Fees
Individual Psychotherapy
The regular fee for a standard 50-minute session of individual psychotherapy is $215 per 50-minute session. Full-time students or persons with a financial hardship may request services at a reduced rate. Services available at a reduced rate are limited and clients may be declined the reduced rate.
There may be additional fees applied for any formal psychological testing and assessment that may be involved in treatment. Formal assessments that may be an appropriate part of the therapy will be determined within therapeutic context and the fee for the formal assessment will be negotiated at that time.
Payment
Payment may be made by cash, personal check, or Visa and MasterCard. While Woodja Flanigan does not take insurance, you may want to inquire with your carrier about reimbursement options for out of network providers, as he frequently provides clients with receipts for reimbursement.
Payment is due at the beginning of each session. If payment is not provided for the services rendered, this may be reported to a collections agency and treatment may be discontinued by the therapist. In such a situation, you will be provided with referrals to other professionals.
Policies
Cancellations and re-scheduling
Individual Psychotherapy
Any cancellations or rescheduling of individual psychotherapy appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled appointment. Clients who cancel or reschedule in fewer than 24 hours, or do not show up for an appointment, will be charged a regular fee for the session.
Presentations
Any cancellation or rescheduling of presentations must be made at least one week in advance. Presentations which are canceled less than one week prior to the scheduled event will be charged for the time spent in preparation for the presentation at a rate of $50 per hour. Materials prepared for the presentations will be turned over to the organization upon payment. Presentations rescheduled within one week of the scheduled appointment will be charged a rescheduling fee of $25 per hour of presentation, with a minimum rescheduling fee of $50.
Reception Room
Clients may arrive early for appointments and wait in the reception room until called into the consultation room. Clients are expected to respect the rights of other clients by keeping noise in the reception room to a reasonable level while waiting to be called. Clients are also expected to respect the rights of other clients by not discussing who they see enter or exit or what they may overhear within the office. While not legally bound to abide by a confidentiality agreement, clients are encouraged to respect other clients' right to privacy. Failure to respect other clients while in the reception room may lead to rescheduling of appointments to a different time or termination of services with referral to other therapists.
Guests
Clients may bring guests to session upon prior approval by the therapist. Clients who bring guests without prior approval may be required to have their guests wait in the reception room. Guests, whether or not invited into session, are expected to maintain the same level of respect for other clients as any client with regard to noise and confidentiality. Clients who bring guests who fail to respect other clients while in the reception room may have their appointments rescheduled at a different time or have their services terminated with referrals to other therapists.
Recording of Sessions
Clients may take notes within session; however, consent to record sessions in not implicitly granted. If a client desires to make either an audio or video recording of a session he or she should discuss this with the therapist concerning the purpose and use of the recording and receive his consent prior to recording any session. Likewise, no sessions will be recorded by the therapist without the client's consent. Recording a session without the therapist's consent may lead to termination of services with referral to other therapists.
Cell Phones and Pagers
Clients are expected to turn-off or silence all cell phones and pagers during session. Therapy is most effective when uninterrupted and when given one's full attention. If a client may need to accept a page, text message, or phone call during session, this should be discussed with the therapist in advance. Likewise, the therapist will not accept any pages, text messages, or phone calls during session without discussing the intrusion prior to the beginning of session. Excessive interruption by external communication during sessions may lead to rescheduling of appointments to a different time or termination of services with referral to other therapists.
Client Rights
Treatment
You have the right to treatment, regardless of race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. You have the right to receive individualized treatment-tailored to meet your needs-including a verbal discussion of our treatment plan and goals. You have the right to ask questions at any time about the therapeutic process and interventions used in our sessions. You have the right to refuse recommendations if you feel that they are inappropriate. You have the right to discuss your progress and review your goals with me. You have the right to suggest or request changes in the direction of treatment or to terminate therapy if you feel that progress is not being made.
Respect
You have the right to be treated with dignity. You have the right to expect respect as an individual and for this respect to be conveyed by my keeping appointments or contacting you if a change in times is necessary, by giving you my complete attention during sessions, by my avoiding interruptions during sessions, and my providing the most effective counseling I can. You have a right to know the cost of the services I offer to you.
Provider
You have the right to determine who will provide treatment for you. You have the right to terminate therapy for any reason. If you decide to do so, I request that you discuss your desire to terminate with me in person so that we can discuss your experience and formally end our work together. You have the right to referrals to qualified professionals should you choose not to receive therapy from me.
Confidentiality
You have the right to have the information you share with me remain confidential. Under most circumstances, the information that you provide about yourself during the counseling process (including your identity as a client) remains confidential and is released to other parties only with your expressed verbal or written consent. The laws of the State of Texas provide for the disclosure of this confidential information to others without your consent in some very specific circumstances. These situations include the following:
- If you are under the age of 18 years, your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) may have access to your records and may authorize their release to other parties.
- If you are determined to be an imminent danger of harming yourself or someone else.
- If you disclose the abuse or neglect of children, the elderly, or disabled persons.
- If you disclose sexual interaction with a current or former psychotherapist.
- To qualified personnel for specific audits or evaluations.
- To individuals, corporations, or governmental agencies involved in paying or collecting fees for services.
- If a court subpoenas me to testify about you.
- In legal or regulatory actions against a professional.
- In proceedings in which a claim is made about one's physical, emotional, or mental condition.
- When disclosure is relevant to any suit affecting the parent-child relationship. This includes divorce and child custody deliberations.
- When otherwise legally required.
