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. FEES 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. INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT 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:
School Psychologists At the time of employment and subject to (b) above, full credit for specialized work as a psychologist in a school program shall be given. Full credit for other clinic experience may be given, subject to approval by the Human Resources Division.
Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege The information disclosed by Patient, as well as any records created, is subject to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. The psychotherapist-patient privilege results from the special relationship between Therapist and Patient in the eyes of the law. It is akin to the attorney-client privilege or the doctor-patient privilege. Typi- cally, the patient is the holder of the psychotherapist-patient privilege. If Therapist received a subpoena for records, deposition testimony, or testimony in a court of law, Therapist will assert the psychotherapist-patient privilege on Patient’s behalf until instructed, in writing, to do otherwise by Patient or Patient’s representative. Patient should be aware that he/she might be waiving the psychotherapist-patient privilege if he/she makes his/her mental or emotional state an issue in a legal proceeding. Patient should address any concerns he/she might have regarding the psychotherapist-patient privilege with his/her attorney. Fee and Fee Arrangements The usual and customary fee for service is $100.00 per 50-minute session. Sessions longer than 50-minutes are charged for the additional time pro rata. Therapist reserve the right to periodically adjust this fee. Patient will be notified of any fee adjustment in advance. In addition, this fee may be adjusted by contract with in- surance companies, managed care organizations, or other third-party payers, or by agreement with Therapist. From time-to-time, Therapist may engage in telephone contact with Patient for purposes other than sched- uling sessions. Patient is responsible for payment of the agreed upon fee (on a pro rata basis) for any tele- phone calls longer than ten minutes. In addition, from time-to-time, Therapist may engage in telephone con- tact with third parties at Patient’s request and with Patient’s advance written authorization. Patient is respon- sible for payment of the agreed upon fee (on a pro rata basis) for any telephone calls longer than ten minutes. Patients are expected to pay for services at the time services are rendered. Therapist accepts cash, or major credit cards.
Quality Assurance Program An employee shall be entitled to leave of absence without loss of earnings from her or his regularly scheduled working hours for the purpose of writing examinations required by the College of Nurses of Ontario arising out of the Quality Assurance Program.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control Contractor shall establish and maintain a quality assurance/quality control program which shall include procedures for continuous control of all construction and comprehensive inspection and testing of all items of Work, including any Work performed by Subcontractors, so as to ensure complete conformance to the Contract with respect to materials, workmanship, construction, finish, functional performance, and identification. The program established by Contractor shall comply with any quality assurance/quality control requirements incorporated in the Contract.
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
Counseling Services People choose to participate in counseling for a variety of reasons. For most, the purpose of counseling is to generally improve one’s overall quality of life by addressing issues of concern, such as anxiety, depression, marital difficulties, addiction, or grief. Individual experiences in counseling can be different, depending on factors such as the personalities of the client and therapist, the mode of counseling techniques that the therapist utilizes, the issue(s) being addressed, and the amount of effort that the client puts forth. Your initial sessions with Encourage Counseling Services will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, your therapist will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with us. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about our procedures, you should discuss them with your therapist whenever they arise. If you wish, we will willingly provide you with referrals to other mental health professionals for a second opinion, as you always have the right to choose to continue to receive counseling services from us or to ask to be referred to someone else. Following the assessment period, which is typically one to two sessions, one 50-minute session will be scheduled per week. Sessions will occur at a time you and your therapist agree upon, although sessions may be scheduled more or less frequently according to your needs. It is important to note that if you are late to your appointment, your session will still end at the originally scheduled time. It should be noted that therapy can have benefits, as well as potential risks. Since therapy oftentimes involves discussing difficult aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. Making changes in your beliefs or behaviors can be anxiety provoking, and can be disruptive to your current relationships. However, therapy has also been shown to have many benefits. For example, therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. Of course, every individual’s experience is different and there are no guarantees of what you will experience. It is important that you carefully consider whether these risks are worth the benefits to you of changing. Most people who take these risks find that therapy is helpful. Finally, the therapeutic relationship is ended after the last scheduled appointment, or when so stated by you or your therapist. As the client, you typically will be the one who decides when therapy will end, which usually occurs once you and your therapist agree that you have met your treatment goals. However, there are a few exceptions. One such exception is if your therapist does not believe that he/she is professionally able to meet your needs. This could possibly be because your therapist does not believe that he/she holds the proper training and skills to help you, due to the type of presenting problem that you have. In such a situation your therapist will refer you to another therapist who may be able to meet your counseling needs.
Training and Professional Development C. Maintain written program procedures covering these six (6) core activities. All procedures shall be consistent with the requirements of this Contract.
Outpatient Dental Anesthesia Services This plan covers anesthesia services received in connection with a dental service when provided in a hospital or freestanding ambulatory surgical center and: • the use of this is medically necessary; and • the setting in which the service is received is determined to be appropriate. This plan also covers facility fees associated with these services.
Quality Assurance The parties endorse the underlying principles of the Company’s Quality Management System, which seeks to ensure that its services are provided in a manner which best conforms to the requirements of the contract with its customer. This requires the Company to establish and maintain, implement, train and continuously improve its procedures and processes, and the employees to follow the procedures, document their compliance and participate in the improvement process. In particular, this will require employees to regularly and reliably fill out documentation and checklists to signify that work has been carried out in accordance with the customer’s specific requirements. Where necessary, training will be provided in these activities.
