OFFICE POLICY STATEMENT     

Welcome to TMS Psychological Services, P.C., the office of Dr. Theresa M. Schultz & Associates.

This section contains important information about our office’s professional services and business policies.  Please read it carefully and write down any questions have.  Our Office Staff will be happy to address any of your questions via phone or at your next appointment.  

THERAPY: 

Participation in therapy has the potential to yield many benefits including, but not limited to, gaining insight about oneself, learning effective management and coping strategies, improving interpersonal relationships and resolving the specific concerns that led you to seek therapy.  In general terms, therapy is a relationship in which one person enlists the professional assistance of another for the purpose of bringing about changes in her or his own feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and/or behavior.  The task of the Therapist, therefore, is to help their client bring about the changes s/he wishes to make. 

Attempting to resolve the concerns that led you to therapy in the first place may also yield results that were not originally expected.  This is so because the therapeutic process is also a learning process. That is, in addition to helping clients address self-identified concerns, the therapist also helps the client gain insight about emotions and behaviors, and aids with the development of specific adaptive skills and abilities. The achievement of treatment goals will sometimes be easy and swift, but more often it will require perseverance and patience, for it may take a significant amount of time before results are evident.  

When entering therapy, it is important to know that the client’s effort is imperative to the success of the therapeutic process.  Therapy requires the client’s active involvement, honesty, and openness.  In cases where the client is a minor, parental/family participation is encouraged.  Parental/ familial involvement can often enhance the therapeutic process by offering a shared understanding of the client’s needs and providing a network of support.  Since therapy is a relationship, your/your child’s Therapist will welcome your feedback about treatment at all times. 

It is also important to acknowledge that during the initial consultation and ongoing therapeutic work, remembering or talking about unpleasant events, feelings, or thoughts can result in the client experiencing distress, including feelings of anger, sadness, worry, fear, or regret (e.g., through questions, comments, or direct confrontation in therapy sessions). This is because the therapist may challenge some of the client’s assumptions or perceptions and/or propose different ways of looking at, thinking about, or handling situations. Misunderstandings and frustrations are not uncommon; in fact, they are often a sign of change and growth via the therapeutic process. Thus, those who have had successful therapeutic experiences often report that the benefits of therapy in the long run far outweigh the challenges of the process. 

Therapy Sessions:

Therapy sessions may vary in length, but typically last 30-45 minutes for children and 50 minutes for adolescents or adults. Out of regard for each client, a short break (5-10 minutes) is scheduled between sessions to permit a comfortable transition to/from the therapeutic work. We make every effort to start and end sessions promptly in order to fully use the time, so it is important that clients arrive on time as well.

Discussion of Intervention Plan:

As therapy begins, the therapist will develop a working understanding of the concern(s) at hand and, with the client, will develop an intervention (treatment) plan that includes specific objectives and anticipated outcomes. The therapist will answer any questions the client may have regarding the procedures used in the course of therapy or the therapist’s expertise in employing them. The client also has the right to ask about other interventions and their potential risks and benefits. If the client could benefit from any intervention that the therapist does not provide, the therapist has an ethical obligation to assist the client in obtaining those services.

Termination:

Termination may occur for a variety of reasons. One reason is that therapeutic work has been successfully completed. Termination may also occur because of a therapist-client mismatch. For instance, a particular therapist may recommend termination when s/he believes s/he is not the best professional suited to address a client’s needs. Likewise, a point in therapy may be reached where the therapist believes that s/he is not effective in helping the client reach therapeutic goals. The client also has the right to seek other professional assistance (i.e., to terminate therapy) at any time. Under any of these circumstances, several things typically occur. First, a termination session is scheduled so that the client and therapist have the opportunity to review their work together, and to discuss the anticipated transition to follow. Second, the therapist will offer to provide names of other qualified professionals whose services might be preferred. Finally, at the client’s request and with written authorization, the therapist will communicate with these professionals to assist in the client’s transition to another therapist.  

CONFIDENTIALITY: 

It is our office policy to go to great lengths to protect the privacy of our clients.  In general, all communications between a client and therapist are protected by law.  A client’s information can only be released as the result of a written request or signed Consent to Release Information form.  When the client is a minor, a parent or legal guardian must permit the release of information.  Children 12 years of age and older must also provide written consent to release information. Please note that there are some conditions, by which the Therapist is required by Illinois law, to disclose information with or without permission.  Some of those conditions are as follows:

• Suspicion that you are a danger to yourself or others.
• Suspected abuse of a child, elderly person, or disabled person.
• You are under age 16 and are the victim of a crime.
• You have filed suit against someone and have claimed mental/emotional damages as part of the suit.
• You waive your rights to privilege or give consent to limited disclosure by your therapist.

Our offices administrative practices also reflect our strong respect for your privacy and confidentiality of your records.

Protective measures we employ include:

• Password protected voice-mail
• Password protected computer
• Up-to-date security software on our office computer
• All client records stored under lock and key
• Files securely kept in locked storage rooms
• Faxes and e-mails sent with confidentiality statement
• Faxes received are not accessible to anyone outside our office’s staff
• All disposable documents containing any personal information are shredded
• HIPAA compliant record keeping
• HIPAA approved billing procedures

Note: TMS Psychological Services, P.C., has office's in both Oak Park and Hinsdale, Illinois, and serves a fairly wide geographic area in Chicago and the suburbs. Yet, it is not unusual for some of our clients to know one another and/or to know or come into contact with the professionals of our practice in the community. Consequently, you may see someone you know in our waiting room or you may encounter our Staff or one of the therapists outside the office. Please know that all our staff—administrative and clinical alike—honor your privacy, and will not acknowledge our professional relationship with anyone, without your express permission.  

PROFESSIONAL RECORDS: 

The state of Illinois law permits clients’ access to their treatment records, unless a case can be made indicate that allowing access would cause emotional damage or upset.  When such a request is granted at TMS Psychological Services, P.C., the treating therapist will typically advise that the review of records take place in his/her presence.  The therapist’s presence during the review of records is advantageous because s/he is immediately available to assist with interpretation, to answer questions, and to address concerns.  As an alternative to a full record review, a summary can be provided.  Likewise, with an authorized person’s written request and a client’s written permission, our office will forward treatment records or treatment summary information to another professional.  All record requests should be submitted with sufficient notice (i.e., a minimum of two weeks) to ensure that the request is fulfilled within a reasonable time frame.  In some cases, there will be a charge for time spent in preparing information requests.   

Regarding the Professional Records of Minors:  It is often pertinent that parents be involved in the process and informed about the progress of their minor children’s treatment.  It is important for any minor client to acknowledge that the law may provide their parents the right to review their treatment records.  If such a request is made, if possible, it will be discussed with the client first and the client’s concerns and/or objections will be considered. (Please refer to the Illinois Notice of HIPAA Privacy Practices for more information about client rights).  

DUAL RELATIONSHIPS:

Dual relationships are generally discouraged, per the ethical guidelines for clinical practice, but in some cases are unavoidable, especially in a small community. One example of a potentially feasible dual relationship is the case in which the client and therapist have limited contact with each other via their roles as members of a community organization (e.g., school or church setting). Yet, even in such cases, it is critical to determine if a therapeutic relationship would in any way be compromised by this pre-existing relationship within the broader community. Therefore, the therapist and client are obligated to discuss the complexities that may be involved in such relationships, in order to determine if a therapeutic relationship would be of potential benefit to the client. The client’s welfare is always the primary consideration.