APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS 

All scheduled sessions will be invoiced 24 hours before the session start time.  Any unpaid invoices will result in a late cancellation (not to exceed the $100 fee).  Unpaid invoices will result in a delay of continuation of services and non-payment for three weeks will terminate the services.

 

Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for a $100 cancellation fee if less than 24 hours. The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 50 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.

 

Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a $100 cancellation fee 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 or via email.  I am often not immediately available; however, I will attempt to return your call or email within 24 hours.  If an emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

To protect your privacy and maintain a clear professional boundary, I do not accept friend requests from current or former clients on social media platforms. This helps ensure that our therapeutic relationship remains confidential and objective.  Please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have about this policy during our sessions. 

 

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

While I can communicate with you via email or text for scheduling or cancellation purposes, I cannot guarantee the confidentiality of these messages. Please avoid using these methods to discuss sensitive topics or request urgent assistance.  

 

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

Florida.  Under the Florida Telemedicine Act of 2010, 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.

 

MINORS

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your

therapy. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them

to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

 

TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be hard. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process

in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate time for the termination depends on the progress and plan 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.