Online counseling is a process where I provide a non-judgmental, supportive place for you to ventilate and process your thoughts, feelings and behavior in written format. I will ask you questions, in an effort for you to pursue the answer. I am not accepting responsibility for the outcomes of your decisions, but I am offering a mechanism to share your journey with you. I will give you feedback, and share what I know to be true, from my own experiences, as well as what I know to be true in literature and research. I do not give advice. I am here to share your life experience and share your company.
I enjoy offering you options, and suggestions for alternative thinking, feeling and being. But whether or not you choose to embrace those suggestions is totally up to you. I think it is important that you have the freedom to be yourself, free from shame and judgment.
Confidentiality
I will attempt to protect your confidentiality. I currently do not use a protected, encrypted email service, but I do take precaution to protect your identity and the content of your emails.
I do not save correspondence that is sent to me (either on my computer or in any printed format).
I may track the number of visits and see how they correspond to the online payment transactions.
The process is primarily for your benefit, so therefore I have no need to maintain any records. You, however, are free to save anything exchanged between us.
You are free to use a encrypted service and can do many things to protect yourself on your end like:
- Not saving any of the communication on your personal computer
- Using a "hidden" or inconspicuous named folder to save our communication
- Not using your business or work computers
- Using an email address that you only use for the counseling and not sharing the password or info with anyone
Payment
I do not charge for quick questions that do not require comprehensive thought or time to answer.
I do charge 25$ for reading your “in depth” email and responding in an appropriate, respectful manner. (Or 5 for $100)
I accept payment through PayPal, however I will first email you an invoice based on the type of service you request. Note: If you desire to protect your confidentiality from others in your close proximity, you may wish to first set up a special email address and separate PayPal account strictly for our communication and invoicing. PayPal accounts are free.
Those whose accounts are paid up to date, will get priority in my responses.
Responses are generally within 48 hours, with holidays being an exception.
If I can not respond to you with an in depth response in a timely fashion I will inform you of that, within the above time frames. (like if i am going on vacation etc)
This online counseling is not meant to be a substitute for face to face psychotherapy, or traditional psychiatric treatment. It can be used as an adjunct to those interventions, however.
I will ask you to send me a statement that says you have read this page and my Rights and Responsibilities for online care, and agree to those guidelines.
