Practice Policies

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Insurance companies require diagnosis and treatment planning which can dictate treatment. We choose to provide a private pay scale in which you can attend as frequent as you would like while also limiting released information. There is also a sliding scale based on income which is available at your request.

Each insurance plan is different; therefore, it is recommended that you contact the company directly with any questions about reimbursement. We accept flexible spending accounts and health saving accounts to cover the cost of sessions and also provide receipts for those wishing to submit for reimbursement. We ask you complete all intake forms prior to the first session. Therapy is a commitment to a better, healthier you!

The standard meeting time for private consultation time is 45 minutes, however your needs ultimately determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the 45-minute session or bring additional support people need to be discussed with the therapist prior to session.

Payment is due at time of commitment via check, cash or credit card. A $10.00 service charge will be charged for any checks returned for any reason for special handling. Please remember to cancel or reschedule any private time with your therapist 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours. There is no fee to cancel or reschedule for any reason prior to the 24 hour time frame. 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 as well. We will set aside this time exclusively for you!

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact therapists between sessions, please leave a message on voice mail. We are often not immediately available; however, will attempt to return your call within 24 hours. Please note in the event that you are out of town, sick or need additional support, phone sessions are available for convenience. We also provide email access as needed with again responses within 24 hours.

If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or go to local emergency room. You may also call Crisis Services at 716-834-3131.

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, 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

We utilize SimplePractice a HIPAA compliant Electronic Medical Record, which gives you access to the client portal. Through this system you can send secure messages and access Tele-health services. If you prefer to communicate via email for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, we will do so. While we may try to return messages in a timely manner, we cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

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 New York. 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. We 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 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. We may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if we determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. We 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, we 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, we must consider the professional relationship discontinued.