Purpose of Family Counseling
Family counseling works best when there is a constructive relationship between the family members and the therapist. When working with your family, it is expressly understood that the therapist patient is both, your family and each of you as individuals. The “family” is the client. The purpose of family counseling is to explore ways to change dynamics to support the family as a whole in various ways. We will complete an intake and treatment plan together to create goals that are shared amongst everyone.
General Procedures
Therapists will use evidenced based treatment modalities and methods in the care and treatment for families in counseling. These methods include Family Systems Theory, Emotion Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or other form of treatment theory shown effective in the treatment of families. An intake and treatment plan will begin the session following consent and treatment will follow a treatment plan throughout the treatment timeframe with updates periodic of which you will be apart of. At any time you can request to update your treatment plan to reflect new goals. You have a right to participate in treatment decisions and develop and review and revise of your treatment plan. You have a right to refuse any recommended treatment or withdraw consent to treatment at any time. No consequences will be afforded by Teris Health Services for refusal or withdrawal from treatment. If a third party interest such as a court is involved in your care of which you included then withdrawing and refusing treatment may have consequences in that other system of care. At any time if this is a concern of yours you may speak directly to your counselor and we will explain any of these concerns you have. However, at no time will Teri’s Health Services provide you with consequences of withdrawing of treatment. If you discharge for treatment you may request to reestablish at another time. Family counseling, or family therapy, is a method to develop and maintain healthy and functional family relationships. The goal is to identify and address problems in the family. These issues could be emotional, psychological, or behavioral. Many approaches to family therapy stem from family systems theory. This suggests that families work in systems rather than groups of people who function independently of each other. According to family systems theory, changes in one family member will influence the other members of the family.
Benefits
The benefits of family therapy is to address psychological, behavioral, and emotional issues that cause family problems. Family members will work with a therapist or counselor to develop and maintain a healthy relationship. Other benefits include: developing healthy boundaries, improving communication, defining someone’s role in the family, improving family dynamics, providing strengths and coping tools, addressing dysfunctional interactions, and improving the family’s problem solving abilities.
Limitations to Family Therapy
Success of family therapy is entirely dependent on each members participation. It is the responsibility of the family to put in the time and effort to improve the relationships and not the therapist. It is the therapist responsibility to provide the family with the tools needed to resolve their concerns. I agree to adhere to the norms and expectations for family therapy as indicated above. I acknowledge that I have had the opportunity to ask questions and such questions were answered clearly and to my satisfaction. I consent to treatment with Teri's Health Services for family counseling services. Other limitations include: family counseling sessions may lack the privacy one-on-one therapy can provide as the entire family sharing and feelings can be hurt. Family counseling can also involve discussion of painful issues which can lead to emotional distress and increased stress. Sometimes increase of stress occurs before feelings of improvement can come. Also, at times the power imbalance present in some members of the family versus others can impact conversations and sharing.
Potential Risks
Some potential risks of family counseling can include emotional discomfort and increased stress during and after sessions and in between that can cause more dysfunction in the family before change and positive system differences can be seen. Another risk is that your insurance does not cover family therapy and it has to be covered out of pocket. We will discuss this risk following verification of your plan to reduce the risk of out of pocket cost and hardship financially for family therapy and whether or not the coverage can be applied based on your benefits.
In order to maintain fidelity to each member of your family and to your relationships, I ask for your consent on the following agreements:
Confidentiality
All information disclosed within sessions is confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without written permission except where disclosure is permitted or required by law. Those situations include but are not limited to: (a) when there is reasonable suspicion of abuse to a child or to a dependent or elder adult; (b) when the client communicates a threat of bodily injury to others; (c) when the client is suicidal; (d) when the client has been physically injured due to violence; (e) when disclosure is required pursuant to a legal proceeding. I receive occasional professional consultation. In such cases, neither your name nor any identifying information about you is revealed.
No Secrets Policy: As therapists who are entrusted with information from each member of the family, we have a policy of “No Secrets”, which means that we cannot promise to protect secrets disclosed by any family member, especially if the secret is harmful or destructive to the process of the therapy itself or undermines the agreed upon intention of the therapy. There are times when your therapist may meet with one person of the family individually as part of the family in treatment focus. What is shared individually is permitted to be shared to the other parties by the therapist and in the family session.
Length of Therapy: Length of time can depends on the complexity of the problems being addressed and the participation of each member of the family.
Billing and Cost: The cost of family counseling is typically covered by most health plans when there is a mental health diagnosis being treated for at least one party of the counseling . If the family is attending to therapy but neither party meets medical necessity based on diagnosis of mental illness being treated then the cost may not be covered by your plan and will require you to pay out of pocket. The cost is $150 for the initial session and $110 for follow up sessions. We will verify your insurance prior to your first visit happening. If you are going to be charged for a self-pay rate we will advise you of this prior to your session to ensure you have the option to choose to go forward with it or not. If you overpay or a refund is required, we will refund you immediately of the cost to be refunded. You can also apply to your next visit, of which we will give you the option.
Boundaries: Unless the session was scheduled separately, both partners must be present for the session as it would be unfair to distribute time unevenly. All members of family must be present for sessions as it would be unfair to distribute time unevenly to not include everyone in all discussions held. If one member of the family is late in arriving or does not show for the appointment, I reserve the right to delay the start of the session or to cancel the session if necessary.
Release of Records: One chart is used during family counseling. What this means is that if either party requests records you agree by signing consent to treat for family counseling that the records can contain either party name in the family regardless if all parties give direct consent for the release. Either party has rights to the shared record during the course of family counseling without redactment. This agreement signed is a signed release of information for the file to be requested by either party at any time in treatment or after treatment. Only the family information and documentation will be shared with the other family member in treatment. If you are using your chart as the family chart and individual chart we will ensure that only the documentation aligned with the family’s work is released to the other party in the course of documentation release.
In addition, if there are legal guardians to the minor(s) that are not in family therapy they have a right also to request the records. The records will contain all party information regarding family therapy. You understand by signing that THS will not redact information of the chart but the entire chart can be provided to the guardian of that minor in treatment. This is in regards to guardians who have equal decision making authority and show proof of this or there is no proof either party can provide that shows the legal guardian on the child(s) birth certificate has equal decision making power.
A court subpoena for the record can also be done and a court order to release the documentation is required. Further, if abuse or neglect is reported we are mandated reporters as a licensed facility and behavioral health providers and in this case also the chart can be released.
Course of Treatment: The continued participation by each person is voluntary. Any participant may suspend or terminate the therapy at their individual request.
Right to Participate, Review, and Update Treatment Plan
As a client you have a right to participate in your treatment. This means that you have a right to say what goals and objectives you want to engage in during treatment. Your treatment plans will be created with you and with you as the focus of treatment. At any time you can request to review your plan of care and update with therapist. We generally update treatment plans every 90 days at minimum.
Emergency
If an emergency, please call 911 or EMPACT-SPC crisis line at 480-784-1500. This crisis line is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
Client Records
All of your information is stored within a HIPAA compliant electronic medical records forum. Teri’s Health Services will save your chart for up to 7 years following the closure of chart for services. At any time, you have a right to your records. If you are requesting your records, please allow up to 14 days from the medical records department. You may complete a record request by contacting our office and requesting one be sent to you to complete.
Records Sharing
Your record is only shared with those you provide a release of information for. In some cases, there are court orders that require sharing of records. If one or both of these scenarios are not present then your records are not shared with anyone outside of Teri’s Health Services practice. You are also authorizing the release of information about your care to your insurance company. The information often required by insurance companies may include, but is not limited to, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment goals. It is important for you to understand that your insurance company has the right to your records for the purpose of verifying the billed services. As a treatment team, all of Teri’s Health Services employees have access to your record. We also will frequently speak specifically about the care of clients in a treatment team setting. You have a right to ask what if anything was shared about you in these settings. We only share that information that is pertinent to client care.
Confidentiality
By law, a clinician is considered and titled a "Mandated Reporter." In the state of Arizona mandated reporters include doctors, teachers, nurses, social workers, and counselors. What this means is that if you report to a clinician or healthcare worker at Teri’s Health Services anything that suggests serious and foreseeable harm to yourself or someone else we are required to break confidentiality and get you help and/or warn someone about your plans to harm them. If we are court ordered to release records, we are also required to break confidentiality. If you are court ordered to treatment the courts have a right to your record. If you are a minor (17 or younger) your parents or guardian have a right to your record and this consent will go to them to sign as well. Also, guardians will be provided treatment plans to sign as they are updated at minimum every 90 days.
Right to Treatment
At any time, you have the right to end counseling or to refuse any treatment modality that a clinician uses at Teri’s Health Services. No penalties regarding your care will be provided for refusing counseling.
Consent to Treatment
Your signature below indicates that you have had an opportunity to read and review this information and that pertinent questions regarding you have been satisfactorily answered. Furthermore, it indicates your willingness and agreement to participate in treatment. You can withdraw from treatment at any time without consequences by Teri’s Health Services.
Family members name’s included in treatment (place as many names as will be included in treatment. All members must complete this form individually):