Our Therapy Practice Policies

Practice Policies – 2023 Update

Ally Psychological Services, LLC
Physical: 1456 Ferry Road, Suite 503, Doylestown, PA 18901
Mailing: PO Box 582, Fountainville, PA 18923
(267) 454-1811
Director: Adam B. Assoian, Psy.D.
Adam@AllyPsych.com

PRACTICE POLICIES

APPOINTMENTS, CANCELLATIONS, AND FEE POLICIES

  • The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 50-minutes. Requests to change the 50-minute session needs to be discussed with your therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.
  • If you choose to end an appointment early for any reason, you will still be billed for and expected to pay your standard session fee.
  • You will be charged a prorated fee at your standard session cost in 10-minute increments for any sessions that extend past the standard 50-minutes. Example: a session that lasts 62 minutes will
    be charged for two (2) 10-minute increments.
  • A $10.00 service charge will be charged for any checks returned for any reason for special handling.
  • Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours.
  • Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a full charge of your standard session fee if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time.
  • If a patient (or their guardian) fails to pay the full balance for three consecutive sessions, treatment may be discontinued at the therapist’s discretion. Before treatment may begin again, a credit card may be required to be placed on file to pay for all future sessions or services.
  • In order to assure continuity in treatment and payment all patients are required to place a credit card number on file that guarantees that payment will be made. You are expected to pay after each session by check, credit card, or cash. If you miss three payments or your bill is 30 days overdue your credit card will be charged for the full balance.
  • I grant permission to Ally Psychological Services, LLC to charge my credit card for any overdue bills.
  • In addition to weekly appointments, it is our practice to charge for services on a prorated basis for other professional services that you may require such as report writing, telephone conversations that last 10 minutes or more, attendance at meetings or consultations with other professionals which you have requested, or the time required to perform any other service which you may request of me.
  • Phone conversations requested by the client or their guardian that last more than 10 minutes will be billed in 10-minute increments. It is the sole responsibility of the client or their guardian to be mindful of the duration of the phone call. It is not the responsibility of the provider to remind the client or their guardian of this policy at the start of each phone call. Invoices for phone calls are expected to be paid by the time of the next session or within 7 days, whichever is sooner.
  • If you become involved in a legal matter that requires my participation (it is recommended that we discuss this fully before you waive your right to confidentiality), you will be expected to pay for the professional time required even if I am compelled to testify by another party. These services will be billed at $300 per hour and includes, but is not limited to, any time dedicated to the legal matter such as preparation, report writing, consultation with attorneys or other involved parties, travel, and time in court.
  • For all Forensic Services a separate fee schedule will be required. For all Forensic Services, the client will be required to pay a retainer to ensure payment for services provided by any Ally Psychological Services, LLC therapists or support staff.

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact your therapist between sessions, please leave a message on their voice mail or via text message. Therapists are not often immediately available; however, they will return your call within 1 business day (Monday through Friday). Please note that Face- to-face sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, in the event that you are out of town, sick or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, your therapist will not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any of their personal social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). Adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and your respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up with your therapist.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Your therapist cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, your therapist will discuss those options with you. While your therapist may try to return messages in a timely manner, they cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

CONDUCT DURING SESSIONS

Although very rare, some patients may be so upset that they have difficulty regulating their conduct. Elective treatment cannot be conducted in an environment that is hostile or intimidating. Therefore, patients are expected to refrain from abusive language toward therapists and from behaviors such as shouting or hostile physical gestures. Failure to comply with these guidelines may lead to termination of treatment. Understand that this is for the safety of the therapist and every effort will be made to maintain the therapeutic relationship.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE POLICY

Ally Psychological Services, LLC has a zero tolerance policy regarding the abuse of illicit or prescribed drugs and/or alcohol during sessions or other communications. If your therapist or other Ally Psychological Services, LLC staff believes you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they have the right to terminate session. Therapists will make every best effort to ensure the safety of the client while they are in the office.

MINORS

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. Your therapist will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. Your therapist may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you about the termination process if your therapist determines that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. Your therapist will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another therapist, your therapist will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source. Should you fail to schedule an appointment and are not in communication with your therapist for four consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, the professional relationship will be considered discontinued.