Disclosure Statement:
Please read this Disclosure Statement carefully. Be sure to ask us to explain anything you do not understand or that you may have concerns about.
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.
In-Person Counselling During COVID-19
Please click the link to read our information page on in-person counselling during COVID-19 for all the details.
Appointments
Valid credit cards are required on file in order to book appointments. Appointments are 50 minutes in length, unless we agree on 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.
All appointment requests, changes, cancellations, etc. must be made by email to admin@stewart-assoc.com or by voicemail 604-687-7171.
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 (s), our therapist’s email addresses are their firstname@stewart-assoc.com, (ex ruthann@stewart-assoc.com) and are listed on their profile page.
We use Jane Software for scheduling appointments. You will an initial welcome email which will give you the option to set up an account. Through this account, you can view the therapists availability and also view your past and future appointments. 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.
Arriving for Your Appointment ***COVID Update
Due to COVID-19, we are requesting billing be done through on file credit cards. This is to reduce traffic into our admin office. When you arrive for your appointment please wait in the reception lounge directly across from the elevators. If you do not have a credit card on file, please check in at our Administration Office #227. Payment is required prior to your session. If our administration office is closed, payment can be made after session. If this is the case, please have a seat in the main lounge and your therapist will come out to meet you at your scheduled time.
If you are running late, please email your therapist on their private email. This is especially important for sessions booked after the building closes at 6:30 pm or on the weekend. This will ensure that they know you are on your way and will wait for you. Only a few of our full time therapists have extensions for you to leave a message (Ruth-Ann ext 1, Susan ext 2, Richard ext 3, Laura ext 4, Teah ext 5) so while you are welcome to do this, email is best for our therapists who do not have voicemail extensions.
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. We also want to ensure that we are utilizing our Therapist’s time in the most efficient and effective way possible. Our Counsellors are highly sought after and are very much in demand. Therefore, 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.
If you need to cancel your appointment, please provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice by phone or email.
Providing less than 24 hours notice means you will be expected to pay 50% of your fee.
If you provide less than 4 hours notice, you will be required to pay your full fee.
When you do not show up for your appointment, you will be required to pay your full fee.
ICBC and First Nations Health Authority do not pay for no shows or late cancellations. Therefore, you would be directly responsible for paying for any such occurrence(s).
Please cancel all appointments 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 only as they are not able to respond in a timely manner. You may CC them on a cancellation email as long as you are emailing the main office as well.
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.
Appointment cancellations must be directed to the administration office by email to admin@stewart-assoc.com or by phone.
Fees, payment & receipts / Statement of Account
Stewart & Associates requires payment prior to the commencement of each session, whether in-person or via telephone or video conferencing.
For telephone or video counselling, we request on file credit cards for billing, however if this is not possible, please send an eTransfer to admin@stewart-assoc.com. Receipts for telephone and video counselling sessions will be emailed. 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.
We are not set up for direct billing to insurance companies therefore you are required to pay up front. GST will be added to all Counsellor fees. Social Workers are GST exempt.
At time of payment, you will be issued a dated receipt identifying your therapist and their credentials. You may need to submit the receipt to your benefits plan provider for reimbursement. We recommend taking a photo of the receipt in case you lose it.
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 are proud to offer a sliding scale fee to make it possible for our services to be accessible to low income families and individuals. Our therapists have a limited number of sliding scale spots available. This scale is based on your gross family monthly income (before taxes). This helps to ensure that your fee is proportionate to your income. Therefore, please be prepared with your financial information if you are requesting a sliding scale fee.
We realize that your financial circumstances may change. If that happens, we would be happy to reassess your fee which could increase or decrease depending on your circumstances.
Periodically our fees may increase and we will do our best to provide one month’s notice to 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 Clinical Director, Ruth-Ann Stewart.
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.