Here are our practice policies, which are also outlined in our client paperwork. We know many people skim over fine print. Alas, we sincerely ask that you
PLEASE actually read this thoroughly! It is to YOUR benefit to be an educated consumer of mental health services, and to be aware of our practices policies to prevent any undesirable outcomes (also known as natural consequences). If you are a parent of a child or teenage client, reading through this together is a great educational opportunity for your child to observe, learn and build life skills.
All clients are asked to sign acknowledgement of this orientation at the onset of therapy. Clients can always find this, and other documents, in their online portal.
Practice Policies on Attendance and Lateness
Irrespective of previous experiences you may have encountered at other therapy practices, we enforce our policies with diligence, allowing exceptions only for severe and unforeseen illnesses or true emergencies.
Attendance
If you must cancel or reschedule an appointment, please provide a minimum of 24-hours advanced notice from the date and time of your appointment. If you cancel, no-show, or reschedule an appointment within such a 24-hour period, you will be charged the full session rate for the time slot.
Any observable pattern of frequent cancellations, latenesses, last minute changes, sick days, etc. will be explored in session for its clinical impact on your treatment. If you have a recurring appointment time and cancel four (4) sessions in a row (regardless of providing advanced notice), MCCC reserves the right to give that time slot to another client and/or terminate treatment.
Lateness
- Please communicate with your therapist if you anticipate arriving late!
- If you are more than 15 minutes late for your scheduled appointment without prior communication with your clinician, this is considered a “no show” and you will be charged the full session rate.
- This applies for both in-person and telehealth appointments.
- Our therapists are NOT responsible for reminding you to log in to a virtual appointment session during those 15 minutes.
Switching from in person to virtual
- If you need to switch from an in-person appointment to a telehealth appointment, please provide your clinician with 24 hours notice.
- In the event of less than 24-hour notice, a $30 convenience fee will be applied.
- The only exception to this policy is in the event of unforeseen or immediate onset of cold or flu-like symptoms, or other covid-19 related precautions, including recent positive tests or notifications of exposure. (see Sick Policy below for more details).
Practice Policies on Sickness and Illness
In the event that you are experiencing symptoms of any contagious illness (such as fever, cough, flu, strep throat, or Covid-19) we ask that you prioritize your well-being and the safety of others by taking appropriate measures.
Please reach out to your clinician as soon as possible so the two of you can determine the best course of action. If you have been feeling unwell for several days before your scheduled appointment, please inform your clinician without delay instead of waiting until the day of your session.
- If you feel well enough to participate virtually and there are no clinical contraindications of having a virtual session, we will encourage you to switch your in-person session to a virtual appointment for that day, and you will NOT be charged a convenience fee.
- If your sudden onset of symptoms renders you unwell for session entirely, you will not be charged a late cancellation fee as long as you communicate with your clinician ahead of time.
- If you do not show for an appointment without informing us beforehand and later tell us that you were ill, you will still be charged the full session fee as a result of not communicating with us in advance.
- If you do not communicate that you are ill and your therapist learns this upon your arrival to the office, we will send you home and charge the session as a late cancellation with a full session fee as a result of not problem solving with us in advance.
Inclement Weather Policy
Our goal is to maintain all operations either in-person or virtually while still prioritizing safety and clinical integrity for both clients and staff alike! In the event of inclement weather that may hinder travel or pose a risk, the following policy applies:
Office Closures and Communication: Unless you hear otherwise, please assume that our offices remain open and operating. At the same time, regardless of the office closure status, each clinician is empowered to determine how to proceed on an inclement weather day, given their circumstances and their knowledge of their clients’ needs. It is each clinicians’ responsibility to communicate with their clients about alternative arrangements regarding inclement weather. Please do not email info@mccounselingcenter.com.
Rescheduling or Cancellation by Clinician: No cancellation fee will be applied if your clinician determines it necessary to reschedule or cancel your appointment due to inclement weather. Your clinician will make every effort to notify you as soon as possible.
Client Responsibility to Assess Travel Safety: If you believe it would be dangerous to travel to your appointment due to inclement weather conditions, please notify your clinician as with as much advance notice as possible. Your clinician will work with you to determine the best course of action.
Switching to Telehealth: In the event you and your clinical agree that a switch to telehealth is clinically appropriate for continued care, you will not be charged the 24-hour telehealth convenience fee. State licensing restrictions may prohibit this option. This depends on the state in which you live and the state/s that your therapist is licensed in.
No-Show fees will still apply if:
- You do not respond to contact attempts from your clinician if they are seeking to make alternate arrangements.
- You do not initiate contact with your clinician until after your scheduled appointment time has already passed.
- You are more than 15 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, as our lateness policy describes above.
Encountering Your Therapist in the Community
Your right to privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance, and we do not wish to jeopardize that. If you see your clinician outside of the therapy office in the community, they will not acknowledge you first. Please know that we are not intentionally ignoring you!
However, if you acknowledge your clinician first, they will be more than happy to speak briefly with you. We will not engage in any lengthy discussions in public. You should not you discuss private information with your clinician in public or outside of the therapy office.
Social Media Policies
MCCC staff members will not accept “friend/follow” or connection requests on their personal social media accounts from any client or their known friends and family members.
While you are welcome to follow MCCC, the practice, on social media, we want to clarify that we do not follow or friend back individuals in return. This measure is in place to safeguard your privacy and confidentiality. Social media should never be used as a means to contact us for therapy-related discussions, including emergencies. Please understand that any direct messages from clients sent via MCCC’s social media channels will not receive a response.
Please note that social media apps may seek to connect you with MCCC staff or with other visitors to our office. They do this through a “people you may know” or similar feature. We have no control over apps that may intrude on the privacy of your treatment in this way. If you would like to minimize the risk of others becoming aware of your connection to MCCC, please make use of the privacy controls available on your phone. You can protect your privacy by turning off a social media app’s location tracking. You can also refusing it access to your email account and the contacts and history in your phone.
Animals in the Office
On occasion, clinicians may bring their dog to the office. If you have allergies, phobias, or other concerns, please let your clinician know. We will be happy to create other arrangements during your sessions.
Other than ADA trained service animals, we ask that clients not bring their pets into the office.
