Below is the Letter of Agreement that we go over with all new clients. It helps to explain the process and expectations of counselling.
Letter of Agreement
Congratulations on taking the first and hardest step towards wellness. We look forward to working with you to create a treatment plan that will highlight your strengths, incorporate your current coping strategies, outline new coping skills, and help you to reach your goals.Below is a letter that should help to answer some of your questions and outline what to expect.This letter will also serve as a treatment contract between us. Please feel free to ask any questions prior to the signing of this contract. You are also more than welcome to take this home if you need more time to review.
See your doctor .A person’s mental health and physical health are intertwined. If you have not already done so, please book an appointment with your family doctor to review your current symptoms and ensure that there are no medical problems that could be contributing to your current struggles. If during our work together,we feel that you need to be evaluated by your doctor, we will inform you of this and will ask that you sign a release of information so that we may communicate our concerns with your physician.We will need your consent to do this, but feel that it is extremely important to have open communication between health care providers.
Appointments.Appointments will be 50 minutes in length.We prefer to meet with people on a weekly basis as we find it keeps the momentum of treatment going. However, if this is not possible we can negotiate a different frequency. If you need to cancel an appointment, please provide 24 hours notice if at all possible. If you do not make an effort to contact us to cancel your appointment, you may be charged for the missed appointment. If we need to cancel an appointment I will do my best to ensure that you have 24 hours notice as well. Emergency support.If you are in crisis and are unable to reach us by phone, there is 24hour telephone support available through the Barrett Crisis Centre (905) 529-7878 or COAST(905) 972-8338. Cost.The charge for each 50 minute session is $120.00(tax included). You may pay by cheque, cash, or e-mail transfer on the date of the appointment. If you have a health insurance plan through your employer or are part of a family member’s plan, you may have coverage for the sessions. Please contact your insurance provider to clarify. If the insurance company requires any paperwork we are more than happy to complete it and will return it to you, not the insurance company. If you require us to complete additional paperwork for your insurance company, employer, etc. there will be an additional cost that can be negotiated when need be. Confidentiality.Everything you discuss in session is confidential with three exceptions. If we are ever concerned that you may harm yourself or someone else we are obligated to report this to the police. If there are ever any concerns about child welfare, we are obligated to report this to the Children’s Aid Society. This includes any suspicion of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect of a minor. Finally, if our records were to be part of a court subpoena we are obligated to comply. If any of these things happen and we need to break confidentiality we will make every reasonable effort to include you in this process. You will beinformed what information has been shared and the reasoning behind it. We are required to keep a file on our sessions and you are more than welcome to have copies of these documents. These digital files are kept secure and are encrypted and will be kept for 7 years after the completion of your treatment. If you are requesting me to share information from our sessions with a third party (i.e. your family doctor)we will require expressed written consent to do so. Supervision. As part of our professional practice,it is important to seek out supervision around cases with a more experienced therapist inorder to ensure that we are providing the best quality of care. Candice receives formal supervision through Laura O’Neill (M.S.W., PhD,RSW, RP) on a regular basis. Although no demographic information is shared in these sessions,details of your concerns and treatment plan are discussed.Vicki and Candice are also part of a more informal peer supervision process. If you haveany questions about this process please do not hesitate to ask.
Our Qualifications. Candice- I hold a Masters of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and have been a practising clinical social worker for the last 18years. My specialty is working with people diagnosed with a mental illness and I previously spent5 years providing outpatient therapy through St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton before starting my private practice in 2015. I continue to work for St. Joseph’s Healthcare in a different capacity. I have completed additional training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy,addiction case work, Mindfulness training,Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Narrative Therapy.I am registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Vicki-I hold a Masters of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and have been in practice for 21 years. I have worked primarily within the field of child protection and child welfare as well as youth justice. I have a broad knowledge of the impact of complex trauma and childhood experiences on relationships and well being. I hold a certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Trauma Intervention Level 1 and2 and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. I also have further training in the area of Attachment and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy as well as Trauma Informed practice. I am registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Our Contract.Our work together will be based on your goals for attending treatment and will be informed through a thorough assessment completed at your first visit. Your goals can shift and change throughout the treatment process and if this happen will be discussed in session. Part of the treatment will include homework and we ask people to make a commitment to completing these exercises as it significantly contributes to the success of therapy. If you do not agree with the homework, are unsure how to complete it, or feel that the expectations are too easy or difficult, you agree to discuss this with us in session so that we can problem solve together. If you wish to terminate future sessions, please notify us of this. If your needs exceed our training or we feel that someone else may be able to offer a more appropriate service, we will refer you to this person/ organization with your permission. We do not offer couple or family therapy, but if this is required will again refer you to an appropriate service. Signature.We the undersigned have read this contract,understand it, and agree to the information included. We will comply with the points in this contract. We understand that our relationship may be discontinued whenever these terms are not fulfilled by either of us.
Candice Babbey, M.S.W., R.S.W Vicki Peirce, M.S.W., R.S.W. Stoney Creek Counselling Stoney Creek Counselling
