Privacy Policy

PRACTICE POLICIES APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS 

If necessary, please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire session fee ($185) if cancellation is less than 24 hours or if you no-show your session, because you own the hour. The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 45-60 minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the 45-60 minute session time (either less or more time) need to be discussed with the therapist in advance in order for time to be adjusted accordingly. Again - cancellations, no-shows, and late re-scheduled sessions will be subject to a full charge ($185) 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 will lose some of that session time. 

PAYMENT 

Please note that I collect payment for each session the day prior to the scheduled session, and you will receive an Invoice via email that acts as your receipt for payment of the session. If your insurance company requires a separate Super Bill for reimbursement, please let me know and I can send you a Super Bill after each session. An Invoice is your receipt and a Super Bill contains more detailed information about your treatment, and is often what insurance companies will require for reimbursement. 

PRACTICE FEE SCHEDULE 

My practice charges an industry-standard fee for individual psychotherapy, between-session conversations, and family psychotherapy sessions. Please ask your therapist for clarification if you feel you may need to utilize any of these services. A Practice Fee Schedule will also be provided to you upon your request. *Note: Trinity Mental Health, PLLC provides letters on your behalf in very limited circumstances, and your therapist can clarify this with you at your first session. 

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY 

If you need to contact me between sessions, you are welcome to send me an email, text, or leave a message on my voice mail. But remember - this form of communication is for scheduling purposes only and should not include therapeutic content. Due to the nature of my work, I am often not immediately available to return calls or messages; however, I will attempt to return your email, text, or call within 36 hours during the business week. Please note that Face- to-face video sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, in the event that you are out of town, sick, or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or go to your nearest local emergency room. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION 

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it. 

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION 

I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including email and text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so, but please be aware that these are not HIPAA-compliant forms of communication and there are risks involved with using email or text messaging. With email, I use an end-to-end encrypted, HIPAA compliant email platform, but know that any information I send back to you at your personal email account is not secure. If you have additional questions about this, please ask me at our first appointment.

While I may try to return messages in a timely manner (within 36 hours during the business week), I cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss lengthy therapeutic content and never to request assistance for emergencies. Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, interactive video, and e mail are considered telemedicine by the States of California and Arizona. 

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. I use Bilateral Base and Zoom as the platforms for your video sessions. Bilateral Base and Zoom are HIPAA-compliant and contain the 

most secure settings. We can certainly use any one of the other platforms that you prefer, just know that they are not HIPAA-compliant and are not as secure. 

COURT/LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

I do not provide court reports of any kind, and do not testify for ANY reason on your behalf in legal proceedings. I am not qualified to make parental fitness or custody evaluations, nor am I considered an expert witness when it comes to testifying in court. Additionally, asking me to testify on your behalf or share your records in court can have serious unintended negative consequences, in that it could jeopardize your confidentiality and privacy, as well as put me in a situation where I am compelled to share vulnerable information you have shared with me in confidence. This is why I don’t get involved in ANY legal proceedings - because it is often more damaging to the client than it is helpful, and because protecting your confidentiality and the privacy of our work together is one of my top priorities. If you are involved in family, civil, or criminal court proceedings (or legal proceedings of any kind) that may require involvement of your psychotherapist related to writing reports or testifying, I am happy to

refer you to a forensic psychologist who is qualified to provide legal reports and court testimony. Additionally please inform your attorney of my policy, so they know in advance that I am unavailable to provide support of any kind as it relates to your legal proceedings. 

TERMINATION 

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity 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 or maintain some form of contact for over 90 days, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I must consider the professional relationship discontinued, and I will close your file. 

NOTICE TO CLIENTS 

California Based Clients: The Board of Behavioral Sciences receives and responds to complaints regarding services provided within the scope of practice of marriage and family therapists, licensed educational psychologists, clinical social workers, or professional clinical counselors. You may contact the Board online at www.bbs.ca.gov or by calling (916) 574-7830. 

Arizona Based Clients: The Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners receives and responds to complaints regarding services provided within the scope of practice of marriage and family therapists, licensed educational psychologists, clinical social workers, or professional clinical counselors. You may contact the Board online at www.azbbhe.us or by calling (602) 542-1882. 

BY PROVIDING MY ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE I AM AGREEING THAT I HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO THE ITEMS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT.