Welcome to my practice at the Oakland Psychological Clinic in Lake Orion. I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve you and I hope that this information will help you in making an informed decision concerning my services. Please ask questions at any time.

I am a Clinical Social Worker with training and experience in a number of areas including individual, family and group therapies for children, adolescents and adults. If our work together leads to problems beyond my expertise, I will help you to obtain the necessary services from the appropriate specialist. My resume is available for review.

Clinical social workers provide two basic services: (1) Helping people resolve personal, family, and work problems and (2) providing a liaison service to community programs which may benefit the client. In Michigan, those allowed to use the C.S.W. credential are certified by the State of Michigan, Department of Commerce to perform therapeutic services. They also have two years of post-graduate, supervised, experience. Clinical social workers are trained in a broad range of problem-solving strategies, current therapeutic interventions, and in scientific research.

I was trained in the social work program at Wayne State University and took my internships at the Oxford Institute and the Pontiac School District. I have 20 years of experience with the Oakland County Juvenile Division.

Appointments:

My services are by appointment only. The length of the appointment times varies on the basis of the services provided. Individual therapy is generally scheduled for 45 to 50 minutes and this is known as a "clinical hour". Because the appointment is reserved for you, it is necessary to charge for appointments which are not canceled 24 hours in advance. Failure to provide a 24 hour notice of cancellation generally means that some other person is not able to use that appointment time. Appointments are scheduled during the usual office hours, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you do have to cancel an appointment, please reschedule at that time and do not assume that a future time has already been reserved for you.

Office Hours:

Monday 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Thursday 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

All appointments begin on the hour. During the winter season, if Lake Orion schools are closed due to weather, I will not be in the office.

Messages:

As we work together, you will notice that I do not accept phone calls during sessions, with the exception of an extreme emergency. During those times and at other times during the day or evening, my calls are answered by the office staff or the answering service. I check my messages frequently during the day and will generally return phone calls as soon as possible, during office hours.

Treatment:

I expect and encourage you to obtain knowledge of the procedures, goals and possible side-effects of psychotherapy. I expect to make our professional contact one where you receive the maximum benefit and I will keep you informed about alternatives to psychotherapy. Psychotherapy may be tremendously beneficial for some individuals, while at the same time, there are some risks. The risks may include the experience of intense and unwanted feelings including sadness, anger, fear, guilt or anxiety. It is important to remember that these feelings may be natural and normal as an important part of the therapy process. Other risks of therapy might include recalling unpleasant life events, facing unpleasant thoughts and beliefs, increased awareness of feelings, values and experiences or alteration of an individual’s ability or desire to deal effectively with other’s in relationships.

In therapy, major life decisions are sometimes made including decisions involving separation with families, development of other types of relationships, changing employment settings and changing lifestyles. These decisions are a legitimate outcome of the therapy experience as a result of the individual’s calling into question many of their beliefs and values. As your therapist, I will be available to discuss any of your assumptions, problems or possible negative side-effects of our work together.

Confidentiality:

The information you share with me is confidential. That means that information about you cannot leave my office without your permission. Should you want me to share information with another professional, we will ask you to sign a form giving us permission to do so.

Exceptions:

As in all states, Michigan has a mandatory child abuse reporting law. This law requires me to make a report to the Department of Social Services whenever I have reason to suspect child abuse. Your permission for such a report is not required. In Michigan, there are similar laws relating to the abuse of the elderly and/or disabled individuals.

If there is clear intention on your part to do serious harm to yourself or to someone else, I will share that information appropriately in an attempt to prevent that harm from occurring.

There have been instances in which therapy records have been subpoenaed to court. The most likely time for this to arise is a child custody battle. This ploy is almost never helpful to anyone but some lawyers still advise it.

Termination:

Termination of psychotherapy may occur at any time and may be initiated by either the client of the therapist. I request that if a decision is being made to terminate, that there be a minimum of a seven day notice, so that a final termination session(s) may be scheduled to explore the reasons for termination. Termination itself, can be a constructive, useful process. If any referral is warranted, it will be made at this time.

Minor Child/Dependent Clients:

If you are requesting my services as the guardian or parent of a child or the guardian of a dependent adult, the same general practice as outlined above, will apply. As your child’s therapist, however, it is important that your child is able to trust me, completely. As such, I keep confidential what your child says in the same way that I keep confidential what an adult says. As the parent or guardian, you have the right and responsibility to question and understand the nature of my activities and progress with your child. I must use my clinical discretion as to what is an inappropriate disclosure. In general, I will not release specific information that the child provides to me, however, I feel it appropriate to discuss with you, the parent or guardian, your child’s progress and your participation in their treatment.

In Closing:

We are about to begin a professional, goal-oriented relationship. You will, at all times, be treated with the highest degree of respect as an individual. In order for this process to be made, there is a need for both the therapist and the client to engage an element of risk. The most important part of that risk is disclosure. The more that we can discover during our conversations, the higher the expectation for a successful outcome. Please, at all times, feel encouraged to discuss any topic which you believe may be relevant to your treatment. Trust that I will do the same and together we can move toward resolution of the issues you brought to therapy.