Creative Arts Therapy Informed Consent

For Treatment with Bailey B. Carter, MA, CCC, DvT Practitioner

It is not easy to seek help when it comes to mental health concerns, but you have taken a huge step forward by pursuing therapy in the first place!

The Therapist

I, Bailey B. Carter, am a mental health care professional and therapist with a Master's Degree in Creative Arts Therapies - Drama Therapy Option. I also hold the Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) credential, have professional membership with the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA), and have received a Level One Practitioner's Certificate from the Montreal Developmental Transformations Therapy (DvT) Training Institute.

I acknowledge that I am not an expert in all mental health related issues and, in the best interest of the client, will inform you if I believe I am not capable of providing the type of treatment the client needs. Throughout treatment, I will periodically check in to see how you feel the treatment is going and identify whether I am capable of addressing your concern. If I am not, I will do my best to refer you to another professional.

Relationship

Due to the sensitive nature of therapy, I can only be your therapist. I cannot have any other role in your life. I cannot, now or ever, be a client's close friend, business partner, or have an intimate/romantic relationship (this also applies to the parents/caregivers of minor clients). Any other relationship, such as business or personal relationships may prevent or undermine the effectiveness of the treatment.

If you ever become involved in a divorce, custody, or legal dispute, I want you to understand and agree that I will not provide evaluations or expert testimony in court. You should hire a different mental health professional for any evaluations or testimony you require. This position is based on two reasons: 

(1) My statements will be seen as biased in your favor because we have a therapy relationship; and

(2) the testimony might affect our therapy relationship, and I must put this relationship first.

Confidentiality

Sessions between the therapist and the client are confidential (not for anyone else to hear). Any notes or recordings (for artistic purposes with additional, in-the-moment consent from the client) taken by the therapist during therapy sessions shall be kept confidential and secure by the therapist at all times. You, as the client, have the right to decide what you want to share with others (or not share) about the therapy process and you have the right to access your treatment file.

I shall not disclose any information to anyone without any prior written consent by the client, with exception to certain limitations by law such as:

1. Abuse to (or plans to abuse) a child, disabled, elderly, or other persons;

2. Harm to (or plans to harm) yourself with potentially lethal means;

3. Criminal Acts that put others in immediate danger;

4. Sexual Abuse;

5. Any other instance where the therapist has a firm belief that there is a necessity to disclose for the safety of the client;

6. Since I am not an expert in all areas, I will, at times, consult with a supervisor or other professional. When this occurs, I will not share any of your Personal Health Information (PHI) and I will never share your name or the names of anyone you have mentioned to me. We would be discussing how I could improve and better provide you with the mental health services you need.

If we accidentally see each other outside of the therapy space, I will not acknowledge you first. Your right to confidentiality is important to me and I do not wish to jeopardize your privacy. However, if you acknowledge me first, I would be happy to speak briefly with you, but feel it is appropriate to refrain from any lengthy conversations outside of the therapy space.

In case you have any questions regarding confidentiality, please discuss this with me further.

Risks

There are no miracle cures; therapy takes lots of effort and will, at times, cause considerable discomfort. There is a chance that during or after a session, there may be emotional or physical distress. This is normal and may be part of one's healing process. The outcome of therapy treatment depends largely on the willingness of the client to engage in this sometimes messy and difficult process.

Additionally, there are other risks with conducting online therapy sessions. This could include interruptions, unauthorized access, and technical difficulties. The video conferencing technologies are constantly changing and I will do my best to keep myself informed, comply with current ethical standards, and monitor the efficacy of my security settings. If our video call were to get disconnected, I will call you by phone to continue the session.

Benefits

In general, therapy is designed to help individuals overcome pain and difficulties, develop effective coping strategies, define personal goals, and clarify the changes they want to make in their lives. Other benefits can include catharsis, increase in self-confidence or positive self-image, decrease in anxiety, decrease in depressive symptoms, improved interpersonal skills, and an increase in overall life satisfaction. Of course, these benefits are not guaranteed and will depend on the level of involvement from the client.

Length of Treatment

There is no specific determination on how many sessions are needed by a client as this will depend on the healing progress of said client. The length of treatment can be discussed at any time. Together, we will create goals and discuss the progress towards those goals as time goes on. I cannot promise that all of the problems or behaviors will change, but I can promise that I will do my best to support you and the goals that you want to achieve.

You are free to end therapy whenever you wish. However, please keep in mind that the end of the therapy relationship is also very important and requires time to process. It is preferred that we decide together when it is time to end the treatment.

PRACTICE POLICIES

SCHEDULING The first session will be scheduled during the consultation session. All following sessions can be scheduled at the end of a session or using my online booking option on EasyPractice.

PAYMENT You will be billed at least 24 hours in advance of your session, or we can create a payment schedule to best suit your needs. For making payments, I accept E-Interac to my email address, or transfers using PayPal or Stripe (with a small processing fee of 3%). The fees must be paid in full before the completion of two sessions (for example, if you have a session on Sunday, March 14th and a session on Sunday, March 21st – the payment for March 14th would be due on the 21st before your scheduled session). If the payment is not made on the day it is due, we will not be able to schedule another session until the invoices are settled.

CANCELLATIONS All cancellations, rescheduled sessions, and missed sessions will be subject to a full charge if not notified at least 24 hours in advance. This is necessary because I will have committed that time to you and only you, therefore I would not be able to schedule anything else during that time. If you are late for a session, you simply lose that session time. 

ONLINE SESSIONS In order to ensure that the client is committed to pursuing therapy, they will have to log onto the session on their own accord. Though I will send an appointment reminder 24 hours in advance (time of reminders can be changed based on your preference), I will not call to remind you if you are not there on time. Just like you would be responsible for being present at the therapy office in person on time, you will be responsible for logging on for the session. If you have missed more than 15 minutes of the online session time and I still have not heard from you, I will end the video call.

ELECTRONIC/TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE OF SESSION If you need to contact me outside of the therapy session, please email me only with the information necessary (no therapeutic content unless we discuss this arrangement together). If you are experiencing an emergency, please call an emergency service (911; Crisis and Suicide Hotline: 1-833-456-4566). 

SOBRIETY To ensure the process is as helpful as possible, it is of vital importance that you remain sober during all therapy sessions. Repeated instances of intoxication during sessions will lead to the reconsideration of the benefits of the therapy process and possible discontinuation of services.

Questions

For questions or concerns, you may get in touch with me via my phone number (514-548-3323) or my email: bcarter.dramatherapy@gmail.com.

Retrieve your consent

You can always retrieve your consent by contacting Creative Arts Therapy with Bailey Carter via telephone (514-548-3323) or email.

All information is stored electronically at EasyPractice (www.easypractice.net) for the sole purposes of scheduling and documentation surrounding payment arrangements.