Frequently Asked Questions
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What are your fees and payment policy?
**Professional Fees**
The professional fees for our services are set by each therapist and do not include HST.
Consultations
Initial consultations are FREE
All consultations are 20 minutes long and by video (phone by request)
Individual Counselling
Ranges from $135 to $175 + HST
50 to 55 minute sessions
Couples Counselling
Sessions are $205 + HST
75 minute sessions
Some therapists offer 55 minute couples sessions. Check the bottom of their profiles to see their rates
Professional Support*
$65 + HST per 30-minute block to complete task(s)
*Professional support includes any requests for letters or other support(s) outside of sessions.
Sliding Scale Rates*
TBD
Your therapist may accept clients on a sliding scale based on individual circumstances. If you are in need of assistance, please speak directly with your therapist by email or during the consultation about how they may be able to accommodate you.
*Please be aware that there may be a limited number of spots available for sessions at a reduce rate.
Extended Health Coverage*
TBD
Most extended Health Insurance plans provide coverage for the services of a Psychotherapist, Counsellor or Social Worker, depending on their training and specific designation. We recommend that you check with your provider to see what services are covered under your specific plan.
*You may also be able to use your coverage for sessions with student therapists.
**Payment Policy**
Unless otherwise agreed upon, full payment is required on the day of every session which includes missed session fees. Payment can be made via:
e-transfer
credit card
cryptocurrency*
*If you wish to pay with Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, please discuss this upon booking, as only a limited number of cryptos are accepted.
If payment by credit card has been agreed upon, you will be automatically billed for each completed, missed, or late cancellation session, and you will receive a receipt of payment by email.
If payment is not made when due, The Dot reserves the right to charge your credit card for any outstanding payments seven days after the session. In the case where the credit card information is outdated or inaccurate, you will first be contacted to make payment via a different route or to correct the errors.
Payment not received within 30 days of the session date will be invoiced at an annual rate of 5% unless otherwise agreed upon. If payment is still not made, The Dot reserves the right to employ a collections agency to recover any unpaid fees.
What is your scheduling and cancellation policy?
To benefit most from psychotherapy, a commitment to sessions is important so you and your therapist will discuss in the first session whether weekly or bi-weekly sessions are best for you.
If your therapist needs to change the time of your appointment, they will give you no less than a 3-day notice, and you are requested that you agree to do the same.
All missed appointments and cancellations within 24 hours of your session will be charged for the full session.*
*Cancellation fees will be waived for compassionate reasons in case of illness, accident, or emergency. If this is the case, let your therapist know once you can and you will both discuss the situation in further detail at your next session.
Please also note that if you are 15 mins late without notification, the session will be cancelled, and you will be billed.
If you cannot make your scheduled appointment, a 3-day notice is required to cancel a session without charge. An attempt will be made to reschedule you within 5 business days of your cancellation date. If you and your therapist can reschedule your appointment during the 5 business days, you will not be charged a cancellation fee. Your therapist will make every effort to reschedule in emergency situations, but sometimes there are no available times.
If, for any reason, you need to cancel your session with less than a 3-day notice, and your therapist is unable to reschedule in the same week, you will be charged a cancellation fee of one half of your regular session fee.
What are your policies on communications and privacy?
**Messaging**
Email and phone (unless phone is requested as the main technology used for sessions) are for scheduling and payment purposes only. Therapy concerns will be discussed during sessions only unless otherwise agreed upon. Know that your therapist, or The Dot, only answers the phone, text, and email at certain hours in the day. If you have an emergency, please call 911 or you can discuss local emergency numbers during the session with your therapist.
**Information Security**
Any information (session information, emails, texts, descriptions of phone calls, etc.), you provide may be recorded and stored. Everything you provide is kept private and secure in electronic client files and in paper records and your therapist is required by law to keep this information for at least 10 years. Anything you discuss with your therapist is kept private and confidential, unless outlined in the limits of confidentiality below. As well, this record of personal information and notes is also your record, and you may request a copy of this information.
**Administration**
The Dot has hired an administrator to answer all calls and emails, to book clients with their respective therapists, and to handle any administrative needs. While the administration has access to your contact, payment information and your schedule, they do not have access to your private files. Note that all admins working for The Dot have signed confidentiality agreements and adhere strictly to privacy.
**Supervision**
Your therapist may share some of what is discussed in your communications with their supervisor or their peer supervision group. This is to gain new insight and support to better help you. Please note that no personal information is ever passed along in this sharing of information.
**Couples Therapy**
You and your partner may decide to have individual sessions with your couples therapist as part of couple’s therapy, or your therapist may have private conversations with either of you. If this occurs, what you say in those moments will be considered part of couple’s therapy and may be discussed in the couple’s sessions. Privacy exists between the three of you, and your therapist will not hold secrets from either of you.
**Limits of Confidentiality**
In law, there are a limited number of circumstances where your therapist may need to disclose your personal health information without consent:
Where your therapist believes on reasonable grounds that disclosure is necessary to eliminate or reduce significant, imminent risk of serious bodily harm (includes physical or psychological harm) to you or anyone else, e.g., suicide, homicide.
Where disclosure is required under the Child and Family Services Act, e.g.: where your therapist has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child needs protection due to physical harm, neglect or sexual abuse by a person having charge of the child.
Where necessary for particular legal proceedings, or to facilitate an investigation or inspection if authorized by warrant or by any provincial or federal law.
For contacting a relative, friend or potential substitute decision-maker of the individual, if the individual is injured, incapacitated or ill and unable to give consent personally.
To a college for administration or enforcement of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) (mandatory reporting where your therapist has reasonable grounds to believe that a regulated health professional has sexually abused their patient/client).
What are your policies on online video or phone psychotherapy sessions?
Most, if not all your sessions through The Dot, are experienced through either secure video or by phone. Although the internet provides the appearance of anonymity and privacy in counselling, especially when carried out from home, privacy can be more of an issue online than in person. We will do everything we can to inform you about the process of psychotherapy through the internet and to help safeguard you.
**Technology**
For our sessions, The Dot uses secure and encrypted video tele mental health software through the Jane App. Prior to the start of our sessions, you will receive a booking reminder for the secure video connection by email and/or text. You will receive a different link for each session. Prior to our first session, please click on them to ensure that it is working. If you run into any concerns, you can email or phone your therapist to troubleshoot the issue together. Your therapist may have an alternative backup secure video service or lastly will use a phone call as a last resort (Canada only) for the session if the issues cannot be resolved (if sessions are by video).
**Confidentiality**
The Dot makes every effort to ensure all information is kept confidential. As a client, please consider who has access to your computer. Your therapist will take all precautions to ensure online therapy is confidential, but it could be interrupted or accessed by unauthorized persons at your location. Confidentiality could also be breached through lack of password protection, or in transit by hackers or internet service providers or at either end by others with access to your account or computer. If you are accessing the Internet from public locations such as a library or internet café you should consider the visibility of your screen with people around, you. Be sure to fully exit safely all psychotherapy sessions and emails.
You are responsible for securing your own computer hardware, your internet access points, chat software, email, and passwords. The Dot or any of its associates will not be liable for the release of confidential information relating to you and arising from your failure to maintain the privacy of your online communication with your therapist or The Dot, nor will they be liable for the release of any confidential information relating to you arising from the unauthorized actions or omissions of any third party.
**Technical Failures**
Transmission could be disturbed or distorted by technical failures. If you and your therapist are unable to connect or are disconnected during a session due to technological breakdown (crash or freeze etc.), they will try to reconnect within 5 minutes. If reconnection is not possible, you will receive an email or message to either move to a phone session or to schedule a new session time.
**Seeking Permission**
Permission from your therapist is required before recording any portion of your session and/or posting any portion of said sessions on any website, or Facebook, YouTube, etc.
**Lack of Non-Verbal Cues**
You should be aware that misunderstandings are possible in online psychotherapy. Psychotherapists are observers of human behaviour and gather a lot of information from body language, vocal inflection, and other non-verbal cues. If this is your first time in online counselling, have patience with the process and clarify information if you think your therapist has not understood you well. Please be patient if you are asked periodically for clarification as well.
**Time-Zone Difference**
If you are not in Ontario, be aware of the possibility of different time zones. Your therapist will make every effort to connect and respond to you at the time that was agreed upon.
Still have questions?
Ask us anything. We have answers.