Counseling

Our professional counseling staff is committed to being Christ-centered and integrates effective counseling practices and biblical truth.  In addition to the counselors being committed to Christ and to the mission of West Shore Evangelical Free Church, the ministry is both professional and distinctively Christian.  To uphold these standards, all appointments are treated with confidentiality according to strict legal and ethical guidelines.

Office Location: Counselors and counselees will meet in the church office suites at WSEFC. 

Contacting Your Therapist: Your counselor will discuss the best way to communicate outside of sessions.

Emergencies
If you are in crisis, and you are unable to reach your counselor, please contact the Crisis Intervention number for your county (below) or 911:

When your counselor will be away for more than a few days, he/she will arrange for a colleague to be on-call for his/her clients. Your counselor will provide you with information on contacting those professionals when necessary.

Fees
Fees for counseling are based on the length of session.  The standard session lasts 50 minutes. The hourly rate also applies to out-of-session time spent on preparation of reports, letters, or consultations.  WSEFC counselors have agreed to provide service at a below-market rate and with a sliding scale so your costs will be based upon your ability to pay. Your counselor will provide you with a sheet explaining the fee schedule if you did not already receive a copy.

Once you have established the regular fee with your counselor, please have your payment ready or check written before the session begins, as that enables you to spend more of the session on therapeutic issues.  Fees are due and payable in full at the time services are rendered. Checks (payable to WSEFC) or cash are accepted. If you are unable to pay fully at the time of the session, please bring that up as a matter for discussion. WSEFC does not work with insurance companies or managed care organizations.

Cancelled Sessions
If for some reason you must cancel a session, out of respect for your counselor and other clients on a waiting list, please cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment.  Otherwise you will be responsible for payment for a missed session, except in the case of a serious illness or an emergency. If you see that you are going to be significantly late to a session, please talk with your counselor about how to reach him/her

Confidentiality
The counseling profession has a code of ethics that governs the release of information from counseling.  In addition, state laws recognize the confidential relationship of counselor and counselee.  To summarize the rules of confidentiality, you as the counselee hold the privilege to all the information presented during counseling. 

Information is held in the strictest confidence and will not be revealed to any other persons or agencies without your written permission, within limits. 

1. if you threaten grave bodily harm or death to another person, your counselor is required by law to inform the intended victim and the appropriate law enforcement agencies;
2. if a court of law issues a legitimate subpoena;
3. if you are in counseling or being tested by a court mandate, the results of the treatment or test ordered must be revealed to the court;
4. if there is sufficient evidence presented in counseling to suggest that a child (17 years old or less), mentally disabled person, or elderly person is in danger of or is being physically, emotionally, or sexually abused, the counselor is required by law only to report the "reasonable suspicion" of such abuse; the counselor has no authority nor responsibility to investigate the case;
5. in the case of a potential suicide, your counselor is allowed by law to inform the necessary individuals and/or agencies to prevent harm.

Medication
WSEFC counselors do not prescribe medication.  Occasionally, when it appears that medication might be indicated, you may be referred to a specialist or to your own family physician for a medical evaluation.

Assessment Inventories
For many counselees, it is extremely useful to have them undergo a psychological evaluation.  Depending upon the circumstances, this may amount to a short questionnaire or it may involve several tests.  The results of the assessments will be discussed with you upon the completion of the evaluation, as well as how the results influence our treatment plan. 

As discussed under Fees and Insurance, the fee for testing is based upon the amount of time spent in scoring, interpretation, and report writing.  An estimate of the cost will be provided to you by your counselor

Working with your counselor
If you sense that the relationship with your counselor is not a good fit for you, please discuss this with him/her. If the counseling relationship does not seem to work, ask for additional referrals (another WSEFC counselor or an offsite referral) and continue to more forward.

 Counseling is a collaborative process, requiring challenging work, but it is also a very rewarding experience.  As we work together, please feel free to ask if you have any questions about the process.