Policies | Doctor Barcklay

Policies

I am committed to providing you with the best possible care. In order to achieve this goal, it is important that you understand to the following policies.

What to Expect

Initial therapy sessions typically involve a lot of questions about your background and the problems you may be facing. Through our discussion we will be able to outline a basic plan for treatment including when and how often we will meet for sessions. It is my opinion that therapy relies heavily on a relationship of trust and boundaries. Such trust provides the power for therapeutic interventions to provide significant healing and change. Nevertheless, it can take some time to cultivate. Unfortunately, there are no quick-fixes or instant cures for mental illness or for many of the stresses in life. There are many approaches and applications of therapy that have been upheld by clinical research. My approach is eclectic, meaning I draw upon a variety of techniques from different modalities in order to best suit your needs. I base that eclectic approach in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I find that CBT is effective in helping to determine what takes priority in treatment and to provide a structure upon which we can build our therapeutic relationship. From there, therapy will be tailored to your needs and goals. As part of the therapeutic process, there may be assignments and work to perform both during and in-between sessions.

Assessment, or psychological testing, is a way to get to know more about your learning style, emotions, thoughts, personality, and behaviors, so you can succeed at school, work, and in relationships. I employ a variety of tests that may involve asking you questions or to solve problems, looking at pictures, working with blocks, or pencil-and-paper tasks. You have a right to receive a written report of Dr. Barcklay’s findings in understandable language and to ask questions at any time. You have a right to disagree with Dr. Barcklay’s diagnosis and recommendations. Your feedback, positive or negative, is always welcome and may serve to improve the thoroughness of the assessment.

Confidentiality

Your privacy is important. Your Personal Health Information (PHI) is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Your private information will never be shared without your written authorization, or as permitted by law. For example, HIPAA privacy rules permit Dr. Barcklay to use and disclose some PHI, with certain limits and protections, for treatment, payment, and health care activities. This may include Dr. Barcklay consulting with a trusted colleague in order to provide you with the best treatment – in such cases, your personal identifying information will not be shared.

The confidentiality of your personal information, including PHI and identifying information will be maintained with the utmost care. However, some situations may legally require me to share your information outside our sessions without your authorization:

If any child or elder abuse or neglect occurs or has occurred, Dr. Barcklay is required by law to disclose this information and client contact

information to the proper authorities. Similarly, if a client represents an imminent threat to him- or herself, or to another person, Dr. Barcklay will also be

required to contact authorities.

In the case of judicial matters, confidentiality ends when a judge issues a court order for my records or if you bring a lawsuit or licensing board complaint against Dr. Barcklay.

Minor Clients: Only parents/guardians with legal custody for health care decisions have access to a minor’s records, regardless of who is paying for the session. Dr. Barcklay is legally prevented from releasing information to parents without the minor’s consent, including information regarding pregnancy, drug or alcohol use, contraceptive use, sexually transmitted disease, or medical history.

In some cases, a need may arise for me to exchange information with other parties: such as treating physicians, schools, or family members. In such cases, I will require written and signed consent to speak with such persons or groups prior to making or accepting any contact.

As we live in a relatively small community, it is possible that we may see each other outside of our appointment. In order to protect your privacy, it is up to you if you would like to say hello or to communicate in any way.

Emergencies

I typically provide services on an appointment basis unless an urgent situation arises. In the case of a life-threatening emergency, please call emergency services (9-1-1) prior to contacting me. Your safety and the safety of others is my primary concern. For urgent situations that are not imminently life-threatening, I may be reached at (703)625-2017. If I am with a client or otherwise unavailable, I may not answer. But I will respond to messages as soon as I am able.

Cancellation

If you find that you will be unable to keep an appointment, please provide at least 24-hours’ notice. Of course, special circumstances may occur where 24-hour notice may not be possible. To maintain a healthy office environment, please reschedule your appointment if you are ill. In situations where illness or other special circumstances do not apply, a charge of $75 will be made for appointments cancelled or not attended by the patient without at least 24-hour notice.

Payment

All payments are due at the time of service unless otherwise specified or agreed upon.

Copays and Coinsurance: This will be based upon your insurance.

Therapy: Therapy clients are charged $150 per each 50-minute session.

Assessment: The base cost of an assessment battery is $600 plus $180 per hour. Hourly charges include test preparation, administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. The time required to administer testing and write a report varies depending on the needs of each patient.

Assessment Consultation: An initial consultation for assessment is $200, due at the time of the session. If, after the consultation, it is determined that an assessment battery is necessary, an appointment will be scheduled at that time for testing. The base-cost of $600 will be due at that time, minus any costs paid at consultation. Following the completion of the report and feedback sessions, an invoice will be provided regarding payment for hourly work completed. Payment is required within 10 days of receipt of the invoice.

Observation and court appearances: Services provided outside the office such as school or home observations or court appearances will be charged at a rate of $200 per hour, including travel time.

Letters: In some cases, an employer, insurance company, or other entity may require a letter from me describing my assessment findings or therapeutic work with you. In those cases, I will require a signed release of information and will discuss with you the extent of the information you are willing to include in such a letter. My fee for providing this service is $75. Please be aware that insurance does not cover such services and you will be responsible for payment.

In the event of an emergency, I will do my utmost to provide you with appropriate services and to coordinate care. If you do require emergency services from me, I will provide those services regardless of the financial status of your account. While you will ultimately be financially responsible for any services that I provide, I will never deny you treatment of an emergency nature because of nonpayment of your account.

Phone calls or emails to change or cancel an appointment will not result in charges. All other phone calls, emails, reports, letters, and meetings attended on behalf of the patient will be charged and pro-rated at a base of $150/per hour.

Late or Returned Payments: Payments are due at the time of service or as otherwise stipulated above. Late charges will be assessed at a rate of $25 per month on accounts with past-due amounts. Returned checks will result in a $35 fee.

Insurance

I currently do not accept payment via insurance plans. However, some insurance companies offer reimbursement programs for out-of-network service providers. Please contact your insurance company to see if such a program is available to you. In such cases, a Super-Bill will be provided for you to submit to your insurance.

Records

Per legal requirements, records of treatment will be kept for seven (7) years after termination of treatment, or seven years after a child client reaches the age of 18.

You will be entitled to up to three free copies of test reports over a period of two years following the completion of the assessment. Health care entities may be allowed to impose a cost-based fee that can include the cost of supplies, mailing and labor for reviewing and copying records. I charge an administrative fee of $50 for records requested by patients in addition to the aforementioned three reports. Records will not be disseminated to any third party entities without express written and signed consent by the patient. The request for records or copies of reports must specify the person and address to which the records are to be sent and the date of service.

Contact

You will be asked on the Intake form how you would prefer to be contacted (via email or phone) and whether it is appropriate for me to leave messages for you.

I may be contacted at (703)625-2017 or barcklay.psyd@gmail.com. No urgent or emergency information can be accepted by email or text. Use of email means that you accept the risk of electronic communication. There is no guarantee that information in an email or attached to an email remains private. This includes, but is not limited to: encrypted information, “secure” email services such as (e.g., Gmail), or cloud-storage devices (e.g., Drop-Box). I do not participate in fundraising or business endeavors of my clients.

Social Media: To protect your confidentiality and preserve appropriate therapeutic boundaries, I do not “friend,” follow, or search clients online. If you happen to receive a “friend” request from me, it is erroneous (please contact me to let me know). Posting a review of my services online is your right as a client. But, to protect your confidentiality, I will not respond in any way. I welcome any responses to our work together that could facilitate effective treatment. I hope that we can communicate about this in person.