This letter provides you with information about your rights and responsibilities as a client.

CLIENT BILL OF RIGHTS

As a client, you can:

expect that you are working with experienced therapists;
ask to examine our credentials;
obtain a copy of our therapeutic Code of Ethics.

You can also expect us to:

inform you of the cost of professional services before receiving them;
protect your privacy;
treat you with respect and dignity;
involve you in treatment planning and allow you access to your records;
inform you about the availability of alternative treatment methods;
alert you to the risks, if any, that may be involved in treatment;
respect your right to refuse treatment.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The information you share with us is protected by both State and Federal confidentiality laws and will not be disclosed to anyone unless you have signed a consent to disclosure form. There are a few exceptions to this as required by law. Please discuss any concerns you have about your privacy with us. If insurance will be used for payment, diagnostic and other information must be provided to the insurance company by Brown-Gratchev & Associates Counseling. [ top]

OFFICE CALL-IN AVAILABILITY AND HOURS
Calls regarding appointments or other questions can be made to 246-9316 at any time on any day of the week. In the event you reach our machine, leave a message with your phone number, name, date, and time called, and we will return it as soon as possible. An individual, couple, or family therapy session hour is traditionally 50 minutes. Group therapy session times are traditionally 90 minutes. All sessions are by appointment only. [ top]

FEE PAYMENTS
Since fees are an important source of our income and unpaid fees severely strain our budget, we request that you pay in full for each therapy session at the beginning of each session at the rate mutually set and agreed upon. Other arrangements must be discussed in advance prior to coming to the therapy session. We do accept some third-party insurance payments. If insurance will be used for payment of services or if you can afford full payment for services, the insurance company or you will be billed at our full professional fee standard rate rather than at the sliding fee scale amount. [ top]

APPOINTMENT CANCELLATIONS
Our chief asset is our time as a therapist. Whenever you make an appointment, we agree to set aside time specifically for you. If you are unable to keep an appointment, please let us know at least TWENTY-FOUR HOURS (24) in advance, or you will be charged for the session you do not attend. Fees for no-shows or late cancellations must be paid before another appointment can be made. [ top]

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS
We have a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a doctorate in Psychiatry, and a masters degree in Counseling Psychology with over twenty years of clinical experience working with adolescents, women, men, and families, in individual, couple, family, and group settings. We have experience working with Women's Issues, Men's Issues, Domestic Violence, and School Performance Issues. A particular emphasis is given to adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, and their partners. We routinely review our clinical work in supervision [ top]

FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION
We will not deny service to any person on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or duration of residence, disability, or age.

We welcome your suggestions, feedback, comments, and cooperation in what we hope will be a successful and positive relationship with you. [ top]

© 2001 Brown-Gratchev & Associates. All rights reserved.

An early pioneer in the use of video-conferencing for counseling therapy sessions, we can arrange for sessions in advance. We use Microsoft NetMeeting software which is a free downloadable program.

To make arrangements for this, please complete the Intake Form, and send an email requesting sessions by video-conferences. Scheduling for these sessions can be very flexible to accommodate your particular global time zone and needs.