IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THERAPY:

Important Things to Know About Therapy:

Confidentiality:
It is important that you feel “safe” in this room, so for the most part, everything that you say in this room stays in this room.

• However, there are some Legal Exceptions to Confidentiality, which mandate action on my part: (1) You are extremely Suicidal and you Cannot Contract for Safety; (2) You plan to Kill someone; (3) You have been Abused, are currently being Abused, or are at current risk of being Abused; (4) You know of someone who is currently being Abused or is at current risk of being Abused*.
• Ages 10 and up: While technically, you are a minor and your parent/legal guardian could legally ask me all kinds of questions about what is being talked about in the YOUR Individual Therapy, your parent/legal guardian also knows that it would NOT be in the interest of YOUR Individual Therapy being effective, therefore he/she will attempt to refrain from asking me specific questions about what we are talking about in YOUR Individual Therapy, & I will make a lot of effort to avoid answering specific questions.
• If at some point you tell me something that I think it would be beneficial for your parent/legal guardian to know, I will NOT talk w your parent/legal guardian about it without your permission (except for the Legal Exceptions to Confidentiality*), rather I will try to get YOU to tell that person. I will talk to that person on your behalf if you wish it however.

Frequency of Therapy Sessions:

• Generally speaking, when someone begins therapy, depending upon how severe things are, it is generally most effective to schedule appointments as close to 1x/week as you can manage. This is because we build on our Momentum.
• However, as you start to Internalize the Therapy, Internalize your New Positive Coping Skills, & experience Change in your outside life, however, you will be able to start spacing the appointments out further & further.
• People who have their appointments “all over the place” seem to struggle a lot more & don’t get better nearly as quickly as they could.
• I understand that you have Work/School schedule issues to work around, so I’ll work with your schedule to the best of my ability.
  • Clients have found Telehealth to be helpful in this way, as they do NOT have to drive to my office to see me, as Client can do their Therapy from wherever they happen to be at the time (as long as it is in Tennessee)!!!
  • I can provide School Notes that have the same status as a Medical Doctor’s Excuse Note!!!
  • To minimize your negative impact on your Work/School, many people try to get appointments at 8:30am/9am onward, at Lunchtime, during very particular School classes, or after school/work ends.
• Appointments are at a “first come, first serve” basis however, so at the beginning, you should just try to get an appointments that are less disruptive to your Work/Schedule, and then book further appointments ahead. It is easier to Have an Appointment and Cancel it, than to never have had an Appointment at all.

Therapeutic Homework:

• No, I am NOT talking about a bunch of written stuff, generally speaking.
• DOING YOUR HOMEWORK MAKES YOUR LIFE BETTER in between Therapy Sessions. We could talk on this sofa till we’re blue in the face, but CHANGE HAPPENS IN YOUR REAL LIFE BETWEEN SESSIONS.
• People who actually do their homework get better WAY FASTER than those who do not.
• I will Never ask you do so something unless I am confident it will actually be helpful to you.
• If there is a Homework "assignment" that you think that you Won't actually do OR you DO NOT want to do, please tell me and WE will come-up with something that you feel works better for you.

Roles:

• You are the “Boss” here- NOT me. I am just “the Guide”. What you say goes!!
• People of all ages often feel like they have very little power in their lives OR do not actually believe in themselves/ their own decision-making, so creating a Therapeutic Space where they can practice being a "Boss" can be tremendously healing and confidence-building.
• Part of being "the Boss" means that:
  • I will NEVER judge you
  •  You do NOT have to worry about pleasing me
  • You never have to apologize to me (even if you cuss me out- you still don't have to apologize to me)
  • You can do NO Wrong with me.
  • You are Completely Safe Here
  • Sometimes people would like me to help Facilitate a conversation, so they would like to Invite a "Guest" to Therapy.
    • While there are some HIPPA- Related Forms you and the "Guest" will have to Fill for that, you Never have to Ask MY permission.
    • Just give me the heads-up and do it! :-)

Other Important Information, etc.:

• I am available for appointments in the office on  Monday- Friday 8:00/8:30am- 5pm.
• Tel: (615) 499-8636. / Fax: (615) 261-8898 / Email: [email protected]
• For Existing Clients only: Secure Client Portal 
• The best way for Existing Clients to Contact me and discuss confidential information is to send me a HIPPA-Secure/Encryped Message thru their own Secure Client Portal account. 
  • I will respond as soon as I am able.
• Other good ways to contact me are by texting or emailing, especially if I am in- session or out of the office.
• If you do wish to text me, please note that text messaging is NOT a HIPPA-Compliant form of communication, so I suggest that you DO NOT Provide Confidential Information via Text.
  • So, if you do choose to text me, I suggest that you just leave the best time/day and contact# where I can reach you, and a brief description of the nature of your concern.)
  • I will respond as soon as I am able.
• Calling me and leaving a voicemail is Much Less likely to result in a prompt response from me, so I strongly encourage you to instead use the above methods of Communication.
• In addition to reaching-out to me, if you are suicidal and unable to keep yourself safe, please call the:
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).  If it is a life-threatening emergency, dial 911.