NOTICE OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR OUR PRACTICE
We kindly ask that you please review content of this form in detail and ask your Psychologist, therapist, or staff for clarification.
CONFIDENTIALITY: All clinicians providing psychological services to clients operate on strict professional and ethical guidelines pertaining to confidentiality. Psychologists have a regulatory body called the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology (NSBEP), which ensures all individuals licensed as Psychologists follow ethical and professional guidelines. Registered Counselling Therapists (RCT) have a regulatory body called the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT) and Occupational Therapists (OT) are registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia (COTNS).
With respect to confidentiality, all client information at this Practice remains on-site in locked cabinets and no one is permitted to take files home or outside the Practice. Information is not released unless the client and/or his/her/their legal guardian signs an authorization form (Consent to Release Information Form) for the release of information.
All professionals are obligated to keep all information confidential. The principle of confidentiality is void if a professional feels that his or her client is at risk to themselves (for example, suicide is indicated) or others (for example, there is a clear threat of harm to another person), or if a child/adolescent is in need of protection, if abuse is reported, or if subpoenaed by a Court of Law. In these circumstances, a clinician is ethically obligated to share relevant information.
Our Practice managers and staff adhere to the same principles of confidentiality and are not permitted to discuss cases or content of client issues with individuals outside this Practice unless directed to do so by the psychologist and with parental/guardian consent. Our team members do not discuss session content with administrative staff at the Practice.
APPOINTMENTS: All services at this Practice are called Psychological Services, Counselling Therapy Services or Occupational Therapy Services depending on who you see. These include (1) pre-intake assessments which are completed prior to your first appointment (this includes time the clinician takes to review collateral information, score questionnaires completed by caregivers/child and/or school team, and review information gleaned from collateral documents and developmental history forms); (2) intake assessment (first appointment); (3) other direct clinical services including therapy sessions, assessment sessions, tele- phone calls, school meetings and (pre)school observations; and (4) indirect clinical services including letter and report writing, re- view of collateral information (emails, letters from teachers/other professionals, etc.) and/or other consultations.
Appointments are scheduled based upon reason for referral and in consultation with Dr. Kiran Pure who triages all cases. Dr. Pure assigns your case to herself or to another clinician in the Practice. We try to ensure that your child and family is seen by the clinician who is the best expert to address your clinical needs.
Mental Health Assessments: This assessments includes a pre-intake assessment as noted above, a three hour clinical interview, feedback, and letter/report writing.
Therapy: Follow up therapy appointments are typically 1.0 hour in duration, Appointment times may vary dependent on clinical need and necessity for longer meeting times. These changes can be discussed between yourself and the psychologist / therapist with whom you are working.
Assessments: For developmental, neuropsychological, academic, mental health, and/or behavioural assessments, appointments are scheduled based on child/adolescent’s age, primary reason for referral which indicates type of assessment required, and discussion of follow up services. !The assessments include a pre-intake assessment as noted above (this is applicable to the developmental, and neuropsychological/academic ones), a clinical interview, 1:1 testing with patient (child/adolescent), scoring and test interpretation, feedback, and letter/report writing.
For assessment and feedback purposes, assessment sessions completed may be videotaped (with your consent) for later review by the psychologist. The video will be destroyed immediately after psychologist reviews it and will not be shared.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Our Practice requires one-week notice for cancellation of assessments. For all other appointments, our Practice requires 48 hours notice. You are provided with a reminder email one week prior to your appointment date. If email is not the best reminder option for you, please advise the front desk as to the best contact number on which to leave a reminder message. We ask that you confirm your appointment within 48 hours of receiving the reminder; otherwise, your appointment will be cancelled.
For missed appointments, you will be forwarded a bill for the cost of the missed appointment. You are responsible for payment of fees for the missed appointment; if payment is typically made through a third party (i.e. Veteran’s Affairs Canada), the individual responsible for bringing the child will be invoiced, not the third party.
RATES FOR SERVICE: The hourly rate for therapy services is $210/hour for Psychologist, $150/hour for Registered Counselling Therapist, and $140 /hour for Occupational Therapist.
PAYMENT FOR SERVICES: Please note that our Practice requires payment for services rendered at the end of each session. Fees must be Paid in Full at the end of each session, as we do not direct bill insurance companies. We will provide you with a receipt per payment marked as PAID, which you are able to directly submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Please note: Due to increased restrictions by a number of insurance companies, we ask you kindly to review your policy to ensure all aspects of your child’s assessment and therapy will be covered, including indirect psychological services such as preparation of paperwork/reports, and occupational therapy in the case of that service.
OUTSTANDING FEES: Our Practice provides you with opportunities to pay outstanding fees via a written notice and telephone calls. If accounts remain unpaid after a reminder, our accounting office will redirect it to a collection agency after notification has been provided to you. Your name, home address, dates of psychological services, and amount owing will be released to the collections agency. Once this process is engaged, we are not able to take fees directly from you to avoid involvement of the collection agency. Exceptions to the fee structure exist for clients funded through government agencies.
MISCELLANEOUS: Please note that Dr. Pure has reserved the right to review all client charts and files in the event that there are issues arising with services rendered. Chart reviews and audits will be done periodically at the Practice. If you have any concerns regarding this component of services, please speak to the clinician with whom you are working to further discuss.
Dr. Pure requests that any issues related to or arising from your clinical services [about which you have concern] be communicated directly with your clinician if you feel comfortable; if not, Dr. Pure requests that you contact the Practice and request direct communication with her regarding any concerns you have. It is critically important to our Practice that services your child/adolescent and family receives are professional and meet your needs.
All documents provided through the Practice of Dr. Kiran Pure and Associates Ltd are provided Without Prejudice unless services are specifically requested for court purposes.
This form will be provided to you to sign at the time of your first appointment.
