Sessions
Sessions are generally fifty (50) minutes in duration unless other arrangements have been made in advance. Weekend hours are usually unavailable.
Fees (due at time of service)
Initial Evaluation: $100 – 125 for 50-60 minute session
Individual, couple,
or family sessions: $85 – 100 for 45-50 minute session
For clients with insurance, co-pays are due at the time of service. If your deductible has not yet been met, you will be responsible for the session fee (at the allowable rate) until your out-of-pocket amount has been satisfied.
A sliding scale is available under certain circumstances based upon need and income level. Proof of reduced income is required along with the application. All fees are due at time of service.
There is no charge for an occasional brief telephone contact (five minutes or so). Longer calls will be charged on a pro-rated basis.
Cancellations
The times set aside for you are not easily filled when canceled with short notice. Late cancellations and missed appointments will be charged at the standard fee. Exceptions on a case-by-case basis may be made for emergencies (for example, sudden illness or hazardous driving conditions). Please remember that insurance cannot be billed for missed appointments.
Insurance
Counselors at our practice are on several insurance panels. Other plans may allow you to see one of our therapists as an “out-of-network” provider if your insurance company is not on the list.
Telephone accessibility
When you call (803) 403-8469, you will usually reach our confidential voicemail which is accessed only by Pathways’ staff. If you are a first time caller, please leave a message in the appropriate mailbox and someone will return your call as soon as possible, almost always the same day. If you are currently seeing one of our therapists, please leave messages directly in their mailbox. Please call between 8:00am and 7:00pm for non-emergency contacts. If an urgent situation develops, please indicate this clearly in your message. If you need to talk with someone immediately, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Confidentiality Policy and Exceptions
Professional ethics and legal standards require that our conversations and our records be kept strictly confidential. Even the fact that you are a client may not be disclosed unless you have signed a release form giving us permission to talk with a specific individual.
However, there are certain circumstances under which we are legally and ethically obligated to breach confidentiality:
- If you present a serious imminent danger to yourself or others
- In cases of apparent abuse or neglect of a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person
- When a judge orders the release of information
These events have rarely occurred in our practice. If it does happen, we will make an effort to fully discuss this with you before taking any actions. If we must breach confidentiality, the minimum amount of information will be revealed – only enough to protect you or others involved.
All insurance companies require information about you that includes, at a minimum, a psychiatric diagnosis and dates and types of services provided. Managed care companies may require more information to authorize visits beyond those initially approved.
We cannot control the confidentiality of any information once it is disclosed to insurance companies or their agents. Any questions regarding the limits of confidentiality of information that has been provided to insurance companies should be directed to your individual insurance carrier. If you would prefer not to use your insurance, please ask us about your option to pay privately.
Please refer to the Notice of Privacy Practices for additional information about confidentiality.
Records
As required by law and professional ethics, we maintain confidential records of our sessions together, and any other contact with us. These records (written or verbal) are available to others only at your written request. You are entitled to receive a copy of your records, unless there is a reason to believe that releasing them might be harmful. In that case, your therapist will discuss the options for reviewing the information contained in your medical records.
Consultation
In order to serve you best, your therapist may consult with other professional when appropriate. Your name and identifying details will not be disclosed.
The Treatment Process
The goals of therapy are arrived at by mutual agreement. The length of therapy can range from a couple of sessions to several years. It is usually difficult to assess at the beginning how long therapy will take.
Participation in therapy can result in a number of benefits to you, including the reduction of intensity of the distress or unease that brought you into therapy, improved interpersonal relationships and increased insight. However, there are no guarantees that therapy will result in positive or intended results.
There are risks in undertaking the therapy. Psychotherapy can involve recalling or reliving unpleasant aspects of your history. As a result, you may sometimes experience sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, loneliness and helplessness. At times, you may be challenged to address some of your long-held perceptions and explore different ways of looking at or handling situations. At times, these challenges may feel threatening.
If you have any questions about the process of therapy, please bring them up for discussion with your therapist. This may be difficult for you, but “stretching” yourself to try out new ways of relating to others may be very helpful in your journey.
Ending Therapy
After the first couple of meetings, you and your therapist will be discussing goals for treatment and establishing that the therapeutic relationship will be beneficial to you. It is very important that you, the client, believe your therapist will help you in your journey. If this is not believed to be true after those initial sessions, then your therapist can suggest other clinicians or resources for you. If at any point during the therapeutic process it becomes evident that the work between you and your therapist is not effective, you will have the opportunity to discuss this, and if appropriate, terminate treatment and suggest alternatives.
We will do our best to support the concluding of our work together, no matter what the reason. When you decide you are ready to leave, your therapist desires to help you “leave well.” Please give at least one week’s notice so that you can review the work you have done with your therapist and plan for the future. Even if you are unable to give advance notice, we will still do our best to help you leave well.
