Confidentiality
Confidentiality is one of the sacred cornerstone pillars in mental health work. However, there are three (3) situations where all counsellors are legally and ethically bound to breach confidentiality for your safety and the safety of others:
- If a child is at risk of being harmed
- If you have a clear plan to hurt yourself or someone else
- If your records are subpoenaed by a court
Are my sessions covered?
Employers with extended health plans or private insurance often offer partial or full coverage for Registered Social Workers (RSW). Check on the amount with your insurer prior to booking a session. If you have some form of coverage, I write receipts with my registration number for you to submit for reimbursement.
For Indigenous people in Canada, particularly those with a Status Card, there are either Provincial and/or Federal Agencies that should help you navigate coverage for sessions. Your Reserve/Band, First Nations Health Authority or others should have that information. Otherwise, I can make an attempt to assist you in exploring how to receive coverage for your sessions.
Since the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recognizes Social Work as a health profession, services by a Registered Social Workers (RSW) are GST EXEMPT. Second, receipts from an RSW are considered tax deductible for health services. Consequently, keep all your receipts and submit them at the end of the fiscal year for income tax.
Do you have a sliding scale?
Yes. On a case-by-case basis the cost of services are negotiable. For example, for those who are unemployed, collect social assistance, earn a low income or are in school, clients can provide paperwork to help us determine their sliding scale fee.
How long are sessions?
Sessions are based on a 50-minute hour. The last 10 minutes are used to analyze notes, reflect on the information, and input considerations for our next session. The first session is usually longer to collect demographic and historical information before discussing your goals and ideas. You can choose one (1) hour, one and a half (1.5) hour or a two (2) hour session. Clients often find it useful to have more time in their session, so they have the freedom to explore and discuss anything without feeling rushed. We can discuss what works best for you, and adapt session length on what is most comfortable for you.
What if I am paying for someone else’s sessions, will you tell me what they are saying?
Sessions are designed to be private, confidential, so the client, whether a child, youth, spouse or whomever feels completely safe enough to share and discuss anything to work towards resolving their issue(s). As such, every effort will be made to protect their privacy. If the person paying for the session wants access to information, the client will immediately be told of this [risk] ahead of time. Any information shared will therefore be generalized extending from the result of negotiations with the client in order to maintain respect for the client’s healing journey. If this is an issue, we can discuss this in more detail during the initial appointment and negotiate terms, if necessary.
Cancellation policy
You have up to 48 hours before the session start time to cancel your appointment without penalty. The full fee will be charged if clients provide less than 48 hours notice. If there is a valid emergency, a late fee will be applied and the appointment can be rescheduled.
What if I am late?
Text or leave a message to let me know when you expect to arrive. Please keep in mind that I might be in another session up until your appointment, so I may not reply right away. I am willing to wait 30 minutes for you to arrive, and you will have the remaining scheduled time. After that our session is canceled. Either way, you will be billed for the full session.
What if the therapist changes the session?
There is no fee if I must change our session. I will make every effort to provide you with 24 hours notice, However, sometimes an emergency arises, such as a client requiring medical assistance or the therapist becomes sick, and a session must be cancelled. This is very rare, and I profoundly apologize if it occurs, but I cannot and will not abandon a client if further assistance is required.
You can expect effective, interactive, and focused help
Everyone’s story is unique and no therapy session follows a predictable path. Yet the steps below provide a general outline of how your therapy sessions with me may progress:
Identify a path that confirms your values and promotes positive change.
- We reflect on your skills and hopes that will help reduce the problem;
- We discuss the problem(s) in concrete terms;
- We examine how the problem manifests in your day;
- We evaluate the negative effects of the problem on your life;
- We create lighter moments that are inspirational and nurture positive growth.
How does this approach lead to lasting change?
- We strengthen your ability to take reflective steps back to understand how the problem(s) turns up in your day. For example, we consider what thoughts, behaviours, situations, covert and overt sociocultural ideas and other aspects that reinforce and feed the problem(s);
- We take the time needed to find and nurture your skills, core values and hopes. Together they help define a solid sense of meaning and purpose in life that allows you to find peace while exploring any direction in life.