Client Consent | Therapist near me | The Counselling Space

Client Consent & Rights

Know the risks, benefits, and alternatives to engaging in counselling
Determine the goals / focus of counselling
Say “yes, no, pass, maybe, good bye” at any time
Know that your information is kept confidential and to know the exceptions of confidentiality
Let me know if you have any concerns about me as a therapist or about progress in counselling
Ask questions (and receive a response) about any aspect of counselling that you do not understand

All information you share with your therapist is confidential.
Your information will not be released to anyone without your written permission (with some exceptions as explained below).
When information is to be released with your consent you will be consulted regarding what information is to be released.
Your information will be kept on file in a secure and private location.
You may review the contents of your own counselling file upon request.

A client’s confidential information may be released without their consent under the following conditions:

When the purpose is to protect individuals (including a client) who are at foreseeable and imminent risk of bodily harm or death as a result of a client’s actions.
Under law that requires reporting of child and elder abuse/neglect to authorities.
Under subpoena from a court of law.
If you initiate an ethical complaint about me, we may need to use information in your client file to respond to the complaint.
If you disclose in confidence that you have done something illegal, we are not obligated to report this to the authorities, unless the circumstances involve child abuse, abuse against a dependent adult, or a direct threat to another person (as outlined above).

Email is a quick and convenient method of communication. Many of our clients use it to correspond with us.
Please be aware, however, that while every effort is made to safeguard your privacy, we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of email messages. If this is a concern for you, please opt for an alternate method of communication.
We will only use email to communicate with you: a) in response to an email you send me, b) to remind you of upcoming appointments, or c) as you authorize it or otherwise request email communication.

If your life or safety is in danger please phone 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
For other emergencies a useful resource is the Edmonton Distress Line (24 hours) at 780-482-4357.
Non-urgent concerns should be reserved for a scheduled appointment.

If you will be submitting any health claims for reimbursement to your health insurance provider (or if you would like us to provide direct billing) for the counselling services you receive here, your health insurance provider may contact us to obtain information necessary to verify your claim.
The type of information they would typically request includes: 1) date of service, 2) the nature of services provided, and 3) the names of individuals who received the service.

Weekly or bi-weekly 50-minute sessions are most common.
The frequency of sessions is based largely on your needs and situation.
The amount of sessions needed varies depending on the nature of each person’s concerns, the complexity of the issues involved, the strength of our working relationship, and each person’s commitment to work on the presenting issues.
There is a direct relationship between effort applied between sessions and progress over time.
Anywhere between 1 and 20 sessions is typical, though more sessions may be needed in some situations.

The Counselling Space fees are $195 per hour for Registered Psychologists, $160-$180 per hour for Registered Provisional Psychologists, $120 per hour for Certified Canadian Counsellors, and $75 per hour for Master's Level Student Therapists.
Sessions are billed as a 50-minute session with 10 minutes of note-taking afterward.
Additional time beyond the 50-minute hour may be billed in 10-minute increments.
Billable services include: face-to-face and telephone consultations (not including the initial telephone intake or dealing with brief scheduling matters), report writing and other requested correspondence, and review of written records from other professionals.
The Counselling Space prefers payment at each session; we accept cash, credit cards, cheques and e-transfers (andrea@thecounsellingspace.ca). We also provide direct billing to select insurance companies. Please connect with Andrea for further details.
In situations wherein The Counselling Space is directly billing an insurance company, the client is responsible for covering any and all portions that are not covered by the insurance company.
The Counselling Space does not make any guarantees that the full cost of counselling fees will be covered as coverage is unique to each benefit plan.
Where outstanding fees remain following direct billing to insurance companies, the client and therapist will discuss the preferable method of payment. If no preference is stated by the client, the credit card on file will be billed

If you cannot attend an appointment, please notify us 24 hours in advance.
The purpose of a 24-hour cancellation policy is to allow enough time for us to fill the vacant appointment slot, thereby meeting the needs of other clients who are waiting for an appointment.
A same day cancellation provides insufficient notice with which to re-book an appointment, and thus represents lost opportunity for someone else to benefit from that time slot.
There is, therefore, a fee charged for a late cancellation or no show, which is the full session fee.
We appreciate that unforeseen events sometimes happen, but please be as respectful of our time as you can.