, the 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 472-HELP, 9-1-1, or the nearest emergency room. If I will be unavailable for an extended time I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact if necessary.
I would prefer you communicate with me outside of our sessions via phone. If you need to provide me with any form of documentation I would prefer that you hand it to me to me in person during a session. If that is not possible we can discuss alternate ways you can provide me with documents. It is important that we be able to communicate and also keep the confidential space that is vital to therapy. Please speak with me about any concerns you have regarding my preferred communication methods.
Complaints
It is my hope to resolve any misunderstandings that may arise by discussing them with you. Working through such difficulties is one of the most effective ways to grow psychologically and emotionally. Nevertheless, should you have a complaint that you cannot resolve by talking with me or that you do not care to discuss with me, you have the right to call the Texas Department of State Health Services Board Professional Licensing and Certification Unit at (800) 942-5540.
This agreement was last updated on November 28, 2022.
