FAQ

 Is counseling confidential?

Answer:   There are several laws that protect the confidentiality of a person’s information while they are in counseling and states that this information cannot be disclosed without written permission.  Many of the privacy protections that come under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) are similar to what you already expect from your medical doctor or dentist – a complete copy of the HIPAA policies will be given to you when you come for an assessment.

Exceptions include:

• Suspected child abuse or vulnerable adult or elder abuse, for which we are required by law to report to the appropriate authorities.
• If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s, we must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
• If a client intends to harm himself or herself, we will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, we will take further measures without their permission as allowed by law in order to ensure their safety.

 

Can I get medication at Therapeutic Alliance?

Therapeutic Alliance is able to refer clients to a psychiatrist or primary care

physician in order to assess if pharmacological intervention in conjunction with

talk-therapy would be beneficial.

 

Do I need to come to therapy every week?

Each individual is unique, therefore the is no blanket answer for this question.  Clients most often attend sessions once weekly to balance cost and effectiveness and settle into an emotional rhythm provided by attending at the same time each week. If you attend therapy weekly, you’ve had some time to integrate the effects of the previous session, which is recent enough that it will have continuity with your next session.

Seeing a therapist less often costs less but may be less effective if you are not meeting often enough to accomplish changes at a steady pace. Clients working on intense emotional or life changes may see their therapist twice a week or more often to help keep them be emotionally centered and assist them in activating coping skills.  It is also common that as therapy is reaching the end, weekly sessions may change to every other week to encourage the self-reliance on the skills the client has learned.

Each and every individual is encouraged to discuss attendance frequency with

their therapist and find the frequency that works best for all involved.