Company Policies

Communication

If you have established a secure client portal, you may message me through there. You can also contact me via email or phone. I may not be able to immediately respond due to back-to-back sessions with clients, sometimes for the entirety of my business hours. I will respond to all calls and emails within 1-2 business days. If you are in a crisis situation, please do not wait for my reply to your email to seek emergency care.

Disclosure on Electronic mail (email): Although I use encrypted email, I cannot guarantee it to be secure or error-free and its confidentiality may be vulnerable to access by unauthorized third parties. Please refrain from communicating any of your protected health information (PHI) in an email and try to only include content such as scheduling appointments, requesting resources, etc.

Cancellations, Missed, and Late Appointments


It is important to keep your scheduled appointment and be on time as it has been reserved just for you. If you need to cancel or reschedule this appointment, then you have to do so by going through your client portal at least 24-hours in advance of your appointment time. If for some reason that is not possible or something is not working for you, then emailing me at lindseybass@lindentreecounseling.com will also suffice. If canceling an appointment with less than 24 hours advance notice, you will be charged the missed appointment/late cancel fee which can be found here.

Understandably, situations such as emergencies happen and I will do my best to accommodate these unavoidable circumstances. If you are running late and communicate this to me, there may be times when I can accommodate you, but the session will still end at the scheduled time.

If you miss or late cancel more than 3 scheduled appointments, emergency situations included, I may terminate services provided by Linden Tree Counseling, PLLC. My goal is to provide ethical and personalized care and to do so includes your active and consistent participation.

Legal Disclosures Required by Mental Health Providers

Rule §681.41 Subsection (e) of the Texas Administrative Code states:

Regardless of setting, a licensee must provide counseling only in the context of a professional relationship. Prior to providing services, a licensee must obtain from an individual a signed informed consent, signed written receipt of information, or in the case of involuntary treatment a copy of the appropriate court order, including the following: (1) fees and arrangements for payment; (2) counseling purposes, goals, and techniques; (3) any restrictions placed on the license by the Council; (4) the limits on confidentiality; (5) any intent of the licensee to use another individual to provide counseling treatment intervention to the client; (6) supervision of the licensee by another licensed health care professional including the name, address, contact information and qualifications of the supervisor; (7) the name, address and telephone number of the Council for the purpose of reporting violations of the Act or this chapter; and the established plan for the custody and control of the client’s mental health records in the event of the licensee’s death or incapacity, or the termination of the licensee’s counseling practice. In Texas, the Council responsible for my license is the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, which can be reached at:

George H.W. Bush State Office Building
1801 Congress Ave., Ste. 7.300
Austin, Texas 78701
Main Line (512) 305-7700
Investigations/Complaints 24-hour, toll-free system (800) 821-3205

Because Linden Tree Counseling, PLLC provides therapy services to minors, it is also important to understand that per Rule §681.53 of the Texas Administrative Code Subsections (f) and (g), I am not able to provide an expert opinion or recommendation relating to the conservatorship of or possession of or access to a child, including a child custody evaluation or parenting facilitation if I have provided therapy services, whether such services are delivered sequentially or simultaneously.

Informed Consent

The purpose of informed consent in therapy is to uphold ethical and legal standards, protect the client’s rights and wellbeing, promote transparency and collaboration, and ensure that therapy is a voluntary and informed choice made by the client. It is an essential component of the therapeutic process that helps build trust and establish clear expectations between the therapist and the client.

Privacy Policies

Your privacy is very important to me. I have developed this policy in order for you to understand how information is collected, used, and disclosed. You can find a copy of my Privacy Policies for therapeutic clients here.

The previous outlines my privacy policy for therapy clients only. Use of this website does not constitute a therapeutic relationship and therefore the previous policies do not apply unless and until such a relationship is established. For the Privacy Policy for this website, please see here. While I have taken reasonable security safeguards to protect personal information, such as use of encrypted email, I cannot guarantee that any information communicated from your own email or phone is secure.

Good Faith Estimate

As of January 1, 2022, this statement is now required by law to be posted to protect consumers from “surprise“ bills from any healthcare provider. Under the new law, healthcare providers need to give clients who do not have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical and mental health services.

As Linden Tree Counseling is out-of-network with all insurance policies, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. For more information on the cost of services at Linden Tree Counseling, PLLC, you can review Pricing. You can ask your healthcare provider for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service or at any time during treatment.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or how to dispute a bill, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Disclaimers

Website Disclaimer

The information provided through this website is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended and does not create a therapist-client relationship.

Legal Disclaimer

I reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable data as required by law. This includes when I believe that disclosure is necessary to protect your rights, protect another’s rights, and/or to comply with a judicial proceeding, court order, or other legal process. Even in these instances, the amount of information shared will be the minimum required by me from a court official.

Changes to Our Policies

Policies change as times and regulations change. The information provided in these policies is considered a living document and may be updated or modified periodically, without notice. As a result, I suggest periodic review of this policy. I may provide you additional forms of notice of modifications or updates as appropriate under the circumstances as a courtesy. Your continued use of this site and your client portal after any modification to this policy will constitute your acceptance of such modification(s).