Office Policies

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

In our commitment to provide efficient and quality service, we have established a policy for appointment confirmation and cancellation to ensure the availability of our services and proper planning of our resources. We value your time and understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, so we appreciate your cooperation in adhering to the following guidelines:

1. First Appointment Confirmation
  • To confirm your first appointment, full payment is required 48 hours in advance.
  • Failure to confirm and make payment within this timeframe will result in appointment cancellation.

2. Subsequent Appointment Confirmation

  • All appointments must be confirmed no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled time. Failure to confirm your appointments 48 hours in advance will result in appointment cancellation. You will need to call to reschedule.
  • If you cancel or fail to attend three appointments, further appointments will not be scheduled for you. If you wish to schedule an appointment again, full payment for the session must be made in advance. If you fail to attend the scheduled appointment, payment will not be refunded or credited toward another appointment.

3. Appointment Cancellation or Changes

  • We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise. Therefore, we strongly recommend that if you are unable to attend your appointment, you inform us prior to the scheduled time.
  • If you fail to communicate to cancel or inform us of your absence, a $25 fee will be applied to the registered payment method. This is because we reserve time exclusively for your appointment. These measures are essential to ensure the availability of our services and guarantee proper planning of our resources. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in adhering to this policy, which aims to provide optimal and efficient service for all our patients.

DURATION

The standard duration for psychotherapy is 60 minutes. However, you can determine the duration of your sessions. Any request to change the 60-minute session must be discussed in advance with the therapist to schedule the time accordingly. Please note that increasing the duration of therapy will increase the cost, but reducing it will not decrease the cost.

PHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact me between sessions, please leave a message on my voicemail or send a text message. I may not always be available immediately; however, I will attempt to return your call or message within 24 hours. Please note that in-person sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, in case you are out of town, ill, or require additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency arises, please call 911, PAS Line 1-800-981-0023, or your local emergency room.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Due to the importance of confidentiality and to minimize dual relationships, I do not accept friend requests or contact on any personal client accounts on any social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these platforms could compromise confidentiality and our respective privacy. It could also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have any questions regarding this, please bring them up when we meet, and we can discuss further.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

I cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any form of communication via electronic means, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messages for scheduling or cancellations, I will accommodate that. Although I will strive to respond in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee an immediate response and ask that you do not use these communication methods to discuss therapeutic content or request assistance in emergencies.

TERMINATION

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