About Psychotherapy Services
Psychotherapy is a working cooperative relationship between you and your therapist. Each member of this cooperative relationship has certain responsibilities. Your therapist will contribute their knowledge, expertise, and clinical skills. You, as a participant/client, have the responsibility to bring an attitude of collaboration and a commitment to the therapeutic process. While there are no guarantees regarding the outcome of the treatment, your commitment may increase the likelihood of a satisfactory experience. A successful therapeutic journey involves investment in yourself with emotional energy, financial and time commitments.
 
As a client of My New Days Counseling (MNDs), you have certain rights and responsibilities that are important for you to understand. There are also legal limitations to those rights that you should be aware of. I, as your therapist, have corresponding responsibilities to you. These rights and responsibilities are described in the following sections. Please note that psychotherapy is not an emergency service. If you are experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, are in an emotional crisis, or need immediate help, please call 988 or if you are experiencing a medical life or death emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Benefits and Risks of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy has both benefits and risks. Risks may include experiencing uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, frustration, loneliness and helplessness, because the process of psychotherapy often requires discussing the unpleasant aspects of your life. However, psychotherapy has been shown to have benefits for individuals who undertake it. Therapy often leads to a significant reduction in feelings of distress, increased satisfaction in interpersonal relationships, greater personal awareness and insight, increased skills for managing stress and resolutions to specific problems. Note that there are no guarantees about what will happen. Psychotherapy requires a very active effort on your part. In order to be most successful, you will have to work on things we discuss outside of sessions.

The First Sessions
The first few sessions typically involve a comprehensive evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some initial impressions of what our work might include. At that point, we will discuss your treatment goals and create an initial treatment plan. You should evaluate this information and make your own assessment about whether you feel comfortable working with me. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion.

At My New Days Counseling, LLC, (MNDs) your time and our initial agreement for your recurring appointments are highly respected and valued. Your individual reserved slots contribute to a healthy and transparent business transaction between you, your mental health provider and MNDs. Your provider works under the assumption that by signing this agreement, you are agreeing to respect each other, each other's time,  and all business and therapeutic transactions. You may cancel appointments in advance free of charge as long as there is a minimum advance notice of 48 business hours (2 business days) prior to your reserved/scheduled time slot. The following policies provide your therapist with an opportunity to receive payment if you cannot uphold your reserved slot.

a. Rescheduling Policy: Please note you always have the option to reschedule your session, free of charge, within the same business week (M-F), depending on your provider's schedule availability. 

b. Cancellation Policy:
Due to the individualized scheduling system My New Days Counseling manages; no-shows or last-minute cancellations will be charged a cancellation fee (equivalent to a 60 minute slot based on your self-pay or insurance contracted rate). This will apply for all missed reserved appointments when there is no advance notice of cancellation within a 48 business hour (2 business days) period prior to your scheduled appointment or no alternative rescheduling date within the same business week. Please note this fee is not covered by any insurance plan and must be paid prior to reserving a new appointment slot. Two(2) consecutive cancellations/late cancellations/no shows will forfeit your weekly reserved/recurrent appointment slot.

c. Early Departure Policy:
At My New Days Counseling, each reserved slot is reserved for a sixty (60) minute session. If you leave early, please consider the substantial impact on the livelihood of My New Days Counseling and its sustainability. Due to the individualized scheduling system of My New Days Counseling, we request that you plan these ahead so there is no misuse of your time or of the time of other potential clients that could have been scheduled in the reserved slot. Please note that a consistent pattern of early departures or two (2) consecutive early departures may forfeit all weekly reserved or recurrent slots.

Payments
Only credit card, cash, money orders or certified checks will be accepted for payment arrangements - Any questions email: billing@mynewdays.org. Should you fail to pay the stipulated fee for services, closure may take place and alternative service resources will be provided. We may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and provision of possible referrals if you are in default on payment.

Therapeutic Business Boundary
Maintaining professional boundaries and avoiding conflict of interests, is an essential part of your journey with My New Days Counseling (MNDs) to ensure the therapeutic relationship remains focused on your balanced mental health journey and not on personal obligations. MNDs will consistently evaluate through supervision/consultation for any conflict of interests and if any are discovered, MNDs leadership staff will inform your assigned provider and assist in developing alternatives for your service in order to protect your mental health needs. At MNDs , confidentiality and privacy are the cornerstone of our mission and vision, although there are legal and ethical exceptions. All MNDs staff and/or providers are required by law to breach confidentiality under specific circumstances clinically assessed such as:

• Risk of harm to self or others.

• Suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or animal.

• Court orders or subpoenas that require information disclousures.

a. Gift Giving Practices:
All MNDs staff and clinical providers are prohibited from receiving gifts from you that are in excess in monetary value, expensive or inappropriate to the therapeutic business relationship.

b. Legal Proceedings Clause:
You agree to receive services from providers at MNDs for the sole purpose of therapeutic purposes only and not with the intention for use in any legal proceedings or investigations of any kind. No staff or provider of MNDs will provide voluntary testimony, written statements, evaluations, or opinions for use in legal matters, included but not limited to:

• Custody disputes,

• Disability claims,

• Personal injury cases,

• or other civil or criminal proceedings, unless required by law or court order.

If a court order or subpoena requires MNDs providers or staff to participate in legal proceedings, you will be responsible for all related professional fees, including, but not limited to:

• MNDs own legal consults,

• Eight(8)hour work day,

• Preparation time,

• Travel/boarding expenses,

• Time spent testifying or responding to legal requests,

These will be billed a the legal hourly rate of $280. These rates must be fully paid prior to the scheduled court date, even if the case/hearing is postponed. By signing this document, you acknowledge understanding and agreement with this clause and waive any right to request or compel MNDs testimony or records for purposes other than those required by law.

c. Written Requests: 
A prorated service fee will be charged for any written documents requested based on the current hourly self-pay session rate.

Minors: 
If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. Your provider will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential as well as the ethical limits of your confidentiality.

Closures: Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. We may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if your provider determines that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. We will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another provider, we will provide you with a list of providers within and/or outside of MNDs to continue your therapeutic process. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source. Should you fail to schedule an appointment for two (2) consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, MNDs must consider the professional relationship discontinued. If you fail to pay the stipulated fees for the services, treatment may also be closed and you will be offered alternative resources.

Professional Records:
I am required to keep appropriate records of the psychological services that I provide. I keep records noting that:

• You were here,

• Reasons for seeking therapy,

• The goals and progress we set for treatment,

• Diagnosis,

• Topics we discussed,

• Medical, social, and treatment history,

• Records I receive from other providers,

• Copies of records I send to other professionals,

• and your billing records.

Except in unusual circumstances that involve danger to yourself, you have the right to a copy of your file. Because these are professional records, they may be misinterpreted and / or upsetting to untrained readers. For this reason, I recommend that you initially review them with me, or have them forwarded to another mental health professional to discuss the contents. If I refuse your request for access to your records, you have a right to have my decision reviewed by another mental health professional, which I will discuss with you upon your request. You also have the right to request that a copy of your file be made available to any other health care provider at your written request.

Confidentiality 
Communication between you and your provider is confidential. This means that your counselor will not discuss your case orally or in writing without your expressed written permission.
Your counselor has an ethical and legal obligation to break confidentiality under the following circumstances:

1. If there is a reason to believe there is an occurrence of child, elder, or dependent adult abuse or neglect.

2. If there is reason to believe that you have serious intent to harm yourself, someone else, or property by a violent act you may commit.

3. If you disclose that you knowingly develop, duplicate, print, download, stream, or access through any electronic or digital media or exchanges, a film, photograph, video in which a child is engaged in an act of obscene sexual conduct.

4. If you introduce your emotional condition into a legal proceeding.

If there is a court order for release of your records.

​Communication: 

By providing your phone number through our website or verbally, you consent to receive text messages from My New Days Counseling.

• Message frequency may vary

• Message and data rates may apply

• You can opt out at any time by replying STOP

• For assistance, reply HELP or contact us directly

We do not share, sell, or distribute your mobile number or SMS consent information with third parties for marketing purposes.

​a. Telephone Accessibility: 
If you need to contact your provider between sessions, please leave a message on the office voicemail or contact your assigned provider directly. Most providers are often not immediately available; however, they will attempt to return your call within 48 business hours. MNDs does not offer a 24/7 crisis response service. If you are experiencing emotional distress after the office is closed, call 988 or your nearest emergency department.

b. Social Media:
Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, no MNDs staff or providers will accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc). We believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy duties. It may also blur the boundaries of your therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring it up when you meet with your MNDs provider to discuss further.

c. Electronic Communication:
Electronic communication is defined as, including, but not limited to: telephone communication, the Internet, texts, and e-mail is considered telehealth. If you and your provider chose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that:

1. You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.

2. All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable.

3. Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine contact is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a prorated service fee.

4. Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.

There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine.

​Potential benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Improved communication capabilities

• Providing convenient access to up-to-date information

• Support, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice

• Improved access to therapy, better continuity of care

Reduction of lost work time and travel costs

​Potential Risks:

• The provider may not perceive certain clinically relevant aspects, such as: Physical conditions (posture, coordination, hygiene, body language)

• Subtle emotional changes

• Contextual elements of their environment

These factors may limit the therapist's ability to make complete visual or behavioral observations, which may affect the clinical assessment in some cases

Additional Rights & Responsibilities:
In addition to your right to confidentiality, you have the right to end your psychotherapy services with MNDs at any time, for whatever reason and without any obligation, with the exception of payment of fees for services already provided. You have the right to question any aspect of your treatment with your therapist.
 

1. You also have the right to expect that your therapist will maintain professional and ethical boundaries by not entering into other personal, financial, or professional relationships with you.

2. If you are unhappy with what is happening in therapy, MNDs welcomes you to talk to your assigned provider so that the concern can be responded to appropriately. Such comments will be taken seriously and handled with care and respect. You may also request that I refer you to another therapist.

3. You have the right to considerate, safe and respectful care, without discrimination as to race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, or national origin.

4. You have the right to ask questions about any aspects of therapy and about the provider's specific training and experience.

5. In circumstances where your assigned provider concludes that your service needs would be better served at another facility, they will suggest another appropriate professional.

6. Your signature below indicates that you have read and understand this information and have received a copy of this consent form and give permission to us to provide psychotherapy services and that this agreement is binding for all future sessions you may have with My New Days Counseling.

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