|
Counseling Services: Consumer Rights Responsibilities
As a person receiving professional
services from Heartspoken Counseling, you are guaranteed of certain
basic rights and privileges. The rights and privileges
pertaining to community care, (in and outpatient setting), are as
follows:
Consumer Rights
 |
Be
informed of the qualifications of your counselor: education,
experience and professional counseling certification (s) and
state license (s). |
|
|
Receive an explanation of services offered, your time
commitment, and fee scales and billing policies prior to
receipt of services. |
|
|
Be informed of limitations of
the counselors practice to special areas of expertise (e.g.
career development, ethnic groups, etc.) or age group (e.g.
adolescents, older adults, etc.) |
|
|
Have all that you say
treated confidentially and be informed of any state laws
placing limitations on confidentiality in the counseling
relationship. |
|
|
Ask questions about the
counseling techniques and strategies and be informed of
your progress. |
|
|
Participate in setting
goals and evaluating progress toward meeting them. |
|
|
Be informed of how to
contact the counselor in an emergency situation. |
|
|
Request referral
for a second opinion at any time. |
|
|
Request copies of
records and reports to be used by other
counseling professionals. |
|
|
Request a copy
of the professional code of ethics to which
your counselor adheres at any time. |
Consumer Responsibilities
|
|
Set and keep
appointments with your counselor. And
to let them know as soon as possible if you
cannot keep and appointment. |
|
|
Help to plan
out your therapy appointment. |
|
|
Follow
through with agreed upon goals and therapy
homework assignments. |
|
|
Keep your
counselor informed of your progress toward
meeting your goals. |
|
|
Pay your fees
in accordance with the schedule you
established with the counselor. |
|
|
End your
counseling relationship before entering into
an arrangement with another counselor,
unless a treatment team of professionals are
working together to help you. |
Qualifications of a professional Counselor
|
|
Professional
counselors have earned a Master's or
Doctorate degree from an accredited college
or university. |
|
|
They have
successfully completed a supervised
counseling (intern) experience. |
|
|
Professional
counselors are committed to increasing their
knowledge and skills through ongoing
continuing education. |
|
|
Professional
counselors are licensed and accountable to
the state that issued that license. |
|
|
Professional
counselors adhere to a professional code of
ethics in practice. |
What to do
if you are dissatisfied with the services of a
counselor
Remember that
a counselor who meets the needs of one person
may not be the best choice for another.
If you are
dissatisfied with the services of your
counselor:
|
|
Express your
concern directly to the counselor, if
possible. |
|
|
Seek the
advise of the counselor's supervisor if the
counselor is practicing in a setting where
he/she receives direct supervision. |
|
|
Terminate the
counseling relationship if the situation
remains unresolved. |
|
|
Contact the
appropriate state licensing board, national
certification organization, or professional
association if you believe the counselor's
conduct to be unethical. |
This statement
was adapted from materials provided by the
National Board for
Certified Counselors to help you
understand and exercise your rights as a
consumer of counseling services. We firmly
believe that clients who are informed consumers
are best able to utilize counseling services to
meet their individual needs. If you have
any questions about this or any other aspect of
your time with us at Heartspoken Counseling,
please let us know.
Our goal is to
offer you professional care on a personal level,
to serve your needs.
|
