APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire cancellation fee of $75 for licensed professional and $40 for masters level interns if cancellation is less than 24 hours. Starting March 1st, if you cancel an appointment that is for 3PM or later you will be charge $100 for prime time spots.This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time.
There is a 10 minute Grace Window. If you are late by 10 you will be asked to reschedule the appointment. This is due to insurance constraints.
The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 53 minutes. Requests to change the 53-minute session needs to be discussed with the therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.
SELFPAY
Self-pay clients I will be changing the rate of $125 per session for licensed clinicians, $100 for CIT’s and $40 for master level interns. If you are a self pay client notes are not privy to release.
PAYMENTS
Payment is due at the time of the session/services. Clients will not be allowed to carry a balance on their account.
Credit Balances: If you have a credit on your account, this will be held for until the client is discharged from care. After June 2021 any credit on your account will be held for future services only such as a late cancel or no show. At the end of each calendar year we will evaluate or when client is dismissed from care . If your card was charged inadvertently we will refund your money in full.
If you have a client balance (for any reason) we will give you 30 days to set up a payment plan. If no payment plan has been established we will charge the card/(s) on file for the whole amount. If the card on file does not go through we will submit your balance to a collections service. Collection services can access your card on file and will attempt to collect from that card a various times.
At this time we do not work with EAP’s. If you do no tell us that you are looking for EAP services we will have no knowledge and will not be able to back charge. If the clients insurance does not cover the session then the fee will be converted to a self pay rate.
CREDIT CARDS
Credit Cards will be kept on file and run at the time of client services. They will also be run if a client has a Late Cancel or No Call/No Show. Credit Cards will be stored until the card is expired. If for any chance your credit card is declined or has insufficient funds the card will be run at a different time to try and collect the money. IF THERE IS A BALANCE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR THERAPIST UNTILL PAID.
If you have a client balance (for any reason) we will give you 30 days to set up a payment plan. If no payment plan has been established we will charge the card/(s) on file for the whole amount.
If you dispute a credit charge, that a dispute will result in an additional $50 fee and automatically dismissed any future services.
*While Middle Path Counseling MO does its best to check and verity that credit cards/ debit cards/ HSA cards are up-to-date it is also on the responsibility of the client to check with Middle Path Counseling MO about their balance and to update them with new cards. IF THERE IS A BALANCE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR THERAPIST UNTILL PAID. You will be emailed and mailed an involve and after time you could be turned over to a Collections Company.
DISCHARGE
Clients will be automatically discharged if they no call/no show 2 sessions in a row. They will also be discharged if they have not had treatment for 2 consecutive months. Should you fail to schedule an appointment for two consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I/we must consider the professional relationship discontinued.
Clients can be discharged if they late cancel 2 sessions in a row or if they have 2 late cancel/no show sessions in a 6-month time frame.
Clients can also possibly lose their time slot ( if reoccurring ) if they no show 1 session and late cancel 2 sessions in a row. Discretion is up to the therapist.
Clients can also be discharged if they are disrespectful towards clinicians or staff in threatening in any way. This includes sexually explicit behavior.
If clients are discharged and wish to return to services at Middle Path Counseling MO there is a 3 month waiting period, from the last date of service.
If a charge is disputed in anyway, this is a result in immediate termination of services. There will also be an additional $50 charge and can possibly be sent to collections.
INTERNS
Some clinicians will have college or master level interns who will sit in on sessions. If there is a discomfort discuss with clinician.
TELEHEALTH
It is required that you fill out ALL documents prior to the first visit. If not, we will ask you to reschedule. You are also required to fill out the Telehealth Consult to Treat and the Telehealth In Case of Emergency forms before being seen online.
Telehealth sessions require both clinician and client to have a working camera with it on the full session. The session is still a therapeutic session and needs to be treated with professionalism.
In some situations if the Simple Practice Telehealth room is not working the only HIPAA approved devices are: Zoom, FaceTime, and phone calls. (Theses are listed in preference order).
Clients need to have an understanding of privacy and have a space they can speak freely, good internet connection, dressed and non engaging in drinking, smoking (vaping) during the session.
Clients agree to be sober and not under the influence of recreational drugs and alcohol during the session.
Not all clients are a good fit for Telehealth and will have the option to either come in person for a session or have a referral for another therapist.
Recorded Sessions: From time to time a session will need to be recorded for observation for supervises or interns. These will be recorded electronically and saved for 30 days. After 30 days they will be deleted.
TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY
If you need to contact a therapist between sessions, please leave a message on MPC voicemail 816.500.2070 . One of our staff will call/text/email you within 24 hours of your phone call. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION
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 social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It 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.
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so. While I may try to return messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.
Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail is considered telemedicine by the State of California. Under the California Telemedicine Act of 1996, telemedicine is broadly defined as the use of information technology to deliver medical services and information from one location to another. If you and your therapist chose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that: (1) You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled. (2) All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable. (3) Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine consultation is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a reasonable fee. (4) Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent. (5) There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved communication capabilities, providing convenient access to up-to-date information, consultations, support, reduced costs, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice, improved access to therapy, better continuity of care, and reduction of lost work time and travel costs. Effective therapy is often facilitated when the therapist gathers within a session or a series of sessions, a multitude of observations, information, and experiences about the client. Therapists may make clinical assessments, diagnosis, and interventions based not only on direct verbal or auditory communications, written reports, and third person consultations, but also from direct visual and olfactory observations, information, and experiences. When using information technology in therapy services, potential risks include, but are not limited to the therapist’s inability to make visual and olfactory observations of clinically or therapeutically potentially relevant issues such as: your physical condition including deformities, apparent height and weight, body type, attractiveness relative to social and cultural norms or standards, gait and motor coordination, posture, work speed, any noteworthy mannerism or gestures, physical or medical conditions including bruises or injuries, basic grooming and hygiene including appropriateness of dress, eye contact (including any changes in the previously listed issues), sex, chronological and apparent age, ethnicity, facial and body language, and congruence of language and facial or bodily expression. Potential consequences thus include the therapist not being aware of what he or she would consider important information, that you may not recognize as significant to present verbally the therapist.
It is a privilege to text our staff and clinicians. If at anytime there is disrespect or rudeness then that privilege will be revoked. This will be at the discretion of the practice owner.
TEXT & EMAIL REMINDERS
There is an option to receive text, phone and email reminders about your appointment.
If you are running late for an appointment or do not show up for your appointment within the 10 minute grace window, a therapist will not reach out to you during that time.
A therapist will not reach out unless there has been a previous concern of self harm or in the previous session Suicidal Behavior/Thoughts were expressed. If client does not respond the therapist will reach out to their emergency contact. In serious situations a therapist can call the local police for a wellness check on the client.
CLIENT RECORDS
At this time we do not respond to records request. If a client would like access to their file or notes they need to speak to their individual clinician. The clinician will inform that we will electronically share any progress notes in the clients online portal where the client can do what they choose. We will not print off, email, fax or send client records to anyone who is not the client.
*The only exception is if an insurance company does an audit of the file(s).
MINORS
If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.
In our practice we will ask for consent from both parents and if there is a divorce or custody situation we will ask for a copy of the divorce decree to insure that we have the privilege to treat the client.
TERMINATION
Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. I may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if I determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. I will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If you still request therapy I would ask that you refer to your insurance company, Psychology Today or Monarch to find a therapist in your area.
Last Updated March 16, 2023
Middle Path Counseling MO 