Informed Consent for Online Therapy
At Sigal Therapy, we offer online therapy services that are modeled as closely as possible to our in-person counseling. We adhere to the same professional ethics and standards of practice online as we would if we were meeting you in our clinic. Our therapists are trained, licensed professionals who are committed to offering you a high level of care.
RISKS AND BENEFITS 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 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. But, there are no guarantees of any positive outcome. Psychotherapy requires active effort on your part. In order to be most successful, you will have to work outside of sessions on matters discussed with your therapist.
FRAMEWORK Appointments will ordinarily be 55-60 minutes in duration, once per week at a time that is most convenient to you, using our online booking service. Sessions may be more or less frequent as needed. You may discuss your individual needs directly with your therapist.
PROFESSIONAL FEES Our fees for online therapy are the same as for in-person counseling appointments. Online therapy is paid in advance using our online booking service and payments are made via PayPal before the beginning of the session.
CANCELLATION POLICY You must give at least 24 hours notice in order to cancel your therapy session or you will be charged for it. Sessions cancelled at short notice or missed sessions mean that the time that could have been used for other clients is lost.
You will not be expected to pay for the session if you have major problems with your connection, software or computer equipment, in which case the session will be cancelled and re-booked for another day and time when any problems have hopefully been rectified.
Connection and call quality problems should be few and far between. If a connectivity issue arises during a session and proves to be off-putting or inhibits the therapy process, this possibility is available to you:
- if the connectivity issue happens within the first 20 minutes and continues, the session will be cancelled at no cost and rearranged for another time.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDS
Therapists are required to keep appropriate records of the services provided. Your records and personal data are confidential and maintained in a secure manner in compliance with applicable rules and regulations. Your therapist will keep brief records noting the date of the appointment, your reasons for seeking therapy, the goals and progress set for treatment, topics discussed, your medical, social and treatment history.
CONFIDENTIALITY Confidentiality is a fundamental principle of psychotherapy. Anything you discuss with you therapist and the information contained in your file will remain completely confidential with the exception of the following circumstances: if you present a serious danger to yourself or another person.
OTHER RIGHTS
If you are feel dissatisfied with what is happening in therapy, you are encouraged to discuss your concerns with your therapist, who welcomes feedback, so that they may respond to your concerns. Comments and feedback will be taken seriously and handled with care and respect. If you feel that your assigned therapist is not a good fit for your needs, you may also request to be referred to another therapist. You are free to end therapy at any time. You may also contact our administration at info@sigaltherapy.com should you wish to write a formal complaint.
CONSENT TO PSYCHOTHERAPY
By clicking ‘I Agree’ below, you indicate that you have read this Informed Consent for Online Therapy and agree to its terms. Sigal Therapy may change these terms and conditions from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page to ensure that you are happy with any changes.