Other Important Policies
Insurance Estimate Disclosure
We do our best to provide you with accurate information given to us by your insurance company. However, we cannot be held responsible for any estimates given as the final decision is made by your insurance carrier after the claim is received. If you have any questions about our estimate, please contact your insurance provider directly to verify your coverage. Your insurance policy is an agreement between you and your insurance company, and since we are providing services to you and not your insurance, all charges are ultimately your responsibility.
Intoxicated or Incapacitated Clients
The appropriateness of conducting therapeutic services with a client who appears to be under the influence of an intoxicating substance will be handled on a case-by-case basis by each clients’ clinician. Should a clinician deem that a client’s condition is not conducive to productive or safe therapeutic work, the clinician reserves the right to refuse to provide services at that time and charge a cancellation fee.
CCAC clinicians also reserve the right to assess, using their best judgment, any client’s ability to safely travel home from therapeutic services. Should a CCAC clinician determine that a client appears unsafe to drive for any reason, the clinician will make every effort to create a safety plan with that client to utilize a safe mode of transportation from the session. Should a client refuse to engage in and/or comply with safe travel planning efforts, and the clinician deems them to be a threat to themselves or others by operating a vehicle in their current state, CCAC clinicians reserve the right to break confidentiality by notifying the police of this public safety concern.
Note: CCAC clinicians are ultimately not liable for a client’s travel decisions, and can only exercise their best judgment in determining client safety for travel based upon visible and verbal indicators of intoxication and/or other forms of incapacitation.
Social Media Policy
CCAC clinicians will not accept any “friend requests” or communication attempts via social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or others. This is to protect professional boundaries, as well as client privacy.
No Recording Policy
It is considered unacceptable by CCAC for you (the client or session guests/family members of the client) to video or audio record sessions without the prior knowledge and expressed consent of your clinician. Recording sessions is generally believed to be a risk to client confidentiality, as well as counter-productive to the therapeutic process and relationship. If it is determined that a session has been recorded without the knowledge/consent of your clinician, that clinician will consider the appropriate action to be taken, up to and including possible termination and referral from our agency.
Litigation/Court Proceedings
If you are in a divorce or custody litigation, or involved in the court system in any other manner, you need to understand that the role of a therapist is not to make recommendations for the court concerning custody or parenting issues or to testify in court concerning opinions on issues involved in the litigation.
By signing this disclosure statement, you agree not to call your therapist as a witness in any such litigation. Experience has shown that testimony by therapists and domestic cases causes damage to the clinical relationship between a therapist and a client. Only court-appointed experts, investigators, or evaluators can make recommendations to the court on disputed issues concerning parental responsibilities and parenting plans.
Our staff is always happy to write letters to jurisdictions regarding a person's attendance in psychotherapy when requested by the client. If you choose to call us to testify anyway, again, our fee for any testimony or court-related activity is $300/hour or any portion thereof (non-expedited request), or $400/hour or any portion thereof (expedited request), including travel time to and from the proceedings.
Psychotherapy Services
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and the client, and the particular problems that you bring forward. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for 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.
There are many different methods used as we work toward your hopes and goals for therapy. The techniques used most often include, but are not limited to: dialogue (talk therapy), emotional exploration, interpersonal feedback, awareness-building, and physical exercises (i.e., relaxation training or progressive muscle relaxation). Your therapist may recommend that you consult with other health care providers or suggest other approaches as an adjunct to our therapy (i.e., group therapy or psychiatric consultation). You have the right to refuse anything that is suggested without being penalized in any way.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. Making changes in your beliefs or behaviors can be difficult, and can sometimes be disruptive to the relationships you already have. You may find your relationship with your therapist to be a source of strong feelings. At times you may feel that you are not making enough progress. We urge you to discuss any feelings that may arise during these difficult times.
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, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. Most people who take these risks find that therapy is helpful, and your therapist will do everything he or she can to help you minimize risks and maximize positive outcomes. That said, there are no guarantees of what you will experience or the outcome of therapy.
The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of these sessions, your therapist will be able to offer some first impressions of what your work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with your therapist. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, energy, and money, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, we will be happy to help you get connected with another mental health professional for a second opinion.
The duration of therapy is something that is very difficult to predict in advance. Some clients may get the help they need in only a few sessions, while others may choose to continue therapy for several months or years. Please feel free to discuss this with your therapist if you have any questions or concerns.
You have the right to ask questions about anything that happens in therapy. Your therapist is always willing to discuss the rationale for therapeutic approaches and to consider alternatives that might work better. You may feel free to ask your therapist to try something that you think will be helpful. You can ask about your therapist’s training for working with your concerns, and you can request that we refer you to someone else if you decide that your therapist is not the right therapist for you. You are free to leave therapy at any time.
Psychological/Neuropsychological Assessment Services
The goal of an assessment is to gather all relevant information and standardized test data to help understand the relationship between the brain and behavior. Your clinician will then identify strengths and make appropriate diagnoses and treatment recommendations for you or your child.
The assessment process includes several components:
- Clinical interview/intake (1-3 hours): your clinician will meet with you or your child and ask a number of questions about topics such as family background, medical history, legal history, educational history, employment, emotional functioning, and past or current treatment.
- Review of records (time varies): your clinician will ask for and review all relevant records and incorporate this information into your assessment.
- Testing (4-8 hours): your clinician will administer a variety of standardized instruments, normed for a variety of demographic factors, to assess areas like cognitive functioning, academic skills, social functioning, and emotional functioning. Most tests are interactive, though tests are sometimes administered via computer.
- Validity: It is extremely important that you or your child try your best throughout the testing process. Truthfulness and effort are measured in a variety of ways throughout the assessment process.
- Feedback (1-2 hours): you will meet with your clinician to go over all relevant results and recommendations from the assessment.
- Written report: after your assessment is complete, you will receive a comprehensive written report detailing all aspects of the assessment such as tests administered, information gathered, diagnostic impressions, and treatment recommendations.
In many cases, assessments are conducted completely by licensed psychologists or neuropsychologists. At times, assessments may be conducted by postdoctoral residents, doctoral interns, or psychometrists. Each of these clinicians is supervised by a licensed psychologist and possesses extensive training in psychological/neuropsychological assessment. All final results are reviewed closely by a licensed psychologist or neuropsychologist.
Note that no third parties (parents, non-clinician observers) are allowed in the room while testing occurs.