Welcome to City Gate LRC!
The following is provided to help you become better acquainted with our practice. Please take time to read this information carefully. We can discuss any questions that you have during our meeting.
►Effective psychotherapy requires a good match between the client and therapist. During our first session or two, we will determine if I am the best match of therapist for you. If not, I will refer you to a therapist that I believe can serve you.
►I assume you wish to begin therapy because you desire certain changes in your life. I am committed to helping you achieve your goals, but I cannot guarantee any particular result. You are likely to gain the most benefit from counseling if you are committed to the process and attend regularly.
►It is not uncommon, over the course of therapy, to temporarily experience increased distress. This is often an indicator that important work is underway and significant changes are beginning.
►Since biological factors can contribute to unwanted psychological distress, I may ask you about your health and diet. In some cases medical assessment and intervention is helpful and/or necessary. Some individuals benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy.
►From time to time, I may ask you to fill out various questionnaires. Please fill them out as best you can; it helps me learn important details about you without taking up extra session time.
Session Fees
►My standard fee is $150 per hour. However, we use a sliding scale (based on household income) to determine each client’s session fee. Please contact the office for details. If you are unable to afford the fee dictated by our sliding scale, I will gladly provide the names of agencies that offer low-fee counseling.
►Payment for therapy is due at the beginning of each session. If you need to arrange alternate methods of payment, please contact the office prior to your session.
►Please come prepared to pay with cash or a check payable to CityGate. I currently accept credit cards with a 3%service charge added to the fee.
►If you plan to use insurance, please note…I rarely file insurance claims. You are responsible for payment at the start of each session whether your insurance company reimburses you later or not. Please contact your insurance provider, notify them that you are seeing an “out-of-network provider” and see if they have any procedure for reimbursement. We gladly provide you with monthly statements, along with the corresponding diagnosis codes, for you to submit to your insurance company.
Additional Fees
►Short Notice Cancellation Fees: Appointment cancellation made within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment will be charged the full session (unless deemed an emergency or due to inclement weather). We also offer phone and video chat sessions if the weather makes travelling to our location hazardous.
►No-Show Fees: If you do not show up for a scheduled appointment (that you hadn’t cancelled), you will be charged the full fee for the session. You will receive a reminder text/call 1-3 days before your scheduled appointment.
►Phone consultations lasting more than 10 minutes will be charged at your hourly session rate.
►If your insurance company, attorney or court should ask for a letter or report to be mailed on your behalf (only with your prior authorization) you will be billed for the time required to prepare the document at an $80 hourly rate.
►If a check of yours is returned by the bank for insufficient funds, any bank fees charged to my account for your returned check will be passed on to you, plus an office fee of $25.
Scheduling
►I will make a reasonable effort to schedule your appointments at times that are convenient for you.
►I ordinarily schedule sessions either once a week or once every two weeks for 45-50 minutes.
However, at times, when therapy requires intense emotional work, I may recommend longer or more frequent sessions.
►If you need to cancel an appointment, please give as much notice as possible. Whenever canceling, please contact the office via text, call (716)883-7713, or leave a message on the voice mail.
►Clients arriving late will be responsible for paying for all the session time scheduled.
►Please try to come prepared to schedule your next appointment at the end of each session.
Confidentiality
Except for certain situations, matters shared in counseling sessions will not be disclosed to anyone without your written permission. The most common exceptions are:
►Therapists are legally required to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, and elderly person, or a disabled person to the appropriate agency.
►Therapists have an ethical obligation to warn appropriate authorities, family members, etc., when a client is seriously considering to harm him/herself or others.
►Client progress notes and records may be subject to subpoena when a client is involved in civil or criminal legal proceedings. Psychotherapy notes are protected by law. Please refer to HIPAA § 164.508 andNew York PHL § 18 for more information.
Phone Calls & Emergencies
►My office number is (716) 883-7713. If your call is not answered, please leave a message. Your message will be retrieved within 24 hours.
►If you are canceling a session, call the office number above. If you are having a crisis and/or need assistance outside normal business hours, you may contact my cell phone at (716) 510-5801 and leave a brief message if I do not answer the phone. For the most part, I am unavailable between the hours of 11 pm and 8 am. If necessary, I will call back at my earliest convenience (within 12 hrs.). When deciding whether or not you need to call my cell phone, please consider the following guidelines:
Someone is in danger of harm, injury or death.
The crisis, questions, or dilemma cannot wait until our next session.
Your question cannot be answered by the office manager.
The crisis cannot be eased by supportive family members or friends.
The use of a stress reduction technique has not sufficiently eased the sense of
emergency.
►Please call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call the 24-hour Crisis Hotline at
(716) 834-3131 for immediate emergency assistance.
610 Ashland Ave. Buffalo, New York 14222 Phone: 716.883.7713