Welcome:

Welcome to Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. (ALCS). We are honored that you have chosen to entrust us with this portion of your life’s journey. Today marks the beginning of our opportunity to join you in your pursuit of a more satisfying life. Your counselor will partner with you to discover life beyond merely “surviving” in broken relationships, impaired thinking, painful behavior patterns, and debilitating intense emotions. This informational sheet provides you with the basic services and policies of ALCS. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have about this information.

Services:

As mental health professionals, ALCS counselors are equipped to help individuals, children, families, couples, and groups with a variety of presenting problems of emotional, psychological, and spiritual natures. Your counselor will employ educational and therapeutic techniques that address affective (feeling), behavioral (doing), and/or cognitive (thinking) aspects of your experience to help you achieve your personal counseling goals. The counseling interventions ALCS counselors utilize mainly come from the following theories: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Play Therapy for children, and didactic (teaching) or experiential use of Scripture. While we prefer to approach counseling from an integration of theology and psychology, we are capable and willing to approach presenting problems without the use of faith-based interventions. We will gladly support you in finding a psychiatrist or medical professional if medication is needed.

Our Relationship:

Your counselor’s relationship with you is confidential and professional, and he or she will work to build a strong working relationship with you and collaborate with you to define and work towards treatment goals. In order to achieve your goals, you may be asked questions about your experiences and beliefs and the experiences and beliefs of your family. If you are seeking counseling for sex therapy, you may need to share about your sexuality, sex life, and sexual behaviors. ALCS cannot guarantee any specific results regarding your counseling goals, but we will work diligently toward the results you desire. Time in counseling can range from a few sessions to months and years of treatment. As a client, you have the freedom to end your treatment at any time, but we do ask that you participate in a termination session. Sessions with your counselor may be psychologically close, but the relationship is not social. Contact with ALCS counselors will be limited to counseling sessions except in emergencies. You can leave us a confidential message and we will return it as soon as possible. However, if you urgently require assistance, please call your physician, 472-help, or the police (911).

 

Supervision:

All of the LPC-Associates and LMFT-Associates who are employed by Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. are supervised by a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Supervisor certified by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists.

 

Referrals:

As mental health professionals, we adhere to the highest ethical standards and will keep your best interest at the forefront of all we do. However, if you are dissatisfied with our services at any time, please express your concerns to us. If we are not able to resolve your concerns, we will gladly provide you with a list of referral choices. Please note that you will be responsible for contacting and evaluating those referrals and/or alternatives. If you have a complaint regarding malpractice, this can be reported to the state board, based on your counselor’s license:

Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, Complaints Management and Investigative Section, P.O. Box 141369, Austin, TX 78714-1369, at (800) 942-5540

Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, Complaints Management and Investigative Section, P.O. Box 141369, Austin, TX 78714-1369, at (512) 834-6658 or 1-800-942-5540

Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists, Complaints Management and Investigative Section, P.O. Box 149347, Austin, TX 78714-9347, at (512) 834-6657. 

Fees:

Fees for counseling are due at the time service is rendered. Please write your checks to Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. or pay with your Visa, MasterCard, or HSA card. Returned checks will be charged a $25 fee. Fees for service are as follows: 

 

 

Julie O'Brien, MA, LPC-Associate

Supervised by Kerry Williamson, MA, LPC-S, LMFT-S, CST

Initial Assessment $105 (50 minutes), Individual $105 (50 minutes), Couple or Family $105 (50 minutes). A sliding fee scale is available to those in financial need who either do not have insurance or choose not to use their insurance. Phone consultations and large or extensive email correspondence are charged on a prorated basis in 15 minute increments.

 

 

Appointments and Cancellations:

You may schedule your next appointment while you are in the office, by email, or by calling (512) 258-5100 at your convenience. When you schedule an appointment, we reserve that time for you alone, so please make every effort to be on time to receive the full benefit of your allotted time. We will make every reasonable effort to accommodate changes in your schedule as long as you notify us 24 hours in advance. Appointments cancelled within 24 hours will be billed as a “No Show or Late Cancellation” and you will be billed half of your counseling fee. Life-threatening emergencies and serious illness will be considered grounds for waiving such charges, but we request that you remember appointments and allow for traffic delays and work demands.

Insurance:

Our center is not on insurance panels. You may be able to independently file for reimbursement for mental health benefits with out-of-network providers. We will provide you with a receipt that you can send to your insurance provider for reimbursement. We will also provide, upon your request, an appropriate diagnosis to assist you in filing your claims. However, full payment for your fee is due upon your appointment and clients who have received reduced per session rates as per a sliding scale application may not receive a receipt with which to file with their insurance. 

Records and Confidentiality: 

All communications become part of our clinical records. Records are the property of Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. All communication is kept confidential, with the following limitations and exceptions:

1. Your counselor determines that you are a danger to yourself or others

2. You disclose an instance/instances of abuse (physical, medical, emotional, or sexual), neglect, or exploitation of a child, elderly, or disabled person

3. You disclose an instance/instances of sexual contact with a mental health provider

4. You direct your counselor in writing to disclose information to someone of your choosing

5. Your counselor is ordered by the court to disclose your information

If we see you in public, we will protect your confidentiality by not approaching you first and will not discuss your case in public.

Legal Limitations and Shared information:

Legal Limitations: You understand that information discussed in couple or individual therapy is for therapeutic purposes and is not intended for use in any legal proceedings involving the partners and/or their children. You agree not to subpoena any Abundant Life Counseling Services, P. A. counselors to testify for or against either party or to provide records in a court action.

Future Litigation: Because it is important to maintain the confidentiality of the client(s) both now and in the future (including minors), you agree not to involve Abundant Life Counseling Services, P. A. in any current or future arbitration, mediation, and/or litigation within the court system.

Shared Information: If you or your partner shares information with your Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. counselor in private (whether in person, or via email or phone), the counselor will encourage you to share this information voluntarily with your partner prior to or during your next scheduled joint session. Likewise, you understand that information shared individually with the counselor can be discussed during any couple's session. You understand that sometimes, within the course of Couple's Therapy, it may be in your best interest to meet with your Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. counselor separately. This could be a single session, or multiple sessions. You also understand that you have the choice to seek individual therapy with another counselor.

HIPAA and Electronic Communication:

Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. has posted our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices document online at www.abundantlifecounseling.com/forms. The HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices document details the guidelines your mental health professional will abide by for handling and dispersing your Personal Health Information (PHI) and documents. You are able to obtain a printed copy of this document from Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. upon request and within 15 days of that request. By your signature of this Standards and Policies Informed Consent document, you also acknowledge that you have reviewed and are in agreement with the stated standards and practices outlined in the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices document.

There are inherent risks to security and confidentiality when using any type of communication. By your signature of this Standards and Policies Informed Consent document, you agree to accepting these risks and receiving and sending communication with Abundant Life Counseling Services, P.A. via the following methods:

By your signature below, you are indicating that you have fully read, understand, and agree to the terms and conditions stated within, and that any questions you may have concerning this agreement have been answered to your satisfaction.