Informed Consent
We understand that it is not easy to seek help for mental health concerns. The acceptance of the need for help must come from the person seeking treatment. With this informed consent for psychotherapy, you will be able to understand more about your situation and, with us, work on addressing your difficulties. Let us start by filling out this informed consent form.
The Therapist
I am a neuro-informed addiction professional and trauma-informed psychotherapist. I work with adolescents, adults, and the elderly afflicted with all types of trauma, including adverse childhood experiences, sexual abuse, neglect, interpersonal violence, traumatic brain injuries, and trans-generational trauma or those who have an addiction, anxiety, depression, or who have done previous therapy without achieving the desired results.
The Therapy
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing, and releasing core neurological and somatic sources of emotional mind/body pain, trauma, dissociation, and other challenging symptoms. It uses bilateral sound and fixed eye positions to enhance deep, direct and powerful healing. The therapist helps the client locate internal resources to contain emotional reactions.
Brainspotting is especially applicable for treating trauma. People typically respond to traumatic experiences through the primitive fight, flight or freeze instincts. BSP allows clients to significantly reduce and eliminate the tension and hyper-arousal associated with these survival instincts. Clients can look forward to integrating healing on emotional, somatic, psychological, spiritual and even physical levels.
How Brainspotting works?
"Processing trauma without words"
Brainspotting works deep in the brain in a way that talk therapy does not. In a Brainspotting session, you will use a pointer to find the relevant eye position, called a brainspot. This eye position resonates with the client’s activation in the body while recalling a traumatic memory. By gazing on the brainspot, the client will reach a naturally occurring state of focused mindfulness. The processing will continue until the trauma is resolved, and the brainspot can no longer trigger the activation.
The activation initially connected to a brainspot gradually decreases and often transforms into a positive experience, which can become a source of psychological resilience. This process leads not only to the resolution of trauma but also to post-traumatic growth and expansion.
In Brainspotting, the relationship between therapist and client is fundamental. Your empathetic and deeply attuned, witnessing presence as a therapist will allow profound healing to occur.
Session Length
There is no specific determination on how many sessions are needed by a client as this may depend on the healing progress of said client and this can be discussed with your therapist.
Risks
Through therapy, clients learn more about themselves that they do not realize. Often, these are things that they do not like. These are the things that they need to first, accept that they are or what they have or do. Growth cannot happen until these issues are accepted and confronted. There may be a chance that during or after a session, the client may feel emotionally or physically distressed. This is normal and should be part of one's healing process. A therapy's success shall depend both on the efforts of the therapist and the client.
Advantages
Therapy helps in making one open his or her awareness. This helps in the bringing of one's personal insights and thus finds ways of coping and addressing his or her problems. We understand that therapies can be challenging especially for those who are not willing to open up. Uncomfortable feelings are normal and are part of the process. These frustrations and discomforts will be lessened and clients/patients shall have a better positive outlook in managing his or her emotions. There is no firm timeline for this progress. But with working hand in hand between the client and the therapist, the progress shall be faster than realized.
Confidentiality Sessions between the therapist and the client are strictly confidential. Any notes taken by the therapist, audio recordings, video recordings during therapy shall be kept confidential and secure by the therapist at all times and shall not disclose to anyone without any prior written consent by the client, except for certain limitations by law such as:
1. Abuse of a child, disabled, elderly, other people;
2. Criminal Acts;
3. Sexual Abuse;
4. Acts that may involve the transmission of HIV/AIDS;
5. Any other instance where the therapist has a duty or has a firm belief that there is a necessity to disclose. In case you have any questions regarding confidentiality, please discuss this with your therapist.
Cancellations
Cancellations are expected 24-hours in advance. If you provide less than a 24-hour notice, you will be responsible for a late cancellation charge. This will be marked as a no-show appointment.
Zoom Meet:
Be ready in advance as we will be using technology that is not always reliable. It is best to be on your computer or laptop some time in advance to resolve your technical difficulties and log in to Zoom. Types of online therapy and phone therapy provided Zoom can be used with either video, audio-only (video conferencing with sound only), or Zoom LIVE instant, encrypted chat.
I will send you the information, the meeting number and your contract before our session together. The meeting number will always be the same, so after the first time, just log in to the meeting at the time of our session. Please find a private, safe spot –so that we can start on time and so that your safety, confidentiality and privacy are protected. Having a fixed screen, moving with a screen can be very distressing for our nervous system. Please make sure you go to the bathroom and have water before our session.
Other Rights
You have the right to ask questions about anything that happens in therapy. I'm always willing
to discuss how and why I've decided to do what I'm doing and look at alternatives that
might work better. You can feel free to ask me to try something that you think will be helpful.
You can ask me about my training for working with your concerns and request that I refer
you to someone else if you decide I'm not the right therapist for you. You are free to leave
therapy at any time.
Complaints
If you're unhappy with what's happening in therapy, I hope you'll talk about it with me so that I can respond to your concerns. I will take such criticism seriously and with care and respect.
You are also free to discuss your complaints about me with anyone you wish and do not have
any responsibility to maintain confidentiality about what I do that you don't like since you are
the person who has the right to decide what you want to be kept confidential.
- I have read the contents of the consent and fully understand the contents indicated therein
- I understand the confidentiality that the therapist requires to perform, as well as the limitations by which the therapist should abide by the law
- I understand my psychotherapist's responsibilities as well as my rights, limitations, and responsibilities as a client/patient
- I am aware that I can end my psychotherapy anytime by informing my psychotherapist