Please take a few moments to read over the policies below regarding cancellations, fees and forms of accepted payment, and email and texting policies.
1) Late Appointment Cancelation: It is asked that cancellations be received by Ms. Reichlin at least 24 hours in advance. Appointments cancelled less than 24 hrs before an appointment will be charged for in full. (Exceptions are made only in the case of illness or personal emergency.)
Why a “Late Cancelation Policy”? When you set an appointment with a psychotherapist, you are in essence “buying” that time from them, (similar to buying a seat on an airplane). Late cancelations simply do not offer sufficient time for the therapist to fill your vacated slot, so the charge remains. However, there are ways around this.
Ways to Avoid Being Charged: If you find out at the last minute that you cannot attend a reserved time, (it hapens to us all), there are a couple of ways to still be able to use that “airline ticket” you purchased:
a) If the missed appointment can be rescheduled at a mutually agreed upon time later in the same week, the late cancellation fee will be waived.
b) If you are attending therapy as part of a couple, the one who does not have a scheduling conflict can choose to use the reserved slot for an individual session for themselves. A lot of good work can be done for the relationship when one partner is willing to come in to work on themselves. (This is only possible, however, when the absent partner approves.)
2) Payment & Receipts: It is asked that payment be made a the end of each session. Ms. Reichlin accepts Zelle payments, checks and cash. If requested, she will provide you with a statement at the end of each month.
Credit cards are accepted only for the Imago Weekend Workshop.
3) Communication and Your Privacy Electronic mail and texting are not safe forms of communication. (E.g., emails or texts may be sent to the wrong person, others in your home or office environment may see messages intended only for you, third parties may have or store email, etc.).
Accordingly, Ms. Reichlin works to protect your sensitive personal data by utilizing a secure, encrypted email service called Hushmail. Sharing of sensitive, personal information should only be done via this encrypted format. Her Hushmail email address is breichlin@imagoworks.com. You will need to create a pass phrase to access encrypted information she sends to you.
For convenience, Ms. Reichlin’s regular email address: breichiln@swbell.net, may be used for communication regarding administrative matters, (such as setting appointment times). She checks mail at this address slightly more often.
Should you ever need to discuss an urgent or confidential issue outside a face-to-face therapy session, please email Ms. Reichlin at both email addresses, (breichlin@imagoworks.com and breichlin@swbell.net), and leave her a message at: 713-660-9988.
In Summary:
Sensitive Information should only be sent to breichlin@imagoworks.com.
Administrative Information/Questions may be sent to either breichlin@swbell.net or breichlin@imagoworks.com.
4) Communication with Ms. Reichlin While in Couples Therapy
While in couples counseling, you may, on occasion, wish to relay a private question or comment to Ms. Reichlin. This is understood, and can sometimes be helpful. However, if you decide to take this step, it is best, in the interest of building safety and trust for both partners, that you inform your partner that you wish to, (or have already), sent a private communication to Ms. Reichlin. In addition, be aware that Ms. Reichlin will mention that a one-on-one contact has occurred in the next couples session. Creating and sustaining safety for all involved is a non-negotiable requirement for making progress in couples therapy. Making sure we are all on the same page is a key step toward building that safety.
Ms. Reichlin always prefers that the content of such communication be directly shared with the partner, so she will work with you on how to express your concerns in a way that furthers the goals of therapy.
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Thank you for understanding these policies – most are required by HIPAA and are for your protection.