Practice Policies

The Mind Lab, LLC

Annapolis, MD 21401

samantha@themindlabtherapy.com

PRACTICE POLICIES

I. APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Please remember to cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire session fee if cancellation is made less than 24 hours in advance. This fee is not covered by insurance reimbursement.

The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 50 minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of your sessions. Requests to change the 50-minute session need to be discussed with the therapist in advance. Any session that exceeds 50 minutes is subject to an increased fee of your hourly session rate, prorated accordingly.

To maintain the integrity and focus of therapy sessions, clients are expected to be in a private, quiet location free from distractions. Sessions conducted while attending other appointments, engaging socially with friends, or in any other inappropriate setting will not be tolerated. Such occurrences may result in the session being terminated, and the full session fee will apply.

Cancellations and rescheduled sessions will be subject to a full session fee charge if not received at least 24 hours in advance. This policy ensures that the time commitment made to you is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. Not showing up to your appointment without notice or arriving more than 15 minutes late will also result in a forfeited session and a charge of the full session fee.

Free 20-Minute Consultation 

Before scheduling an intake appointment, I offer a free 20-minute consultation via video call or phone. This consultation allows us to discuss your needs, answer any questions, and determine if we are a good fit to work together. During this time, I will provide a brief overview of what to expect from therapy and address any concerns you might have.

If you fail to attend a scheduled consultation without prior notice, the opportunity for a free consultation may be forfeited. Future consultations may require a nominal fee or be scheduled at my discretion. 

Cancellation Policies

If you cancel your session but can reschedule within the same calendar week (subject to availability), 

no cancellation fee will be charged. Only the rescheduled session will be billed to insurance or self-pay.

If you cancel a session and cannot reschedule within the same week, or if you reschedule but subsequently cancel the new appointment as well, a late cancellation fee will apply. This fee cannot be billed to insurance and will be charged directly to you.

Frequent cancellations or no-shows disrupt the therapeutic process. If you have three or more cancellations or no-shows within a six-month period, we may need to reassess our ability to work together and may discontinue services if necessary.

II. PAYMENT

Payment is required at the time of the session. Only active credit cards are accepted as forms of payment at this time. If a credit card has expired, the client is required to update their portal or provide new payment information before the next scheduled appointment. Any payment delays that have not been previously discussed will result in a forfeited session.

Checks, Venmo, and other forms of payment are not accepted due to HIPAA privacy concerns.

Annual Fee Adjustments

Please note that hourly fees are subject to an annual increase. These adjustments are made to reflect rising operational costs, ensure the sustainability of the practice, and allow for continued professional development and training to provide you with the highest quality care. Clients will be informed of any fee changes at least 30 days in advance.

III. HIGH-RISK CLIENTS

Due to the remote nature of this practice and the fact that I am not always residing in the same state as my clients, I do not accept clients who have had a recent psychiatric hospital stay or have current and/or recent self-harm or suicidal thoughts or intentions. This policy is in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all clients, as remote therapy may not provide the necessary support for individuals with these concerns. If you are experiencing any of these challenges, it is important to seek immediate in-person support from a local mental health professional or emergency services. 

IV. CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORDS

Your confidentiality is of utmost importance. All information disclosed within sessions and the written records pertaining to those sessions are confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without your written permission, except where disclosure is required by law. Client records are stored securely and comply with all applicable laws and ethical standards. Please see “Informed Consent for Psychotherapy” for more information.

Encounters in Public

If we happen to encounter each other in public, I will not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge me first. This is to protect your confidentiality and ensure your comfort. If you choose to greet me, I will respond warmly but will not engage in further discussion about therapy or our relationship in that setting. If you would like to discuss how to navigate such situations, please feel free to bring it up in our sessions.

V. INSURANCE AND BILLING

I provide services to clients covered by insurance through the Alma platform or those who choose to self-pay.

• Insurance Clients through Alma:

•  I coordinate services specifically for clients using insurance through the Alma platform. Please note that due to scheduling constraints, I may not always have availability for in-network clients.

• Self-Pay or Out-of-Network Clients:

•  If you are a self-pay or out-of-network client, you are responsible for covering the full session fee. At the end of each month, a Superbill will be provided for you to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

• Reimbursement Process:

•  Clients using insurance through Alma should be aware that they are responsible for any charges not covered by their insurance. Claims will be processed promptly, but any co-pays or uncovered services are your responsibility. Please note that I do not facilitate the submission of reimbursement documentation on your behalf.

VI. CRISIS SITUATIONS

In the event of a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services immediately by calling 911 or going to the nearest emergency room. My practice is not equipped to handle crisis counseling.

VII. CLIENT RIGHTS

As a client, you have the right to access your records, maintain confidentiality, and receive respectful treatment. If you have any concerns about your rights, please discuss them with me in session.

VIII. TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact me between sessions, please email me instead of leaving a text or voicemail. I am often not immediately available; however, I will attempt to respond to your email within 24 business hours. Face-to-face sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, if you are out of town, sick, or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

IX. SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. However, you can follow me @themindlabtherapy on Instagram, but I will not follow you back in order to maintain confidentiality. If you have questions about this, please bring them up in our sessions.

X. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so. While I may try to return messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee an immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies. Any issues can be briefly emailed as "noting need to discuss in next session" and will be responded to as such.

Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and email, are considered telemedicine by the State of California. Under the California Telemedicine Act of 1996, telemedicine is broadly defined as the use of information technology to deliver medical services and information from one location to another. If you and your therapist choose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that:

• You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.

• All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable.

• Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine consultation is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a reasonable fee.

• Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.

• There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to, improved communication capabilities, providing convenient access to up-to-date information, consultations, support, reduced costs, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice, improved access to therapy, better continuity of care, and reduction of lost work time and travel costs. Effective therapy is often facilitated when the therapist gathers, within a session or a series of sessions, a multitude of observations, information, and experiences about the client. Therapists may make clinical assessments, diagnoses, and interventions based not only on direct verbal or auditory communications, written reports, and third-person consultations but also from direct visual and olfactory observations, information, and experiences. When using information technology in therapy services, potential risks include, but are not limited to, the therapist's inability to make visual and olfactory observations of clinically or therapeutically potentially relevant issues such as your physical condition, including deformities, apparent height and weight, body type, attractiveness relative to social and cultural norms or standards, gait and motor coordination, posture, work speed, any noteworthy mannerism or gestures, physical or medical conditions including bruises or injuries, basic grooming and hygiene including appropriateness of dress, eye contact (including any changes in the previously listed issues), sex, chronological and apparent age, ethnicity, facial and body language, and congruence of language and facial or bodily expression. Potential consequences thus include the therapist

• While I prioritize the use of HIPAA-compliant platforms for all teletherapy sessions, Facetime may be utilized as a last resort in cases where no other secure platform is available. This option is only offered under exceptional circumstances to ensure the highest level of privacy for your sessions.

XI. MINORS

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

XII. TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. I may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if I determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. I will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another therapist, I will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

Should you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I must consider the professional relationship discontinued.