The following section contains important information about my professional services and business policies.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems one brings forward. Although my primary approach to therapy is depth psychology there are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that a patient may hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on the part of the patient. In order for the therapy to be most successful, the patient is required to work on things in their lives as discussed during sessions.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of one’s life, people in therapy may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. 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. But there are no guarantees of what one will experience.
The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of the patient’s needs. By the end of the evaluation, I may be able to offer some first impressions of what the therapy work will include and a treatment plan to follow. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so one should be very careful about the therapist selection.
MEETINGS
I normally conduct an evaluation that will last from 2 to 4 sessions. During this time, it can be collaboratively decided if I am the best person to provide the services needed in order to meet treatment goals. If psychotherapy is begun, I will usually schedule one 50-minute session (one appointment hour of 50 minutes duration) per week at a time agreed upon, although some sessions may be longer or more frequent. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, the patient will be expected to pay for it unless 24 hours advance notice of cancellation is provided. This is unless it has been agreed that the patient was unable to attend due to circumstances beyond his/her control. If it is at all possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment, in such a case.
PROFESSIONAL FEES
I charge standard medical aid rates in accordance to most major medical schemes. In addition to weekly appointments, I charge this amount for other professional services needed, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 10 minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals pre-authorised, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other professional service requested of me.
BILLING AND PAYMENTS
Payment for each session is made at the time it is held, unless agreed otherwise. Payment schedules for other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested. In circumstances of unusual financial hardship, I may be willing to negotiate a fee adjustment or payment instalment plan.
If an account has not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. (If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim). In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a patient’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of services provided and the amount due.
MEDICAL AID REIMBURSEMENT
I am contracted in to medical aids, and am therefore more than happy to submit your claim directly; no need to pay me upfront.
In order to set realistic treatment goals and priorities, it is important for the patient to evaluate what resources are available to pay for treatment. If the patient has medical aid, it will usually provide some coverage for mental health treatment. I will provide whatever assistance I can in helping the patient receive the benefits to which he/she is entitled; however, the patient (not the medical aid) is responsible for full payment of fees. I am contracted to many of the bigger medical aid schemes and will gladly claim directly from medical aid provided the patient has the benefits available to him/her. This can be discussed when making contact with me to schedule an appointment.
Some medical aid plans are often limited to short-term treatment approaches designed to work out specific problems that interfere with a person’s usual level of functioning. It may be necessary to seek approval from the medical aid provider for more therapy after a certain number of sessions. While a lot can be accomplished in short-term therapy, some patients feel that they need more services after initial medical aid benefits end.
CONTACTING ME
I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, I may not answer the phone when I am with a patient. When I am unavailable, my contact number will go to voicemail (that I monitor frequently). I will make every effort to return calls on the same day they are made, with the exception of weekends and holidays.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDS
I am required to keep records of the professional services I provide. Because these records contain information that can be misunderstood by someone who is not a mental health professional, it is my general policy that patients may not review them; however, I will provide at the patient’s request, a treatment summary, unless I believe that to do so would be emotionally damaging. If that is the case, I will be happy to send the summary to another mental health professional who can assist the patient in reviewing the records.
MINORS
In the case of a patient being under the age of eighteen, I will provide guardians only with general information about the minor’s therapeutic treatment, unless I feel there is a high risk that the minor will seriously harm his/herself or someone else. In this case, I will notify the legal guardians of my concern. Before giving them any information, I will discuss the matter with the minor patient and, if possible, do my best to handle any objections the minor may present. At the end of the minor’s treatment, I will prepare a summary of the work done in treatment for the parents/guardians, the therapist and the minor patient will discuss it before I send it to them. I will require that parents/guardians co-sign the consent form to ensure that they understand my procedures in this regard.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In general, the privacy of all communications between patient and psychologist are protected by law. Information about treatment is in most cases, only ever released with the patient’s written permission. There are however, exceptions to confidentiality of which these will be discussed in detail during initial sessions or upon the patient’s request.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems one brings forward. Although my primary approach to therapy is depth psychology there are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that a patient may hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on the part of the patient. In order for the therapy to be most successful, the patient is required to work on things in their lives as discussed during sessions.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of one’s life, people in therapy may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. 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. But there are no guarantees of what one will experience.
The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of the patient’s needs. By the end of the evaluation, I may be able to offer some first impressions of what the therapy work will include and a treatment plan to follow. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so one should be very careful about the therapist selection.
MEETINGS
I normally conduct an evaluation that will last from 2 to 4 sessions. During this time, it can be collaboratively decided if I am the best person to provide the services needed in order to meet treatment goals. If psychotherapy is begun, I will usually schedule one 50-minute session (one appointment hour of 50 minutes duration) per week at a time agreed upon, although some sessions may be longer or more frequent. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, the patient will be expected to pay for it unless 24 hours advance notice of cancellation is provided. This is unless it has been agreed that the patient was unable to attend due to circumstances beyond his/her control. If it is at all possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment, in such a case.
PROFESSIONAL FEES
I charge standard medical aid rates in accordance to most major medical schemes. In addition to weekly appointments, I charge this amount for other professional services needed, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 10 minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals pre-authorised, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other professional service requested of me.
BILLING AND PAYMENTS
Payment for each session is made at the time it is held, unless agreed otherwise. Payment schedules for other professional services will be agreed to when they are requested. In circumstances of unusual financial hardship, I may be willing to negotiate a fee adjustment or payment instalment plan.
If an account has not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. (If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim). In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a patient’s treatment is his/her name, the nature of services provided and the amount due.
MEDICAL AID REIMBURSEMENT
I am contracted in to medical aids, and am therefore more than happy to submit your claim directly; no need to pay me upfront.
In order to set realistic treatment goals and priorities, it is important for the patient to evaluate what resources are available to pay for treatment. If the patient has medical aid, it will usually provide some coverage for mental health treatment. I will provide whatever assistance I can in helping the patient receive the benefits to which he/she is entitled; however, the patient (not the medical aid) is responsible for full payment of fees. I am contracted to many of the bigger medical aid schemes and will gladly claim directly from medical aid provided the patient has the benefits available to him/her. This can be discussed when making contact with me to schedule an appointment.
Some medical aid plans are often limited to short-term treatment approaches designed to work out specific problems that interfere with a person’s usual level of functioning. It may be necessary to seek approval from the medical aid provider for more therapy after a certain number of sessions. While a lot can be accomplished in short-term therapy, some patients feel that they need more services after initial medical aid benefits end.
CONTACTING ME
I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, I may not answer the phone when I am with a patient. When I am unavailable, my contact number will go to voicemail (that I monitor frequently). I will make every effort to return calls on the same day they are made, with the exception of weekends and holidays.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDS
I am required to keep records of the professional services I provide. Because these records contain information that can be misunderstood by someone who is not a mental health professional, it is my general policy that patients may not review them; however, I will provide at the patient’s request, a treatment summary, unless I believe that to do so would be emotionally damaging. If that is the case, I will be happy to send the summary to another mental health professional who can assist the patient in reviewing the records.
MINORS
In the case of a patient being under the age of eighteen, I will provide guardians only with general information about the minor’s therapeutic treatment, unless I feel there is a high risk that the minor will seriously harm his/herself or someone else. In this case, I will notify the legal guardians of my concern. Before giving them any information, I will discuss the matter with the minor patient and, if possible, do my best to handle any objections the minor may present. At the end of the minor’s treatment, I will prepare a summary of the work done in treatment for the parents/guardians, the therapist and the minor patient will discuss it before I send it to them. I will require that parents/guardians co-sign the consent form to ensure that they understand my procedures in this regard.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In general, the privacy of all communications between patient and psychologist are protected by law. Information about treatment is in most cases, only ever released with the patient’s written permission. There are however, exceptions to confidentiality of which these will be discussed in detail during initial sessions or upon the patient’s request.
