In most cases, your provider will need to provide a diagnosis to receive compensation from insurance companies. This diagnosis is generally made after the initial assessment and you have the right to ask what the diagnosis is unless there is a clear indication that the information would be harmful to your overall well being (see client rights for more information). Your provider will use the most appropriate diagnosis based on the information gathered during intake and the initial assessment. Your diagnosis may change over the course of your treatment with discovery of new information or progression of symptoms.

For clients who are direct self pay or using an EAP, a diagnosis can be provided by request, but is not generally required to process compensation.

Documentation Costs can vary depending on information requested. To directly provide information to another healthcare provider or to specified entities, there is no cost in accordance with Ohio Revised Code. For other entities, the fees are as follows:

(i) One dollar and eleven cents per page for the first ten pages

(ii) Fifty-seven cents per page for pages eleven through fifty

(iii) Twenty-three cents per page for pages fifty-one and higher

Other Fees:

If requested to appear in court without a subpoena or otherwise noted circumstance/entity in the Ohio Revised Code, the cost is $150 per hour, not to exceed $1500 per day to compensate for lost wages to appear in court.

A Full Psychological Report within Counselor’s scope of practice: $200

If a session has an additional person other than the client who is not their guardian, an increased session fee of $150 may be applied unless the counselor and client have mutually agreed and documented before the session that there will be another person in the session.

Release of entire treatment history for clients who have been seen for more than 6 months: $87 (or session fee equivalent). The fee per page is included in the cost.

If copies of treatment records need to be mailed, the postage cost is paid for by the client or requesting entity. This charge does not apply to faxed or emailed copies.

Online therapy can help reduce or eliminate travel time to complete the appointment. It can also expand the providers available to you, which may make it easier to find the right therapist for you. It does allow for greater flexibility when it comes to appointments.

Therapy has potential risks and it’s possible that a risk may not be mentioned in this section, but every effort has been made to include the potential risks here:

• You may initially feel worse as therapy progresses.

• Therapy can bring up thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else.

• You may experience strong feelings about your therapist.

• Therapy can complicate your life because of changes you are making to better yourself.

• Therapy can complicate romantic relationships, relationships with family or in other situations.

• There is financial risk when seeking therapy even if you are using insurance

• Not all therapy is effective for everyone.

• You may not like a diagnosis provided by your counselor.

• Your personal information may be overheard depending on where you choose to have your session.

• Your concerns may not be appropriate for online therapy services.

• Video/phone sessions can limit what your therapist can see when it comes to body language or other non verbal cues.

However, there are many benefits to therapy. In general, most people find themselves better off with therapy than those with similar issues who do not seek treatment. Here are some of the benefits of therapy in general:

• Learn to pay attention to your thoughts, your feelings, and your relationships

• Work with unwanted aspects of yourself

• Learn to feel painful things and to face painful realities

• Talk candidly and respectfully with people you’d rather avoid

• Accept difficult but inevitable situations

• Confront frightening but important realities

• Knowing and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses

• Feel more hopeful

• Challenge you to be more independent or self-reliant

• Online therapy can help break down barriers to transportation

• Online therapy can create more flexible scheduling when it comes to appointment times

• Online therapy can expand the providers available to you, making it easier to find the right fit.

Part of this section was adapted from: https://mapsnh.org/about/what-is-therapy/

As a client, you have some rights when it comes to services. If at any point you feel as though your rights have been violated or that your needs are not being reasonably met, you are encouraged to talk to your counselor or you may file a grievance with the Ohio Counselor, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapists Board.

As a client you have the right to:

be treated with consideration and respect for personal dignity, autonomy and privacy

reasonable protection from physical, sexual or emotional abuse and inhumane treatment

receive services in the least restrictive, feasible environment

give informed consent to or to refuse any service, treatment, or therapy, including medication absent an emergency

participate in the development, review and revision of one’s own Individualized Service Plan and receive a copy of it

be informed and the right to refuse any unusual or hazardous treatment procedures

advised and to refuse observation by others and by techniques such as one-way vision mirrors, tape recorders, video recorders, television, movies, photographs or other audio and visual technology. This right does not prohibit an agency from using closed-circuit monitoring to observe seclusion rooms or common areas, which does not include bathrooms or sleeping areas

confidentiality of communications and personal identifying information within the limitations and requirements for disclosure of client information under state and federal laws and regulations

have access to one's own client record unless access to certain information is restricted for clear treatment reasons. If access is restricted, the treatment plan shall include the reason for the restriction, a goal to remove the restriction, and the treatment being offered to remove the restriction

be informed a reasonable amount of time in advance of the reason for terminating participation in a service and to be provided a referral, unless the service is unavailable or not necessary

be informed of the reason for denial of a service

not be discriminated against for receiving services on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, developmental disability, genetic information, human immunodeficiency virus status, or in any manner prohibited by local, state or federal laws;

know the cost of services

be informed of all client rights, and to receive a copy

to exercise one's own rights without reprisal, except that no right extends so far as to supersede health and safety considerations

file a grievance

have written instructions concerning the procedure for filing a grievance, and to assistance in filing a grievance if requested

be informed of one’s own condition

consult with an independent treatment specialist or legal counsel at one's own expense.

You can also access:: http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/5122-26-18 for more information.

Dryad Counseling, LLC (DC) requests a 24 hour notice of cancellations. This policy allows for the counselor to contact other clients who may be waiting for an appointment.

In the event that an appointment is canceled/rescheduled less than 24 hours before, a $50 fee will be charged to the payment card on file the next day.

Clients are considered "no-show" if they are more than 15 minutes late to an appointment without notifying their counselor or miss an appointment without notifying the counselor.

No-Shows are charged $50 to the payment card on file the next day.

A waiver is available for clients. The waiver is applied by request and documented in your file. These waivers are subject to approval by the counselor and may not be granted in all circumstances.

If a session needs to be canceled by the counselor or for administrative reasons, you will not be charged.

Your counselor may not share your PHI with anyone without your permission except in the following circumstances:

- You're at risk to harm yourself

- You may harm someone else

- Suspected child abuse

- Suspected elder abuse or other vulnerable adult populations

- Suspected animal abuse

- Court ordered release of records

- Payment processing as appropriate

Each instance will follow the "minimum necessary rule". This means that only information relevant to this instance is released and no additional information will be provided.

DC will not accept friend requests from clients on any social media platform. Requests will be deleted.

If there is someone you would like to share your treatment information with, please request a link to the Release of Information form.

There may be times when your counselor will talk with other colleagues about your case. In these instances, your specific issues may be discussed without significant identifying information (such as name, place of employment, physical characteristics) to provide better care for you or if a referral is necessary. This is a common practice in several healthcare settings and allows for clinicians to become better providers.

Your counselor will make a reasonable effort to inform you of potential items to consult with other clinicians, but may not always be able to provide advanced notice.

Clients are encouraged to contact their counselor outside of sessions for non-emergent concerns through text or email. Neither is considered a secure form of communication and the client assumes the risk of disclosing personal information through those channels.

These channels are monitored during business hours, though an immediate response may not be possible. Business hours are Monday through Thursday from 12pm until 9pm. Communication outside of these hours will be reviewed during the next business day unless the counselor is away from the office.