Welcome to Duffy Wellness! We look forward to collaborating with you to work towards achieving your goals. This document contains important information about our professional services and business policies. Please read it carefully. We are happy to discuss any questions you might have.

PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES

Duffy Wellness uses an individualized, strength-based approach to assist you on your journey to wellness of mind, body and spirit. There are various methods of psychotherapy that may be used during our sessions depending on what you want to improve in your life and what specific method best suits your individual needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Mindfulness are the evidence based practices employed at Duffy Wellness. Duffy Wellness looks forward to collaborating with you on your journey to creating the life you want. Wellness is a practice and, as such, your participation in and out of session is key to successful outcomes.

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. It is often uncomfortable to reflect upon challenges and/or distress in your life and uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness can emerge during the therapeutic process. However, psychotherapy has been shown to lead to many improvements in people’s overall mood, functioning and relationships. Although everyone responds to psychotherapy differently and there are no outcome guarantees, therapy can help integrate and improve the different domains of wellness and lead to a life of increased joy and satisfaction.

Our initial sessions will involve a comprehensive assessment of your current biopsychosocial functioning, focusing on your unique strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. We will collaboratively review the assessment together and identify treatment plan goals and objectives to work on and the methods that we will employ to achieve them. Therapy is an investment of time, money, and energy into your personal growth, so please do not hesitate to ask any questions to help you decide whether Duffy Wellness is the practice for you. If you decide that we are not a good match or a referral is indicated as best practice, Duffy Wellness is happy to refer you to another talented provider.

Therapy Sessions

The initial comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment session lasts between 90 minutes to 2 hours. Individual and/or family therapy sessions are typically scheduled on a weekly basis and last for 50 minutes. Duffy Wellness may recommend more, or less, frequent sessions based on an evaluation of your individual clinical needs and preferences. We are happy to discuss the recommended treatment frequency and duration in order to make necessary adjustments to accommodate your needs or life circumstances. Once an appointment is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide a 24 hour advance notice of cancellation, or we both agree that the circumstances that caused you to miss the appointment were beyond your control.

Professional Fees

Our standard fee for a 50-minute therapy session is $125.00 per session, except for the initial evaluation session, which is $200.00 per session. If longer sessions are indicated, an additional $50.00 fee will be billed for each additional 30 minutes of therapy. In addition to regular appointments, I charge my hourly fee of $125.00, or a proration thereof, for any professional services you may need, including, but not limited to: supportive phone interventions lasting longer than 15 minutes, interdisciplinary treatment consultations with other healthcare professionals working with you, treatment summaries/document preparation, professional consultations or other therapeutic services provided. It is the policy of Duffy Wellness to not engage in criminal and/or civil court proceedings unless legally compelled by a valid subpoena and, as such, court reports are not a service Duffy Wellness provides. Please note that my fees may increase in the future. If this were to occur, you would be notified of any fee changes at least 30 days in advance.

Billing and Payment

Session fees are due at the time of your appointment, unless another payment arrangement has been agreed upon in advance. Payments for other professional services will be agreed upon as they are requested.

Duffy Wellness will bill the credit card on file if you have an outstanding bill of more than 30 days. All outstanding balances of 90 days or more, with no agreed upon payment plan in place, are subject to be referred to collection or small claims court. Typically, only the client’s name, type of services provided, and the amount due are disclosed in collections situations.

Contacting Me

If you are experiencing an emergency, please contact 911 immediately or go to your nearest emergency room. I can be contacted by telephone, email and a HIPAA compliant app portal. If we are unable to immediately answer your correspondence, we commit to responding to you within 24 business hours of your communication. Please leave us a detailed message, including your name, preferred method of contacting you and the best time to reach out. If we are unavailable for an extended period, Duffy Wellness will ensure that we have at least two referrals for interim services should you require them. Duffy Wellness is not an emergency crisis facility or drop-in center.

Professional Records

Retaining clinical records is required by law for a prescribed amount of time. You are entitled to receive a copy of the records upon request. Duffy Wellness is happy to review them with you in advance to ensure your satisfaction.

Minors

If you are under 18 years of age, please be advised that the law may allow your parents to access your treatment records. We work to ensure the process is as collaborative as possible and that all record releases are discussed, if possible, with you in advance.

Confidentiality

Duffy Wellness places the highest value on your confidentiality as a fundamental right of your treatment experience. The information shared between a client and a psychotherapist is protected by laws and ethics. I would need your written consent before I may release any information concerning your treatment, except under the following circumstance:

• When a valid legal subpoena has been issued demanding your medical records.

• When Duffy Wellness identifies that you are in imminent danger of harming yourself and others.

• When Duffy Wellness is made aware of any type of abuse or neglect.

• When you have signed a Release of Information for coordination and continuity of care.

*******Please review our Notice of Privacy Practices for a more comprehensive description of your rights to confidentiality*******