Psychologists Psychologists hired by the Employer, with no prior years of experience as a school psychologist, teacher, or prior years of military service shall be placed on Step 1 of the salary schedule effective July 1, 1990. Credit for combined years of prior experience as a school psychologist, teacher, and active military service experience shall be allowed at a rate of one (1) year for each twelve (12) months of continuous service up to a maximum of eight (8) years, as per credit requirements in Salary guidelines. Retroactive to the 2000 – 2001 school year, for new school psychologists, credit for combined years of prior experience as a school psychologist, teacher, and active military service experience shall be allowed at a rate of one (1) year for each twelve
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you hope to address. There are many different methods I may use to deal with those problems. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home. Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. When treating insomnia specifically, therapy might cause you to experience increased sleepiness and fatigue, especially in the early phases of treatment. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, significant reductions in feelings of distress, improved sleep, and less fatigue. But there are no guarantees as to what you will experience. Our first session will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with me for therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions about whether you feel comfortable working with me. At the end of the evaluation, I will notify you if I believe that I am not the right therapist for you and if so, I will give you referrals to other practitioners who I believe are better suited to help you. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion. Please note that the psychological services I provide are not for emergency situations. For emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. My fee is $395 for an initial evaluation lasting 90 minutes, and $250 for each subsequent psychotherapy session (either in-person or over the telephone) lasting 45 minutes. I charge this same $250 per 45-minutes rate for other professional services you may need, though I will prorate the cost if I work for periods of less than 45 minutes in increments of 15 minutes, rounded to the nearest 15-minute increment (e.g., 22 minutes of service will be charged for 15 minutes whereas 23 minutes of service will be charged for 30 minutes). Other professional services include telephone conversations or email responses lasting longer than 15 minutes, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for any professional time I spend on your legal matter, even if the request comes from another party, at the same $250 per 45-minutes rate. I do not charge for time spent writing reports and progress notes as per the standard routine of my care of you. I also do not charge for any time I may spend collaborating with your other providers. From time to time, I may institute fee increases and these will be discussed and agreed upon ahead of time with a new Treatment Contract. If it has been more than one year since our last appointment, then you will re-initiate services at my current standard fee which may be higher than the fee you were previously paying. In addition, if it has been more than one year since our last appointment, you will be scheduled for another initial evaluation (90 minutes) and charged accordingly, with subsequent 45-minute psychotherapy sessions thereafter. You are responsible for paying your full session fee. I am not in-network with any insurance companies. If you decide to submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have, you may do so. However, be aware that the services provided will still be charged to you, not your insurance company, and you are responsible for the full payment. I have no role in deciding what your insurance covers. You are responsible for checking your insurance coverage, deductibles, payment rates, pre-authorization procedures, etc. Missed appointments, late cancellations (i.e., cancellations within 24 hours of service), and telephone session are not typically covered by insurance companies and therefore you will likely be responsible for the full session fee in these instances. If your insurance company doesn’t reimburse you, I am not responsible for refunding you any payment you expected to be reimbursed or otherwise. I will provide you a superbill after each session with the following information that you will need to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have:
Counselors A. Newly ordered file cabinets for Counselors will have locks. No Counselors shall be held accountable, unless through their own negligence, for the loss of school records unless there is a secure place for storage.
B. Counselors, although generally working the same overall hours as teachers, shall be allowed to use flexible hours if it improves their service to pupils.
C. The duty of maintaining school attendance records and of coordinating school transportation services shall not be assigned to Counselors.
D. Counselors shall not be required, except in an emergency, to handle homeroom assignments, schedule or score large-scale tests, prepare school master schedules, complete entries and withdrawals and schedule conferences between classroom teachers and parents.
E. Every effort will be made, in accordance with the BCPSS Master Plan adopted and updated by the Board, to provide school counselors with access to computers, telephones, private consultation space and clerical services.
F. The Board will make every effort to reduce the case-load of Counselors. In furtherance of this objective, a committee shall be established consisting of three (3) members selected by the Union and three (3) members selected by the Board to review the current status of the effort.
G. The Board and the Union will form a committee with three (3) members appointed by each to review the utilization and effectiveness of school counseling services and make recommendations to improve services to students. One additional task of the committee shall be to develop a counselor evaluation instrument.
H. Substitutes shall be hired for counselors out for long-term illness.
I. Counselors shall have access to clerical services.
J. Formal observation of counselors shall only be done by the Office of guidance Services personnel, holding National Counselor Certification (NCC) credential and/or a Maryland Professional Counselor’s License.
Specialist A dentist who focuses on a specific area of dentistry, including oral surgery, endodontia, periodontia, orthodontia and pediatric dentistry, or a group of patients to diagnose, manage, prevent or treat certain types of symptoms and conditions. Spouse: The person to whom the Subscriber is legally married, including a same sex Spouse. Spouse also includes a domestic partner. Subscriber: The person to whom this Contract is issued. UCR (Usual, Customary and Reasonable): The cost of a dental service in a geographic area based on what Providers in the area usually charge for the same or similar medical service. Us, We, Our: BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and anyone to whom We legally delegate performance, on Our behalf, under this Contract. Utilization Review: The review to determine whether services are or were Medically Necessary or experimental or investigational (including treatment for a rare disease or a clinical trial). You, Your: The Member.
Specialists Persons working within a juridical person who possess uncommon knowledge essential to the commercial presence’s production, research equipment, techniques or management. In assessing such knowledge, account will be taken not only of knowledge specific to the commercial presence, but also of whether the person has a high level of qualification referring to a type of work or trade requiring specific technical knowledge, including membership of an accredited profession.
Counseling including marriage or pre-marital counseling, religious, family, career, social adjustment, pastoral or financial counseling.
PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY 1. Teachers shall, within the bounds of the prescribed curriculum, and consistent with effective educational practice and the Evaluation Criteria, Local Appendix A, have individual professional autonomy in determining the methods of instruction, and the planning and presentation of course materials in the classes of pupils to which they are assigned.
Professional Dues The school district will pay the annual dues for the Superintendent’s membership in the American Association of School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and Nebraska Council of School Administrators. The Superintendent’s membership in other professional organizations will be considered annually and may be approved at the discretion of the school board.
Nurse is an employee included in the Bargaining Unit described in Article 2.
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR Teachers are expected to comply with reasonable rules, regulations, and directions adopted by the Board, or its representatives, which are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, provided that a teacher may reasonably refuse to carry out an order which threatens physical safety or well being or is professionally demeaning.
