Throughout
our work together, I will make every reasonable effort to
professionally facilitate the resolution of your needs and
concerns. Ultimately, you must decide to use what you gain
from the counseling process.
Your
Rights and Responsibilities
You have the
right to ask me to explain my reasons for making certain
recommendations or for using certain procedures. You also
have the right to refuse to follow these recommendations, and/or
to terminate the counseling process at any time and for any
reason. I have the right and ethical responsibility to
terminate counseling and offer a referral to another counselor
if you choose not to follow my recommendations. Either of
us may request a final session to discuss the reasons for
termination, and to decide on an appropriate referral if
desired. Please inform me of your intentions to see
another counselor or mental health professional during the
course of our work together, so that we may provide consistent
treatment for you.
You have the
right to confidentiality in the counseling relationship as
described in the next section (My responsibilities as your
counselor / consultant).
Our work can
only be effective with commitment and continuity. If you
must cancel a scheduled appointment, please inform me no sooner
than 24 hours before the appointment. You will be
responsible for payment for any missed or uncancelled
appointments, except in the case of personal emergency.
Please be on time for your scheduled sessions, as other clients
may have appointments with me immediately following yours.
Note that if you are late, the session will still need to end on time,
and you will still be responsible for full payment.
My
Responsibilities as Your Counselor/Consultant
I adhere to
the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice approved by the
Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling and the American
Counseling Association. These ethics and standards are
intended to protect the welfare of both my clients and the
community I serve. A primary provision of these is my
responsibility to protect your right to privacy:
I must
keep all details of our counseling relationship, including
anything you tell me, in strict confidence, unless I have your
expressed permission to inform or consult with someone else.
I may consult with colleagues for supervision with the
understanding that I will not disclose your name or other
identifiable personal information. This code of
confidentiality has a few exceptions:
1. I must disclose information to a third
party if I learn of any on-going or potential abuse or neglect
of a child or elderly person, I must alert authorities.
2. If I receive information confirming you
have a disease known to be communicable and fatal, I must
disclose this to a third party who by her/his relationship with
you is at high risk of contracting the disease. Before making
the disclosure, I must first determine that you have not already
informed the third party, and that you have no intention to do
so.
3. If I am certain that you have intentions of
hurting/killing yourself, or hurting/killing someone else, I
must do what I can to intervene. In short, I have a "duty
to protect" you and others from harm.
4. I will not disclose any information without
first consulting my colleagues or other professionals regarding
the validity of these exceptions. Should you request that I
reveal information about our counseling relationship to others,
I will ask you to first sign a release of information form
specifying exactly what you wish revealed and to whom.
I will not
disclose any information without first consulting other
professionals regarding the validity of these exceptions.
*For
conjoint couples therapy with my associate Anita Neuer, you
agree that Anita and I are free to discuss amongst ourselves our
individual sessions with each member of the relationship.
Your permission must still be granted before either of us can
reveal to you anything about the session contents with your
partner.
