Here at Tailwinds your privacy is important to us. We will do everything in our power to maintain your confidentiality with professionalism and care.
Additional information is provided in our informed consent and your therapist is available to answer any additional questions you may have.
Please be sure to read the following as there are times when it may be necessary to disclose private information for the safety of yourself or others.
Confidentiality:
All communications between you and your therapist will be held in strict confidence unless you provide written permission to release information about your treatment. If you participate in marital or family therapy, your therapist will not disclose confidential information about your treatment unless all person(s) who participated in the treatment with you provide their written authorization to release.
Exceptions to confidentiality:
By law, therapists are required to report instances of suspected child, dependent adult or elder abuse. Therapists may also be required or permitted to break confidentiality when they have determined that a client presents a serious danger of physical violence to another person or when a client is dangerous to him or herself. Additionally, there may be other additional times where by law the clinician may be required to disclose your protected health information. Please contact us directly to learn more.
Minors and Confidentiality:
Communications between therapists and clients who are minors (under the age of 18) are confidential. However, parents and other guardians who provide authorization for their child’s treatment are often involved in their treatment. Consequently, your therapist, in the exercise of his or her professional judgment, may discuss the treatment progress of a minor client with the parent or caretaker. Parents and their minors in treatment are urged to discuss any questions or concerns that they have on this topic with their therapist.
No-Secrets Policy in Conjoint Sessions:
If you participate in marital or family therapy, your therapist will not disclose confidential information about your treatment unless all person(s) who participated in the treatment with you provide their written authorization to release such information. However, it is important that you know that your therapist utilizes a “no-secrets” policy when conducting family or marital/couples therapy. This means that if you participate in family, and/or marital/couples therapy, your therapist is permitted to use information obtained in an individual session that you may have had with him or her, when working with other members of your family. Please feel free to ask your therapist about his or her “no secrets” policy and how it may apply to you.
Appointment Scheduling and Cancellation/ No-Show Policies:
Therapy sessions are typically scheduled to occur one time per week at the same time and day if possible. Your therapist may suggest a different amount of therapy depending on the nature and severity of your concerns. Your consistent attendance greatly contributes to a successful outcome. If you have two consecutive no-shows or do not access services for 30 days, your services will be closed due to non-compliance to attendance policies.
In order to cancel or reschedule an appointment, you are expected to notify your therapist at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment. If you do not provide your therapist with at least 24 hours’ notice in advance, you are responsible for payment for the missed session at the regular rate of the normal session fee.
Please understand that your insurance company will not pay for missed or cancelled sessions.
When your therapist cancels or reschedules sessions:
While providing consistent and dependable services is the utmost important to us, there may be times when sessions need to be rescheduled or cancelled due to extenuating circumstances. Equine sessions will be provided outdoors, and your therapist will take into consideration the impact of the weather and elements when determining if sessions should be cancelled or rescheduled. When possible, your therapist will make efforts to schedule you an in-office session in lieu of an equine session as needed. Your clinician will make every effort to notify you as soon as possible of any cancellations or need to reschedule.
You will not be charged for missed sessions when the therapist is initiating the cancellation.
Therapist Availability:
You are welcome to phone your therapist in between sessions. However, as a general rule, it is our belief that important issues are better addressed within regularly scheduled sessions. You may leave a message for your therapist at any time on his/her confidential voicemail. If you wish your therapist to return your call, please be sure to leave your name and phone number(s), along with a brief message concerning the nature of your call. Non–urgent phone calls are returned during the therapist’s normal workdays within 48 hours. If you have an urgent need to speak with your therapist, please indicate that fact in your message and follow any instructions that are provided by your therapist’s voicemail.
Emergencies:
In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency or an emergency involving a threat to your safety or the safety of others, please call 911 to request emergency assistance immediately.
You should also be aware of the following resources that are available to assist individuals who are in crisis: