Street Address
San Jose, CA 95131
408-477-9777
Clinical Psychologist (CA Lic# PSY19916)
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Below are some of the policies related to my practice:
CONTACTING ME
I am not immediately available by telephone. While I can often return your call promptly, I may be delayed due to various reasons. When I am unavailable, my messages are recorded in my confidential voicemail that I monitor frequently. Please leave your call back number on all messages. I will make every effort to return your call within one business day. If you are difficult to reach, please inform me of times you will be available. If you are unable to reach me and feel that you cannot wait for me to return your call, contact your primary care provider, 911, or the nearest emergency room and ask for the psychiatrist on call. If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.
I am also available by email. Please note that email is not secure and there is a possibility that it could be intercepted. Do not put any information in the email that you would not put on a postcard. I do not conduct therapy over email but will use it for scheduling purposes. If you communicate confidential or private information via unencrypted email or via phone messages, I will assume that you have made an informed decision, I will view it as your agreement to take the risk that such communication may be intercepted, and will honor your desire to communicate on such matters.
Psychological Services
Psychological treatment is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you are experiencing. There are many different methods that can be used to deal with the problems that you hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit, in that it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you may have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home.
Psychological treatment can have both benefits and risks. Since psychotherapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to significant reductions in feelings of distress, as well as resolutions of specific problems, and even better relationships. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.
Our initial discussions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own judgment of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist your select. 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 secure an appropriate consultation with another mental health professional if you desire one.
Meetings
I normally conduct an evaluation that will last from two-to-four sessions. During this time, we can both decide if I am the right person to provide the services that you need in order to meet your treatment goals. If I don’t think that I will be able to adequately help you, I will provide an appropriate referral. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to provide you with referrals for a second opinion. If, during therapy, it becomes apparent that I am not being effective in helping you reach the therapeutic goals or I perceive you as non-compliant or nonresponsive, and if you are available and/or it is possible and appropriate to do, I will discuss with you the termination of treatment and conduct pre-termination counseling. I will give referrals as appropriate. If you cancel an appointment and do not contact me within three months, I will close your case. You can have it reopened by contacting me.
If treatment is begun, I will usually schedule one 55-minute session (one appointment hour of 55 minutes’ duration) per week at a mutually-agreed upon time, although sometimes sessions may be longer or scheduled at other intervals. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide 24-hours notice of cancellation or unless we both agree that you were unable to attend to circumstances beyond your control. In the latter case, there will be a $20 late cancellation fee. It is important to note that insurance companies generally do not provide reimbursement for cancellation of sessions. If it is possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment. If you are more than 20 minutes late without calling, it will be considered a missed session. If you miss or cancel three consecutive appointments without prior notice, your case will be closed. I will also close your case if I have not heard from you for one month. I will be happy to reopen it once all outstanding fees have been paid.
PROFESSIONAL FEES
My fee is $275 for a 55-minute session. You will be expected to pay for each session at the time it is held, unless we agree otherwise. I am also in-network with Aetna and United Healthcare, and will bill your insurance directly if I am in-network with your particular plan (which we can discuss ahead of time). In addition to weekly appointments, I charge this amount for most other professional services you may need. Other services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 15 minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for my professional time even if I am called to testify by another party. Because of the difficulty of legal involvement, I charge $425 per hour for participation in any legal proceeding, and I generally require payment of all or part of such fees in advance.
If your account has not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This may involve hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court. If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim. In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a patient’s treatment is their name, the nature of services provided, and the amount due. If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim.
GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.
You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 985-3059.
CONFIDENTIALITY
In general, the privacy of all communications between a patient and a psychologist is protected by law, and I can only release information about our work to others with your written permission. But there are a few exceptions:
There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm, even if I have to reveal some information about a patient’s treatment. For example, if I believe that a child, elderly person, or disabled person is being abused or neglected, I must file a report with the appropriate state agency. If I believe that a patient presents a danger to self, to others, to property, or is gravely disabled, or when a patient's family members communicate to me that the patient presents a danger to self or others, I am required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting law enforcement, seeking hospitalization for the patient, or contacting family members or others who can help provide protection.
In couples and family therapy, or when different family members are seen individually, even over a period of time, confidentiality and privilege do not apply between the couple or among family members, unless otherwise agreed upon. I will use my clinical judgment when revealing such information. I will not release records to any outside party unless authorized to do so by all adult parties who were part of the family therapy, couple therapy, or other treatment that involved more than one adult patient.
If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information about the professional services that I have provided you and/or the records thereof, such information is protected by psychologist-patient privilege law. I cannot provide any information without your (or your legally-appointed representative’s) written authorization, a court order, or compulsory process (a subpoena) or discovery request from another party to the court proceeding where that party has given you proper notice (when required) has stated valid legal grounds for obtaining personal health information (PHI), and I do not have grounds for objecting under state law (or you have instructed me not to object). If you are involved in or contemplating litigation, you should consult with your attorney to determine whether a court would be likely to order me to disclose information.
Disclosures may be required by health insurers or to collect overdue fees.
If a government agency is requesting the information for health oversight activities pursuant to their legal authority, I may be required to provide it for them.
If a patient files a complaint or lawsuit against me, I may disclose relevant information regarding that patient in order to defend myself.
In the event of my death or disability, a colleague will have access to the files for the purposes of continued storage, shredding, or informing you to cancel appointments.
I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case. During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of my patient. The consultant is also legally bound to keep the information confidential. If you do not object, I will not tell you about these consultations unless I feel that it is important to our work together. I will note all consultations in your Clinical Record.
While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should prove helpful in informing you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have at our next meeting. I will be happy to discuss these issues with you if you need specific advice, but formal legal advice may be needed because the laws governing confidentiality are quite complex, and I am not an attorney.