COUNSELING
I am pleased that we will be working together and look forward to helping you reach your goals in counseling.
I hope that clients will find my office offers a comfortable and safe atmosphere in which they can feel free to examine patterns of behavior, thoughts, and/or moods that may be causing their concern. I am diverse in my counseling approach which means I use a variety of theoretical approaches and strategies to meet client needs, address specific issues, and promote goal obtainment.
The therapeutic relationship begins at the time of our initial contact; it is the beginning of an information gathering process involving a number of tasks: intake, screening, brief clinical interview, evaluation, and assessment. Through our initial and on-going clinical collaboration therapeutic goals are established, refined, and achieved.
QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
My primary practice experience has been with adults, adolescents and families who are dealing with cognitive, behavioral, and/or emotional issues, PTSD, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, sex addiction, anger management, grief, trauma recovery, and relational difficulties.
PAYMENT INFORMATION
Payment can be made by cash, check, or debit/credit card and is due at the time of your appointment, unless other agreement has been made. Advanced payment-in-full is required for all court-ordered services; this is to ensure that all my costs are covered prior to my release of your status reports, satisfactory completion and/or non-compliance with court-ordered services.
UTILIZING INSURANCE
I am no longer participating on any insurance panels. I have found that doing so has limited the frequencies and duration of services that I thought clinically appropriate, and in some cases, judicially mandated. I can provide you with a receipt for services provided so that you can file a claim with your insurance company to receive potential reimbursement for out-of-network benefits. This is not a guarantee of payment.
CANCELLATION POLICY
The time you schedule for an appointment is reserved for you. In the event you are unable to keep an appointment please provide 24–hour advance notice to avoid being charged for the missed appointment – emergency situations are an exception to this charge. Forgotten or rescheduled extracurricular or work changes do not meet this definition.
HOW TO NOTIFY OFFICE OF CANCELLATION
Advanced notification for appointment changes should be made by emailing CDSshreveport@protonmail.com or texting 318.453.3658.
TYPES OF SERVICES AND CLIENT POPULATION
My practice also includes a number of programmatic and educational services that can be available to you depending upon your specific clinical and/or legal needs. These include but are not limited to:
CODE OF ETHICS
I acknowledge that, by entering into our counseling relationship, I am aware of and I do accept all of the personal and professional responsibilities required of me by the code of ethics of my two state professional licensure boards, the Louisiana State Board of Social Worker Examiners (LABSWE) and the Louisiana Addictive Disorders Regulatory Authority (LA-ADRA). Copies of each will be provided upon request.
PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION & CONFIDENTIALITY
I am required to abide by the professional practice standards and Louisiana law. I do not disclose client confidences and information to any third party without a client’s written consent or waiver except when mandated or permitted by law. Verbal authorization will not be sufficient except in emergency situations. State law mandates that I report to the appropriate authorities suspected cases of child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, or disabled abuse/neglect and instances of danger to self or others when necessary to protect the client or other parties from a clear and imminent threat of serious physical harm. Certain types of litigation may lead to the court-ordered release of information without your consent.
When working with couples, families, or groups I cannot disclose any information outside of the treatment context without a written authorization from all individuals competent to sign such authorization. When working with a family or couple, information shared by individuals in sessions, when other family members are not present, must be held in confidence (except for the mandated exceptions already noted) unless all individuals involved sign written waivers at the outset of therapy. Clients may refuse to sign such a waiver but should be advised that maintaining confidentiality for individual sessions during couple or family therapy could impede or even prevent a positive outcome to therapy.
POTENTIAL COUNSELING RISKS
Please be aware that counseling poses potential risks. While working together additional issues may surface, may become more acute, or may affect your relationships in ways you had not fully anticipated. If this occurs, please feel free to share any new concerns with me.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
During business hours please text 318.453.3658 so that I can call you as soon as possible. If I am unable to return your call within the period you consider necessary to address the emergency situation, you should call 911 or if warranted, proceed to your nearest emergency room.
CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
The client is expected to follow billing, scheduling, and office procedures. It is expected that he or she will terminate any previous counseling relation or get permission from the prior therapist. It is suggested that the client have a complete physical examination if he/she has not had one within the past year. Also, the client agrees to list on the intake form any medication he/she is taking.
WEBSITE WILL CONTINUE TO BE EDITED AS ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND EVENTS ARE ADDED