How I Work
Practice Policies
Patient Portal and Paperwork
All payments and paperwork, including invoices, superbills and statements, are made and sent through Simple Practice, an Electronic Health Records system. I work with a practice manager who handles issues around payment and insurance paperwork, for your convenience. She does not have access to clinical information about your treatment. The only person you will ever speak to about scheduling and any clinical concerns is myself.
Payment
I use a pay-per-session model of payment, meaning, payment is due at the time of service. When you got set up on the patient portal as a new patient, you will complete a credit card authorization form so that processing can be handled through Stripe via Simple Practice. Your card will be charged at the end of the business day of your session. Please review my credit card authorization form carefully. Superbills and statements are provided at the end of the month for your paperwork or insurance reimbursement.
Insurance
I work out of network only; am not in network with any insurance provider. If you have out of network benefits through your insurance, you may be entitled to reimbursement for a portion of the fee from your insurance company. Payment for session is made to me directly the day of session. If you are seeking out of network benefits, and receive reimbursement, that reimbursement should be sent directly to you. My fee and payment schedule is not contingent on the status of your out of network benefits. In other words, you pay me my fee, and recover your benefits to reimburse yourself.
Scheduling & Cancellation Policy
When possible, it’s ideal that you have the same time slot weekly as this creates a rhythm to treatment that facilitates our work. Understandably, some people’s schedule is variable due to their work or some other element of their lives- I generally offer more variable appointment times and schedules in the daytime, before 3pm. Appointmnents at 3 or later or offered to students and people who need an evening appointment for their work.
I create my schedule and confirm weekly appointments via text message on Sunday afternoons. After Sunday, I have limited availability for new appointments. I cannot “hold” appointments or time slots past Sunday afternoon.
Since scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of time specifically for you, a minimum of 24 business hours notice is required cancelling an appointment. Monday appointments are already confirmed within the 24 hour window (on Sunday) and therefore, if a Monday appointment is cancelled after Sunday, you will be charged the full session fee. My availability for each individual is directly linked to other individuals’ session times. Please be considerate if you are unable to come to session. If you cancel your appointment under 24 hours, you are responsible for the full fee for session.
On occasion, I am able to offer a same-week appointment as a make-up time in order to avoid the cancellation fee for the first session- this is strictly based on our mutual availability, and is not guaranteed. “Make up” sessions do not roll over into the next week.
I understand that emergencies happen- exceptions to the cancellation fee will be considered on a case by case basis. If you miss session with no notification, or a “no-show”, you will be charged the full fee for session.
Please note, if I do not respond to your cancellation request, it is to be assumed I did not receive it and full session charges will apply.
Contact Out of Session Time
I share my cell phone with all of my patients. Scheduling, and other contact is done by text as it allows me greater flexibility to respond in a timely manner. On occasion, patients may contact me out of session if there is a concern that cannot wait till the following session, and if appropriate, we may speak by phone at a mutually available time. This is limited to 15 minutes. If more time is needed, I will offer a session time (30 minutes or an hour) that is billable as a half or full session fee.
For parents and caregivers of children and teens I work with, I welcome text or brief phone updates from you about your child ahead of session so that I can receive information about how your child is doing to bring with me into session and better inform our work. I can accommodate brief contact (under 30 minutes), complimentary, as part of your child’s treatment. Depending on the age and need of the child, parents may want or need parent collateral sessions, without their child, to discuss their child, our work, and facilitating that work at home. Parent collateral sessions can be done in person, virtually, or by phone, and are billable as session.
At times, patients request my written input on, or my participation in meetings related to school, insurance, etc. Depending on the amount of time required to prepare paperwork or to attend the meeting, it may be billable.
I do not participate in court proceedings regarding custody, or other issues. If you have consented for your child to be treated by me, it does not imply that I will also participate in any other role, such as a forensic clinician who evaluates parenting, etc. If you are looking for me to play a role other than clinician in session with supporting clinical work outside of session that has to be mutually agreed upon.