Office policies & procedures
Initial Assessment Session
The first meeting is an intake session where reasons for seeking treatment may be explored. Background and demographic information are gathered and treatment specifics such as confidentiality, treatment fees, meeting time, and cancellation guidelines are addressed.
Patient will be provided in advance consent forms to complete and these, as well as insurance information if indicated, must be in place before the initial assessment session.
Payment
Out of pocket payments:
$250 to $350 per individual psychotherapy session or initial assessment. Most cash paying patients will get partially or fully reimbursed by their insurance companies for psychotherapy expenses. Please contact your insurance company directly for out of network reimbursement rates to make therapy more affordable.
Insurance payments:
I accept Aetna insurance. Before treatment begins, it is the patient's responsibility to contact Aetna to make sure insurance is active and also inquire about deductibles/copays. If it is determined once in treatment that insurance is inactive, patient will be charged the standard individual session fee for the unpaid session(s).
Payment options:
Payment is due as per agreement; either upon services rendered or billed monthly. For patients with Aetna, the copay is due at the time of each session. Cash, personal checks, Venmo or Zelle are accepted.
Cancellations
Sessions may be cancelled 24 hours in advance by notifying me either via telephone, (917) 678-5590 or, via e-mail at annebjoelle@gmail.com, in order to avoid incurring the charge of a full session fee.
Privacy
The relationship between patient and psychologist is confidential and protected by law. In order to release information about treatment, a Consent to Release Information form needs to be completed and signed by the patient. Once the form has been completed, coordination of care with other healthcare professionals or relatives can be initiated as needed. The exceptions to the confidentiality law are suspected child or elder abuse, harm to self or others, and when patient records are being subpoenaed as evidence during legal proceedings.
Disclosure of confidential material may be requested by patient’s insurance company in order to process a claim. In this circumstance, only the minimum amount of patient information will be provided and an attempt will be made from psychologist’s part to limit disclosure to only necessary information.