Question 1

Can you explain your 48-hour CANCELLATION POLICY?

Accepted Answer

Your appointment time is reserved exclusively for you. When you must cancel, please give your therapist at least 48-hour notice. She or he is rarely able to fill a cancelled session unless notified at least 48-hour in advance. If you are unable to provide at least 48 hour notice, you will be charged the full fee for your session. Our heartfelt goal is to help you and we really dislike charging for late cancellations, so we hope you understand the need to do so.

EMERGENCY EXCEPTION: The only exception to this cancellation policy is a "true emergency". Some examples of true emergencies are car accidents, a death in the family, or both partners are sick. Although frustrating and painful, work issues and cancelled babysitters, do not constitute "true emergencies" in the context of this policy.

OPTIONS TO KEEP THE SESSION: If one person is sick, a child is sick, a babysitter becomes unavailable, or one partner is out-of-town, we can offer:
 • a video session
 • to meet individually with one person of the couple to help that person work on his/her issues in a way that may benefit the couple.

INSURANCE: Please note that late cancellations fee cannot be included for submission to your insurance provider. An active credit card must be kept on file during the course of therapy to ensure that payment for a missed session can be collected. The credit card on file will be charged following a missed or late-cancelled appointment.

BETTER RESULTS: Over years of practice, we have found that a clear and firm cancellation policy has allowed us to build healthy relationships with our clients and ultimately lead to better results for you in therapy.

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Question 2

What if I am LATE?

Accepted Answer

We understand that the Bay Area is often a traffic nightmare and that other factors (jobs, childcare...) may make it challenging to get to therapy on time. Since you make the effort to get to the session on time, we want to respect that effort and the value of your time; thus, we work hard to begin each session promptly at the appointed time so you don't have to wait. In order to make this system work, if you arrive late, your session will also end at the scheduled time.

On rare occasions, there are unavoidable emergencies on my end. If your therapist begins a session late for such a situation, your session will be extended to provide the full 50-minute session. Please accept our apologies in advance for such situations.

Neither you or your therapist are expected to wait longer than 15 minutes past the scheduled time for the start of the session unless there has been previous notice. If you know you're going to be late, please send your therapist a text to let her or him know.

Question 3

How FREQUENT are sessions?

Accepted Answer

STARTING OUT:
Most of our therapists will schedule an initial double session. Subsequent sessions will be at a regular time, typically weekly or every other week.

Depending on your situation, we recommend starting with weekly to build an understanding of the patterns in your relationship and to get to know you and then, when you are ready, moving to every other week. Having sessions every other week gives you more time between sessions to do the homework and practice what they have learned.

If your relationship is in crisis, we strongly suggest at least weekly. If you wish to supplement your recurring appointments, you can always add a one-time appointment.

COMMITMENT:
We realize that weekly appointments can be a challenge for busy couples, especially if child care is required. This will take real commitment on your part but, hopefully, will help you transform your most important relationship.

WINDING DOWN:
When you feel you have made significant progress and are focused on applying the tools that you have learned, sessions typically shift to an "as-needed" basis.﻿​

Question 4

What level of COMMITMENT is required for a RECURRING APPOINTMENT?

Accepted Answer

Therapy works best when there is commitment and consistency in your work in therapy. Your therapist understands that work, illness, travel and other commitments can be obstacles.

If you miss 50% of our scheduled appointments in a 2-month period, your therapist will have a conversation to discuss your care to understand whether the issue is related to your timeslot, high external demands on your lives, an issue with therapy, or due to extremely unusual circumstances. If it is an issue with the progress with therapy, your therapist would love to know so she or he can help address the issue.
 
If you are unable to keep the regular appointments, it is best to shift to "as needed". For most of our therapists, you simply go to the on-line portal and book any upcoming opening. There usually are a few of these available due to cancellations by other couples.

Question 5

Once we've made progress, can I see my therapist once in a while? What does WINDING DOWN therapy look like?"

Accepted Answer

When you feel you have made significant progress and are focused on consistently applying the tools that you have learned, talk to your therapist. Usually, you will agree to shift sessions to an "as-needed" basis.﻿​

Most of our therapists do not schedule once-a-month sessions because it makes scheduling weekly and every-other-week sessions logistically difficult. If you are ready to see your therapist less frequently, such as on a monthly basis, then:
 
1) Tell your therapist that you are ready to go to "as needed" schedule. You may feel some anxiety about this but it is usually a time to celebrate your hard earned progress.
 
2) Your therapist will probably take you off of the recurring schedule.
 
3) For most therapists, you can book a session on the client portal whenever you want to do so. One-time openings are often available when clients on a recurring schedule cancel a session. Please note that you can only book an appointment two weeks beyond the current date.
 
Thank you in advance for working with your therapist on scheduling matters.

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