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If this is the first time you’ve worked with a mental health professional, you may wonder how therapy works. On the other hand, if you’ve worked with therapists in the past, you how this will be similar to or different from your work with other therapists.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, licensed by the State of Georgia to practice psychotherapy. I’ve been licensed since 1987. I have a Master of Science degree in clinical psychology from Purdue University. I’m a member of the American Counseling Association.
I consider my areas of expertise to be intimacy, relationships, sexuality, spirituality, depression and anxiety. I typically do not work with people whose primary problem is likely to require psychiatric hospitalization, or who are actively suicidal. Our work together will be shaped by your goals.
I will try to be available to you outside of normal business hours if you need me; I do my best to get back to you within 24 hours, usually much sooner. If there is a life threatening emergency, call 911.
Protecting your privacy is very important to me. With that in mind, I want you to know how I handle information about you:
It is my policy to collect no more information than necessary from my clients. I do not routinely collect information such as Social Security numbers unless there is a reason to do so.
I do not maintain a mailing list, nor do I solicit business by mail.
You may already know that downloading email from a private account while using your work computer may leave recoverable information on servers even if you delete the email itself. To safeguard your privacy, you may want to avoid discussing intimate information via email and restrict your correspondence to scheduling appointments, etc.
Texting is only as secure as your phone. You may want to keep text messages with me brief and avoid discussing sensitive information.
I do not initiate contact with clients on social media. You should not assume that social media is secure.
As a Licensed Professional Counselor practicing in compliance with federal laws and laws of the State of Georgia, my professional notes and records are considered confidential and privileged. Things you should know about how I protect your privacy include:
I keep minimal notes on your sessions. The only purpose of these notes is to be able to be as useful to you as possible. I do not keep formal “case record” notes, write reports or diagnose my clients according to the DSM-V unless you have requested that I do so.
Under normal circumstances, nothing you disclose within the context of counseling sessions is disclosed without your written authorization.
If it would be helpful to you for me to release information to another professional (for instance, to your physician), my practice is to release only the minimum information necessary, and only with your written authorization to do so. If you would like a copy of any such information, I will provide you with one.
Under some circumstances, I may discuss your case with another professional to obtain his or her opinion on how best to serve you; however, identifying information about you is not disclosed.
As a matter of good business practice, if you are referred to me by your physician or another professional I would like to send them a note thanking them, but not disclosing anything we discuss.
There are limits to the confidentiality of our work together, and I want you to know about them:
In the event that your behavior or emotional state could cause immediate harm to yourself or another person all mental health professionals have a duty to take appropriate action, including informing a third party. This is to protect the safety of you and/or the other person.
If you have any questions regarding my policies, please ask me. If you ever feel your privacy has been violated, you have the right to complain.
I subscribe to the ethical standards of the American Counseling Association; these standards are available online at www.counseling.org. These standards are designed to protect you, promote your wellbeing and respect your dignity.
I take ethics very seriously. If you ever have a question or concern, please let me know. Should you ever feel a psychotherapist has treated you in an unethical manner, you have the right to complain to his or her professional association and to state authorities.
Unless we make other arrangements, appointments are for 45-50 minutes. You’ll get the most from your session if you are on time. Please give me at least 24 hours notice if you need to change or cancel your appointment – otherwise, you will be charged for the session.
Payment for services is expected at the completion of each session unless we’ve made another arrangement. I do not bill insurance, although I am happy to furnish you with a statement on a monthly or quarterly basis for you to file for reimbursement yourself. If you have special needs, please ask me and I will do my best to accommodate you.
While some clients complete therapy relatively quickly, others may continue working with me for longer periods of time. If we work together long enough, it is possible my fee will increase.
For the foreseeable future I am mostly working with clients remotely – via FaceTime, Zoom or a similar platform.
How we end things is just as important as how we begin. In most cases, my clients and I decide together when our work is complete. If you decide on your own to end therapy, please let me know so I won’t keep trying to contact you. If I don't hear from you in six weeks I will close your case record.
If you have a friend who would find counseling helpful, please know that I welcome referrals, which signify feelings of satisfaction and trust in my services. Of course, I keep all information about you and anyone you might refer to me strictly confidential and would not reveal anything we have talked about – or even that we have talked.
If you have questions about that aren't addressed here, please don't hesitate to ask me.