I provide a relaxed, open, collaborative and non-judgmental atmosphere. When working with you, I will cater my approach to your needs. My foundational therapeutic approach is Person-Centered. I also integrate elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and small amount of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy into our work. I tend to delve into the issues at hand so that you can see improvement in your emotional well-being as quickly as possible.
My job as a counselor is to help you to find the right tools and techniques to bring about meaningful and compassionate change. I want to help to find ways to address any issues that are causing you worry, shame, fear or anxiety, and to develop the ability to accept yourself, improve your situation, and gain a better quality of life.
Currently, I am only taking adult clients over the age of 20. I see a limited number of couples and polyam groups. Please contact me if you would like to discuss availability.
The Therapeutic Relationship
As you browse this website, you will discover more about me, my approach to counseling, and how I can help you. The most important thing to remember is that while I am here to provide a supportive service to you, I believe your relationship with your therapist is the foundation for therapeutic change and healing. My style is collaborative, and I desire to build a relationship between equals, and I do my best to remove any sense of hierarchy or unbalanced power dynamic.
While I have the skill and professional insight to help you to navigate your own path through therapy, I understand the value of having a good connection and relationship with a therapist. One of the greatest indicators of success in therapy is the relationship you have with your therapist.
If you have any other questions about the services I offer, or anything on this or any other page on this site, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m always happy to answer questions about the counseling process.
Whether you have a clear idea of what you would like to work on in therapy, or if you are having a difficult time defining where the issues lie, we can find a way to help you feel more integrated and satisfied with your life. I am here to support, guide and challenge you during your path towards personal growth.
I understand how important it is to feel a safe connection and am glad to meet with you so that we can and determine if the relationship is the right fit. Different therapists have different specialties, which may not align with your needs, and of course, even in a therapist and client relationship, personalities matter. If needed, I am able to refer you onwards if my type of care is not appropriate for your needs.
Here’s what you can expect when you choose to work with me.
Frequency of Sessions
If our early meetings go well, and you decide to continue the therapy relationship, it will be important to schedule early appointments for at least three weeks out of each month.
Once we have established our goals, and laid the groundwork for our future sessions, it may be possible to scale back our sessions as we see fit.
Session Duration
Therapy sessions are fifty minutes, and the last ten minutes of each session covers wrap up, questions related to that or a previous session, payment and scheduling future appointments.
Confidentiality
As a professional therapist, the trust of my patients is of paramount importance. This is why, for all individual therapy services, I ensure confidentiality. Your personal information and treatment history will not be disclosed to any third party during your treatment or after our relationship ends.
The only exceptions to this would be in the case where there is risk of harm to yourself, or someone else. I am also mandated to report if a child, a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected. There may be situations where I am legally required to disclose specific information. All of this will be made available to you in my privacy disclosure before we begin treatment.
Duration of Treatment
Unlike physical medicine, where it’s often easy to predict how many treatments a patient will require to become fully cured and healthy, when it comes to personal growth, therapy and counseling, it’s harder to pinpoint how long the process will take. The therapy sessions are a great facilitator for change, but ultimately what truly makes the difference is how you apply the tools, perceptions, and techniques we develop during our time together.
I am happy to work with my clients until they feel that they are confident that they have reached the goals and personal growth that they hoped to achieve, and they are living meaningful, balanced lives.
Below is a copy of my Notice of Privacy Practices, which you will be required to sign before the beginning of services with me:
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES (HIPPA)
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
I. MY PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:
I understand that health information about you and your health care is personal. I am committed to protecting health information about you. I create a record of the care and services you receive from me. I need this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice. This notice will tell you about the ways in which I may use and disclose health information about you. I also describe your rights to the health information I keep about you, and describe certain obligations I have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. I am required by law to:
- Make sure that protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you is kept private.
- Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
- Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
- I can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information I have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in my office, and on my website.
II. HOW I MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:
The following categories describe different ways that I use and disclose health information. For each category of uses or disclosures I will explain what I mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways I am permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.
For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations: Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations. I may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we would be permitted to use and disclose your person health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition.
Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.
Lawsuits and Disputes: If you are involved in a lawsuit, I may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order. I may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION:
- Psychotherapy Notes. I do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is:
a. For my use in treating you.
b. For my use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy.
c. For my use in defending myself in legal proceedings instituted by you.
d. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate my compliance with HIPAA.
e. Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law.
f. Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes.
g. Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law.
h. Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others. - Marketing Purposes. As a psychotherapist, I will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes.
- Sale of PHI. As a psychotherapist, I will not sell your PHI in the regular course of my business.
IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION.
Subject to certain limitations in the law, I can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:
- When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
- For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
- For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
- For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.
- For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on my premises.
- To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
- For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
- Specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions.
- For workers’ compensation purposes. Although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, I may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers’ compensation laws.
- Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. I may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with me. I may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that I offer.
V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.
Disclosures to family, friends, or others. I may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
VI. YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:
- The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask me not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. I am not required to agree to your request, and I may say “no” if I believe it would affect your health care.
- The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
- The Right to Choose How I Send PHI to You. You have the right to ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and I will agree to all reasonable requests.
- The Right to See and Get Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes,” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information that I have about you. I will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request, and I may charge a reasonable, cost based fee for doing so.
- The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures I Have Made.You have the right to request a list of instances in which I have disclosed your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. I will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request. The list I will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. I will provide the list to you at no charge, but if you make more than one request in the same year, I will charge you a reasonable cost based fee for each additional request.
- The Right to Correct or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that I correct the existing information or add the missing information. I may say “no” to your request, but I will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request.
- The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right get a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.