Policies & Fees
The Process
Contact me (contact form on home page, 805.232.4489, or drjentwyford@gmail.com).
We will schedule a free 30 minute phone consultation to determine if therapy with me may be right for you at this time. If not, I may make a referral to a different provider for you.
We will schedule one (and up to four) 45-minute sessions for me to get to know you and understand the reasons for seeking therapy. Usually in about two sessions, we can develop together a treatment plan and decide if working together is a good fit for you.
Fees & Insurance
My standard fee is $175 for a 45-minute session. Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted. Fees are due at the beginning of the session. Phone consultations after the first initial free 30-minute phone consultation, will be billed at a prorated rate for conversations over 15 minutes.
School observations are typically 1 to 1.5 hours and will include my written observations and recommendations. These consultations are billed at my usual rate ($175 per 45 minutes) and will be prorated as necessary.
I do not accept insurance. Please see the Forms page and the Informed Consent and Outpatient Services contract for more details about my fees and insurance policy.
Cancellation Policy
Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide 4 hours advance notice of cancellation (unless we both agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control). If it is possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment. If an appointment is cancelled is less than 4 hours before the start time, or you do not show for the appointment, you will be charged for the entire session with your credit card on file. If you arrive late to your appointment, I will only be able to provide services in the time that we previously scheduled. Coming late can seriously impact our ability to do our work together.
Electronic Communication & Social Media Policies
Many of these common modes of communication, however, put your privacy at risk and can be inconsistent with the law and with the standards of my profession. Consequently, this policy has been prepared to assure the security and confidentiality of your treatment and to assure that it is consistent with ethics and the law. If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to discuss this with me.
I use email communication and text messaging only with your permission and only for administrative purposes unless we have made another agreement. That means that email exchanges and text messages with my office should be limited to things like setting and changing appointments, billing matters and other related issues. Please do not email me about clinical matters because email is not a secure way to contact me. If you need to discuss a clinical matter with me, please feel free to call me so we can discuss it on the phone or wait so we can discuss it during your therapy session. The telephone or face-to-face context simply is much more secure as a mode of communication.
I do not communicate with, or contact, any of my clients through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. In addition, if I discover that I have accidentally established an online relationship with you, I will cancel that relationship. This is because these types of casual social contacts can create significant security risks for you.
Divorce/Custody Matters
I will require consent from both parents for psychological treatment in all cases. If your child is from a divorced or separated family and there is documented sole legal custody, confirmed by court order, permission to authorize treatment from the one parent with sole legal custody will be sufficient. In all other cases, both parents will be granted full access to the child’s records. Payment for services is due at the time of the session and will be collected from the adult who has brought the minor to the session. It is the responsibility of both parents to communicate with each other about the child(ren)’s progress, office visits, or any other pertinent information.
I will not make recommendations about custody or visitation agreements and I do not write progress notes for the Court. I request your agreement to not call me as a witness in your custody or divorce related matters. Nevertheless, with written permission from both parents I will speak to appointed mediators on issues related to the well-being of the child(ren) and issues within my scope as the psychologist of the child(ren), not an evaluator of the parents.