Professional Disclosure Statement and Service Contract for 1-Day Intensive Sessions – Bea Germinario

Overview and Description of Services

Bea Germinario is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in the state of North Carolina. Bea sees individuals, couples and families and specializes in working with distressed couples primarily from the (EFT) Emotion Focused Therapy perspective. EFT recognizes that partners get caught in repetitive negative patterns creating negative emotional experiences like anger, sadness, isolation and loneliness. Working as a consultant to the couple she helps partners identify the negative patterns and the emotions generated by them. The goal is to help partners create a strong, healthy connection. Other theoretical approaches may be utilized as deemed appropriate. Appropriate referrals will be given to clients whose need exceeds the scope of Bea’s therapeutic training.

1-Day Intensive, Payment Method, Cancellation, Travel, and Follow-up

• The 1-Day Intensive is offered at the Wellness Counseling Center in Charlotte, NC and generally begins at 9:30am and concludes between 4pm and 5pm unless other arrangements are made. It works best if each person is completely unplugged from home and work demands. Bea requests mobile devices be turned off during sessions.
• The fee is $2850.
• For all Intensives, half (50%) of the fee is due when you reserve the date and is non-refundable. The remaining balance (50%) is due 10 days before the Intensive begins. If for any reason you decide to cancel 11 days or more before your Intensive begins, your remaining balance will not be processed. If, however, you decide to reschedule at the 11-day mark or prior, your remaining balance will be processed according to the terms of the originally scheduled date.
• If you cancel 10 days or less before the originally scheduled start date, your entire payment may be applied to a single rescheduled Intensive date. Please know, the rescheduled Intensive must be completed within 90 days from the original scheduled date.
• Couples who are visiting from out of town are responsible for travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, car rental and meals, as well as any entertainment or recreational expenses i.e., golf or spa treatments. If you need some hotel suggestions, please let us know. There are several nearby hotels to choose from.
• We suggest you think ahead by considering travel insurance or refundable tickets / reservations when booking your hotel and transportation. Life can get complicated and while reschedules and cancellations are rare occurrences, they can happen.
• Insurance reimbursement does not apply to the 1-Day Intensive. Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover, check and cash are acceptable forms of payment. Please note: A $25 fee is assessed for each declined credit/debit card or returned check.
• If you need to contact Bea, please email her at . In the event of a life-threatening emergency (considered danger to self or others or catastrophic loss), contact 911 immediately then contact her.
• After the intensive, couples benefit from on-going follow-up sessions lasting 80-minutes or additional Intensive work. The fee for on-going sessions is $350 and time overage is prorated in 10-minute intervals. Intensives are offered in ½ Day and 1-Day events.

Inclement Weather

In the event of potentially dangerous weather (i.e. snow or tornado warnings) Wellness Counseling Center follows community standards with everyone’s safety in mind. If schools are closing, we are likely to be closed too. Typically, you will hear from Bea directly or you may call the phone number on the Wellness website for an update. TeleHealth services may also be arranged as an alternative in the event of inclement weather.

Confidentiality & Special Concerns

Information disclosed in session is confidential and may not be disclosed to anyone without written permission from you, the client.

The law requires the following exceptions to client confidentiality:

• Suspicion or evidence of child or elder abuse
• Reasonable suspicion that the client presents a danger to self or others
• Court order
• In the case of a medical emergency, a client’s personal information may be provided to medical personnel.

Please be advised, if you use/file insurance claims for follow-up sessions, therapeutic notes contain diagnosis and become part of the client record in perpetuity. Also, please note that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in groups. In working with couples and families, free flow of information is imperative. Bea does not hold secrets and will always endeavor to facilitate difficult conversations between parties. Bea will always work with you to help you achieve your goals yet cannot make any outcome guarantees. She will always assume (if applicable) both partners love their children and want the best for them. For that reason, please know, Bea will not testify on behalf or against either party.

In the unlikely event of Bea’s leave or departure from Wellness Counseling Center, you will be offered the opportunity to work with another Wellness therapist or provided referrals to appropriately credentialed professionals according to your needs.

TeleHealth Consent

I understand that Wellness uses HIPAA compliant TeleHealth technology as part of delivering therapeutic services and I have the right to use or refuse this service. The privacy laws that apply to protecting confidentiality and exceptions to confidentiality are the same as in-office therapeutic services. There shall be no recording of sessions by either party. I also understand that we may encounter technical difficulties resulting in service interruptions. If this occurs and we are unable to reconnect within ten (10) minutes, we will connect via phone and discuss whether to continue the session or re-schedule. TeleHealth services can also be used in the event of inclement weather.

Other Professional Services

These are provided at Bea’s standard hourly rate and prorated in 10-minute intervals. Such services may include but are not limited to: non-legal report writing, preparation of records or summaries, attendance at meetings you have authorized and phone conversations unrelated to scheduling an appointment. Please know that in the unusual event of legal proceedings, Bea will only participate if ordered by the court and you will be expected to pay for her professional services, even if she is called to testify by another party. Legal proceedings are challenging and complex. As such, Bea’s fee is $750 per hour for preparation and attendance at any legal proceeding.

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Resolving Complaints

On occasion, clients have concerns and complaints and are urged to bring them to the therapist’s attention immediately. If we cannot resolve your concern, you may contact Anne Hancock, Psy.D. at 704-319-5593. To learn more about your rights as a client, or if you feel that you have been treated unfairly or unethically and would like to register a complaint, you may contact the North Carolina Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board at 919-469-8081.

SPECIAL REMINDER: 48-hour advance notice is required for any cancellation or reschedule. Without 48-hour notice, the full fee will be charged unless a life-threatening emergency is involved.

SPECIAL REMINDER: A $25 fee is assessed for each declined credit/debit card or returned check.

This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the delivery of services and subject matter above.

I have read these office policies and guidelines.

I have reviewed the Privacy Policy.

I have had the opportunity to ask questions.

I have had my questions answered and I understand them to the best of my ability.