Disclosure Statement:
Please read this Disclosure Statement carefully. Please ask us to explain anything you do not understand or about which you may have concerns.
Stewart & Associates believes that counselling services should be accessible to all who need our help. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic situation, religion or ethnicity.
To facilitate a successful counselling experience, it is important that clients understand what is involved in the counselling process and therapeutic relationship. It is most helpful when both the counsellor and the client have a good understanding of their rights and responsibilities. From this mutual understanding, a comfortable working relationship and safe environment can be created.
The purpose of this Disclosure Statement is to provide clarification regarding what you may expect from our counsellors and what may be expected of clients. Our primary goal of counselling is your well-being. If you have any questions or concerns about the nature and course of your counselling process, please let us know.
Appointments
Appointments are 50 minutes in length, unless we agree upon another duration. We value you as a client and your appointment is held exclusively for you. It is important that you arrive on time. Please understand that if you are late, your appointment cannot be extended.
It is always the client’s responsibility to keep track of their appointments and inform us when they need to cancel any sessions they have scheduled.
Initial counselling appointments must be made through our admin office. Please call 604-687-7171 or e-mail admin@stewart-assoc.com. Subsequent appointments may be booked directly by you, the client, via your Jane account. (see below).
Scheduling
The Office Manager is responsible for all scheduling-related tasks. Please do not send appointment requests or cancellations to the therapists as they are not able to respond in a timely manner and clients on our waiting list may miss out on filling available appointments.
We recommend that you add admin@stewart-assoc.com to your contacts to help eliminate important messages getting lost in spam or junk folders. It is also recommended that you add your therapist’s email address to your contacts. With the exception of our intern counsellor, our therapists’ email addresses are their firstname@stewart-assoc.com, (e.g. laura@stewart-assoc.com) and are listed on their profile page.
We use Jane Software for scheduling appointments. You will receive an initial welcome email which will give you the option to set up an account. Through this account, you can view the therapist’s availability, view your past and future appointments as well as directly book appointments yourself. For every booking, you will receive a confirmation. These confirmations have the link to our video counselling if you are doing remote sessions. IMPORTANT – If you don’t receive the emails please notify us.
Video Counselling Sessions
Verbal or written consent is required prior to the commencement of a video counselling session. By providing consent you are confirming that you have completely read and understood our Video Counselling information page and agree to accept any risks which may present themselves.
Cancellations
We want to provide the best service possible for all our clients while also ensuring that we are utilizing our therapists’ time in the most efficient and effective way possible. Our counsellors are very much in demand: there are usually clients on a waiting/cancellation list who really want our help. By providing proper notice of cancellation you are allowing those clients the opportunity to receive the help they need. You are also ensuring that you are not charged for a missed session that you will not benefit from.
We require 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel your appointment. Late cancellations and no-shows will result in your being charged the full fee. As 3rd party providers such as ICBC and First Nations Health Authority do not pay for no-shows and late cancellations, clients being seen under these programs will be responsible for paying their full fee, out of pocket.
If you need to cancel due to an emergency or unexpected illness, it will be to the discretion of your therapist to waive the late cancellation fee.
Please cancel all appointments either in JaneApp, by sending an email to admin@stewart-assoc.com or by phone at 604-687-7171. Please leave a voice message if there is no answer (our messages are date/time stamped). We will always respond either by phone or email confirming that your message has been received and that your appointment has been cancelled. Please do not send appointment requests or cancellations to the therapists alone as they are not able to respond in a timely manner. You may CC them on a cancellation email to the admin office.
We cannot schedule any appointments if you owe any fees. If you have future sessions already scheduled, they will be cancelled if payment is not received in a timely manner.
Wait List
Accepting an earlier appointment while on the wait list does not automatically cancel any future sessions. If you accept an appointment from the wait list you must let us know if you want to cancel a future appointment. It is always the client’s responsibility to notify us when they need cancel any appointment.
Fees, payment & receipts / Statement of Account
Stewart & Associates requires payment prior to the commencement of each session. Accepted methods of payment are by major credit card (after your initial session, we will request your permission to retain your card number on file); debit card; e-transfer to admin@stewart-assoc.com or by cash. We are not set up for direct billing and therefore require payment up front.
Counselling receipts which include date seen, therapist’s name and credentials will be emailed in a timely fashion. Please check your spam folder if you haven’t received the receipt with 48 hours (on a business day) of your telephone or video session. You may need to submit the receipt to your benefits plan provider for reimbursement. If you do not have benefits, you may qualify for a medical expense tax credit when you file your annual income tax. Please check with your accountant. It is your responsibility to retain your receipt.
We endeavour to make our services accessible to low income families and individuals. Our intern offers counselling on a sliding fee scale based on gross family monthly income. Our therapists are able to see a limited number of clients on a reduced fee basis. We realize that your financial circumstances may change. If that happens, we will be happy to reassess your fee accordingly.
Periodically, our fees may increase and we will do our best to provide one month’s notice to our current clients. However, if you haven’t attended recent sessions you may need to confirm your rate.
Your Rights
Clients always have the right to request a change in the counselling approach, a referral to another counsellor, or termination of therapy. Our Counsellors are accountable for their work with you, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss these with your Counsellor at any time. Your input is necessary and valuable in ensuring positive outcomes in the therapeutic process. It is also an essential part of building and maintaining our therapeutic relationship. If after such discussions, you still have concerns, please contact our Clinic owners, Susan Giles and Laura Chiarenza.
Our Counsellors have an obligation to you to understand and recognize the limits of their abilities. Likewise, they are obliged to openly inform you of these limitations if it seems that more specialized training is required to best address your needs.
Confidentiality
All counselling is strictly confidential except for under three circumstances. The following circumstances are the only times that we have a legal or ethical obligation to break confidentiality:
- There is an admission or suspicion of child or elder abuse (verbal, sexual, physical).
- You are an imminent threat to yourself or others, meaning that you are suicidal or homicidal.
- A court of law issues a subpoena for our records.
Our counsellors participate in regular group supervision meetings. During supervision, cases may be reviewed in a confidential and non-identifying manner. Review of cases helps to ensure that our clinicians are providing you with the most effective psychotherapy.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Disclosure Statement please let us know and we will do our best to explain any concerns you may have. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.