Services

First Appointment/Assessment

The first session, the initial assessment, will last approximately 60 – 90 minutes. This session will involve an evaluation of your needs and the goals you want to achieve. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan, if you decide to continue. Therapy involves a large commitment of time and energy, so you should evaluate this information along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with me. All clients will have a diagnosis, based on the gathered information during the assessment. Diagnoses are technical terms that describe the nature of your problems and whether they are short-term or long-term issues. All of the diagnoses come from a book entitled the DSM-V and will be discussed with you. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. Generally, psychotherapy at H.O.P.E. Counseling Services, LLC is relatively short -term, proceeding on the basis of weeks rather than years. If you require services beyond the scope of what I can provide, I will refer you to other resources within the community.

Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy is for any adult, teen, or child in need of counseling services. Generally, the individual comes by him/herself for the session, though we do at times briefly speak to other family members should this be necessary (such as when seeing a teen or child).

In individual counseling, work occurs directly between the therapist and client. Struggles and concerns are discussed and techniques are suggested and learned. While not an all-inclusive list, some issues addressed during individual therapy include:

Anxiety Disorders
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Conduct Disorder
Bereavement
Depressive Disorders
Trauma, Neglect and Abuse
Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Family Therapy

Family therapy emphasizes the importance of familial relationships in an individual's mental health. Involving family and loved ones is often beneficial in developing helpful solutions for the client seeking services. Therapy often focuses on solving conflict and problems as well as increasing positive communication within the family unit, thereby addressing the concerns and behaviors of the initial client.

Confidentiality & Privacy Policy

The law protects the relationship between a client and a therapist, and information cannot be disclosed without written permission.

Exceptions include:

Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse, for which I am required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s, I must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
If a client intends to harm himself or herself, I will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in ensuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, I will take further measures without their permission that are provided to me by law in order to ensure their safety.

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION, AND YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

Obtain a paper or electronic copy of your health record.

Request corrections to information you believe is incorrect or incomplete.

Request confidential communications.

Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures of your information.

Request an accounting of certain disclosures of your information.

Obtain a paper copy of this Notice at any time.

Authorize another person to exercise your rights when legally permitted.

File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

Your Choices

You may have choices about how your information is shared, including information shared with family members or others involved in your care.

We will obtain your written authorization for uses or disclosures when required by law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

How We May Use and Disclose Your Information

Treatment

We may use or share health information with other health-care professionals involved in your treatment when permitted by law.

Payment

We may use or disclose information to bill and obtain payment from insurance companies, Medicaid, Medicaid managed-care organizations, or other payers.

Health Care Operations

We may use information as necessary to operate the practice, maintain quality, comply with legal and payer requirements, and conduct appropriate administrative activities.

Required or Permitted by Law

We may disclose information when required or permitted by law, including certain situations involving:

abuse or neglect reporting;

serious threats to health or safety;

health oversight;

court or administrative proceedings;

public-health activities; and

other legally authorized disclosures.

Mental Health and Psychotherapy Information

Mental-health information may receive additional protection under state or federal law.

Psychotherapy notes, when maintained separately and meeting the HIPAA definition of psychotherapy notes, receive additional protection. Written authorization is generally required for their use or disclosure except where otherwise permitted by law.

Substance Use Disorder Information

Certain substance-use disorder records may receive additional protections under federal law, including 42 CFR Part 2.

When those protections apply, the practice will use and disclose those records only as permitted by applicable law.

HHS updated the HIPAA model NPP requirements effective in 2026 to address Part 2/SUD records.

Paying Out of Pocket

If you pay in full out of pocket for a service, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or health-care operations purposes. We will honor the request when required by law.

Our Responsibilities

We are required to:

protect the privacy and security of your protected health information;

provide you with this Notice;

follow the privacy practices described in the current Notice;

notify you when required if a breach compromises the privacy or security of your information; and

refrain from retaliating against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Changes to This Notice

We may change this Notice and make the revised Notice effective for health information we already maintain as well as information we receive in the future.