Clinic Policy

Clinic Policies

Welcome to Inner Compass Psychology. We provide an inspirational, compassionate, caring, positive and empathetic approach to psychotherapy to help you address your challenges.This document contains important information about how we handle the confidentiality of your private information and also about other clinic policies. Please read it carefully and feel free to raise any questions you may have. This document is referenced in our Registration and Informed Consent Form. When you sign that Form, it means you acknowledge and accept the policies laid out here.

Confidentiality

The confidentiality of your private information is very important to us. In general, the privacy of all communications between a patient and a psychologist is protected by law, and we can only release information about our work to others with your written permission. However, there are a few exceptions to this, where Inner Compass Psychology is allowed, or obligated, to disclose information regarding a patient. These exceptions are outlined below:

  • Some of your private information may be shared with administrative staff for the purposes of scheduling and billing.
  • During legal proceedings, if a judge orders that we provide information regarding the therapy, then we are legally obliged to comply with such court orders.
  • In situations where we believe that there is harm (or a threat of harm) happening to children, the elderly, disabled, or others due to a patient, then we are legally obliged to notify the relevant agencies, and reveal some information regarding the patient’s
    treatment.
  • If we suspect that the patient is being subjected to abuse, then we are also obligated to take steps to inform the relevant agencies.
  • If the patient threatens to self-harm or has suicidal intent, we may be obligated to disclose information regarding the patient.
  • In the event of couples having both individual and combined sessions with one of our therapists, the information from the individual sessions will be kept confidential and not disclosed in the combined sessions, unless explicit permission is given by the individual concerned.
  • Our therapists may need to consult other medical professionals regarding your case.
  • In such cases, we will make every effort to avoid revealing your identity. The therapist being consulted is also legally bound to keep any information about the patient confidential.
  • This summary of exceptions to confidentiality reflects the most common situations but is not exhaustive. If you have any concerns regarding confidentiality during therapy, please do raise them and we can try to address them together.

Session Timings and Payment

Our session duration is normally 50 minutes. Once a session has been scheduled, payment should be made in advance in accordance with the agreed rate. Sessions which are cancelled more than 24 hours in advance can be rescheduled without charge. Otherwise, the session charge remains payable. If a session runs over time, a pro-rated charge may be levied.

Insurance Reimbursement

If plan to use health insurance to bear the cost of the sessions, we will fill out forms and provide whatever assistance is required to help you receive the benefits to which you are entitled.
Please do check up-front with your insurer on the level of coverage you have for the services provided by Inner Compass Psychology. Please note that, in any event, the responsibility for payment remains with you, not your insurance company.
Some insurance companies require that we provide them with patient information as part of the claim process. Our standard policy is to provide such information to the insurance
company only through you, so that you have full control and awareness of what information is being released.

Communication

The preferred mode of communication with our therapists or administrative staff is via email, with WhatsApp for more urgent needs. Due to the busy schedule of therapists, they may not be available for telephone calls unless by prior appointment. Please note that we do not provide an emergency hotline service.

Minors

If the patient is a minor, the parent/guardian should also sign the consent form and is responsible for the payment of all session fees. In principle, the rules for confidentiality of private information also apply in the case of minors.

On-line Counselling

Should you have counselling sessions conducted on-line via platforms such as Skype, Zoom, or EMDR remote, Inner Compass Psychology cannot guarantee the security of the connection, or its stability. Please consult the information provided by the providers concerned about the level of security they provide. Inner Compass Psychology cannot be held liable for any security breaches which may occur on these platforms, or for the quality and stability of the connection during a session.