Confidentiality

Communication between you and your therapist is confidential. This means that your therapist will not discuss your case orally or in writing without your expressed written permission.

Your therapist has an ethical and legal obligation to break confidentiality under the following circumstances:

1. If there is a reason to believe there is an occurrence of child, elder, or dependent adult abuse or neglect.

2. If there is reason to believe that you have serious intent to harm yourself, someone else, or property by a violent act you may commit.

3. If you disclose that you knowingly develop, duplicate, print, download, stream, or access through any electronic or digital media or exchanges, a film, photograph, video in which a child is engaged in an act of obscene sexual conduct.

4. If you introduce your emotional condition into a legal proceeding.

5. If there is a court order for release of your records

Parents and/or guardians with legal custody can be told about their child’s diagnoses, the counseling methods used and recommended, significant safety concerns, and the progress of treatment, either as needed or when requested.

If your records need to be seen by another professional, or anyone else, your therapist will discuss this with you. If you agree to share these records, you will need to sign a Release of Information (ROI) form. This form says exactly what information is to be shared, with whom, and why. You may read this form at any time. If you have questions, please ask me. You have the right to ask that your information not be shared with family members or others, and I can agree to that limitation.

If you choose to pay through insurance, health insurance companies will ask for information on your symptoms, diagnoses, progress, and outcomes. My policy is to provide only as much information as the insurance company will need to pay your benefits. This information will become part of your permanent medical record. If the company does not get the information it asks for, it may refuse to pay your benefits for our treatment. Please understand that the practice has no control over how these records are handled once they leave Blooming Bright Counseling.

As part of the confidentiality that I offer you, I ask you not to disclose the name or identity of any other client being seen in this office.

Appointments and Cancellations

Appointments are scheduled in advance, at a cadence we agree on, based on your goals, treatment needs, and our mutual availability. Sessions are generally 45-55 minutes in duration unless otherwise specified. Payment is due the day of the scheduled appointment via auto-pay by saving a card on file with us. Payments for each appointment will be made through Headway/Grow by debit or credit card or ACH transfer. The amount billed is for the reserved time slot, therefore the full fee applies to the scheduled session, regardless of late arrival or early departure.

You may cancel appointments in advance without charge, as long as you provide notice 24-hours in advance. For appointment no-shows or last-minute cancellations, you may be charged a fee. Please reach out to me directly for my latest policy on the cancellation fees. If you are more than 15 minutes late, your session may be treated as a no-show. Cancellation fees cannot be billed to insurance.

Insurance Coverage

Client agrees to notify the therapist of any changes in insurance coverage. If your insurance changes for any reason the therapist must know prior to the next scheduled session. The practice is required to verify insurance benefits and coverage before providing services. In the event your insurance coverage changes or is cancelled and/or you do not provide notice you incur full financial responsibility for all services rendered not covered as a result of changes to your coverage or benefit eligibility. Failure to pay for services rendered will result in a suspension or termination of therapeutic services. Services may resume when the client’s account is paid in full to date.

Availability and After-Hours Emergencies

Providers check for voice mail messages during normal business hours. Messages left outside of normal hours of operation will be picked up the next business day. If you are experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, are in crisis, or need immediate help, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Contacting Me

I am often not immediately available by telephone. I do not answer my phone when I am with clients or otherwise unavailable. At these times, you may leave a message on my confidential voicemail and I will return your call once I’ve reviewed your chart, but it may take a day or two for non-urgent matters. I will make every attempt to inform you in advance of planned absences, and provide you with the name and phone number of the mental health professional covering my practice. If I need to cancel an appointment at the last-minute, I will reach out as soon as possible and reschedule, or have a member of my staff connect with you.

Social Media/Website

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 personal social networking site. I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy and 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.

I ask that you do not communicate with me through the comment sections of my business website or accounts. The website is public, and anyone can see what has been written. Please contact me directly by phone or email if you need to reach me. Especially, please do not communicate therapeutic content and/or emergency information via the website. Additionally, if you comment on anything that has been written on my website, it is best for you not to comment using your real name.

Interactions Outside of Therapy

If we happen to see you outside of therapy, we will not acknowledge you first. Your right to privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance, and we do not wish to jeopardize your privacy. However, if you acknowledge us first, we will be more than happy to speak briefly with you, but not regarding clinical topics.

Complaints

You have a right to have your complaints heard and resolved promptly. If you have a complaint about your treatment, please let me know immediately so we can discuss the situation and attempt to reach a workable solution.

Problems can arise in our relationship, just as in any other relationship. If you are not satisfied with any area of our work, please raise your concerns with me as soon as possible. Our work together will be slower and harder if your concerns with me are not worked out. Some issues that arise between us may be clinically relevant to other relationships in your life. I will make every effort to hear any complaints you have and to seek resolution. If you feel that I (or any therapist) have treated you unfairly or have broken a professional rule, please tell me. You can also contact the state licensing board for the discipline under which any therapist practices (psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed professional counselor, or social worker). Staff members there can help clarify your concerns or tell you how to file a complaint.

In my practice as a therapist, I do not discriminate against clients because of any of these factors: age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, marital or family status, race, color, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, place of residence, veteran status, physical disability, health status, or criminal record unrelated to present dangerousness. This is a personal commitment, as well as being required by some federal, state, and local laws and regulations. I will always take steps to advance and support the values of equal opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. If you believe you have been discriminated against, please bring this matter to my attention immediately.

Discharge Process

There are several reasons why we may eventually end our professional relationship. You may decide you would prefer to work with a different provider. I may reach the conclusion you would be better served working with someone else. Regardless of the case, I will first discuss with you the reasons for discharging, and if you request, provide you with a list of other qualified providers. I will also extend the discharge process length if necessary based on your treatment needs, including continuing to provide emergency support for a time-limited period after you have been notified of the end of our treatment relationship.

Please note that ongoing failure to pay for treatment, attend sessions, or communicate with me in a respectful and timely manner can also result in discharge from my practice. In these instances, to ensure you have continued access to care, I will still make every reasonable effort to get in touch with you and provide referrals to a new provider before I consider our relationship ended.