Policies and Procedures

Confidentiality

The information you share with us is protected by confidentiality.  This means that we will not share your information with anyone without your written permission.

There are a few exceptions to this rule that you should be aware of.  Confidentiality must be broken if 1) you tell us that you are going to harm/kill yourself or someone else, 2) you report a child or vulnerable adult that is being abused or neglected, and/or 3) our records are subpoenaed by the court.  

If you use insurance to pay for services, then we we will be required to share certain information in order to be paid for services. This can include diagnosis, progress, and/or treatment documentation.

We also consult with other professionals to make sure that we are providing the best possible counseling experience. We will not use identifying information when doing so, unless we have your written permission first.

We will always seek your permission/inform you before releasing information (even with compulsory reports) and we keep our counseling records with confidentiality in mind.

Fees and Billing

You will receive an estimate of your out-of-pocket expenses, before your first session and any changes in payments during the course of counseling will be discussed as soon as possible.  Fees set by the insurance company are non-negotiable and it is part of our contractual obligation to follow the rate that they set.  We do reserve a few spots for those without adequate insurance coverage and financial difficulties.  Here is a notice on your rights related to out-of-network or self-pay services that we provide.

We do accept some insurance plans including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, Priority Health, Cigna/Evernorth, Optum/United Healthcare, and Blue Cross Complete (Medicaid.) We will verify benefits before your first session to help ensure coverage and keep you informed of out-of-pocket expenses.

We ask for a 24 hour notice for cancellations or reschedules.  Patients who cancel within 24-hours will be charged a flat fee of $50. Patients who no-show for session will be charged the full fee for the session, depending on your insurance company or private pay agreement with us. Late cancellation and no-show fees are not reimbursable by insurance and will be charged to the card you have on file.

A credit or debit card is required to be on file so we can keep all accounts current.  Small balances are allowable, however, patients will not be seen with balances over $100.

Session Attendance

Your appointment is an hour that is reserved just for you and we ask that you respect this time.  Patients who have a pattern of last minute cancellations can be denied "prime" appointment slots (usually in the evening) or be discharged from counseling to make room for patients who are waiting. 

It is your responsibility to contact your counselor for appointments and patients will be discharged after 60 days of inactivity.  You are always welcome to contact us again in the future when you are ready to reenter therapy.

Contact Outside of Session

Contact outside of session will be limited to professional interactions and should be limited to emergencies or appointment scheduling unless already discussed with your counselor.  Our client portal offers HIPAA compliant messaging so you can communicate with your therapist while knowing your confidentiality is protected.

Medical Necessity

In order to qualify for insurance coverage of your counseling sessions, you must meet medical necessity criteria. For most plans this means that you qualify for a mental health diagnosis, your symptoms are impairing your functioning in one or more areas of your life, and you are willing to meaningfully engage in the services that we provide. If at any time you do not meet medical necessity criteria, you can continue counseling but will need to pay out-of-pocket for services.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns you might have about our policies.