Information for Private Clients
A Private Service
Welcome!
Seeing a therapist in their private practice on a fee for service basis is not possible for everyone. For some, however, it is a quality alternative to public services.
Many people feel that government-funded services cannot meet their specific needs, or are too “public”, or the waiting lists are too long. Others prefer to be able to select a professional of their choice to discreetly provide the quality of service they feel they need.
Whatever your reasons, Dr. John Swaine & Associates welcomes the opportunity to serve you.
Your First Meeting:
Your first session will be an assessment or orientation session. Most of this time will be spent in going over current problems, issues and concerns. Having as much background information as possible before this session will, of course, help to save valuable time. You may be asked to fill in some forms to bring to this session. Because we are a partner with the Dalhousie University Clinical Psychology program, a doctoral intern may be present for some sessions.
What Will Happen?
Feedback:
General feedback about the key issues will be given to you at the conclusion of the initial meeting. This may involve practical suggestions, or recommendations for psychological or other assessment, or for counselling or psychotherapy sessions. Referral to one of the associates within the practice, or to a public service, may be suggested.
Reviews:
If you are followed for counselling or psychotherapy sessions, reviews of goals and progress will be conducted with you on a regular basis to ensure accountability, efficiency and effectiveness.
Sessions:
Fifty minutes of each hour will be dedicated to direct client service with you, and the remaining time will be used for record-keeping, file management etc.
Missed Appointments:
A scheduled appointment is time reserved exclusively for you and should be kept, or cancelled well in advance. You may be billed for an unkept appointment if it is not cancelled with 48 hours notice.
Communication:
Availability:
Telephone: (902) 469-0048. A confidential 24 hour message service is available; calls will be returned as quickly as possible.
Please note that there are no weekend or emergency services, and that staff may not be immediately available due to other commitments. If you have special concerns about availability, please discuss them during your first session.
Confidentiality:
The professional work that you undertake with our staff is confidential and any release of file information will only be done with your consent. Children and adolescents may be informed of any release requests. Only if there is a court order or subpoena may file information be released without consent.
Reports:
These will only be prepared with your consent. Children and adolescents may be informed of any requests for reports. We will bill requests for file information or reports to you or to the requesting body.
Payment:
As a private professional service, our fees are not covered by MSI and payment will be expected at the conclusion of each visit.
We do not direct bill to private health insurance plans. You should double check with your health insurance or employment benefit plan to see if full or partial reimbursement is a possibility.
- Our hourly fee is $135.00.
- VISA, MasterCard, American Express, debit card, cheque, or cash payments are accepted.
- Receipts will be provided for each payment.
- Treatment focussed phone calls will be billed at a rate proportional to the time used.
- We will bill requests for file information or reports to you or to the requesting body.
- Billing on a monthly basis and contracts for services can be arranged under some circumstances.
Rev. 02/04
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