Our POLICIES

Please read below for information regarding the responsibilities Bienestar Counseling & Consulting hold and the privacy rights of clients.

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Privacy Practices

  • At Bienestar Counseling & Consulting, LLC, we are committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your health information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

    We are required by law to:

    • Maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI)

    • Provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices

    • Abide by the terms of this notice

    • Notify you if there is a breach of your unsecured PHI

  • Your PHI may be used or disclosed without your written permission in the following ways:

    Treatment
    To coordinate or manage your care and share relevant information with other healthcare providers involved in your treatment.

    Payment
    To bill and collect payment for services provided, including disclosures to your insurance company or billing services.

    Healthcare Operations
    For administrative, quality assurance, training, and customer service purposes that help operate and improve our practice.

    Other Uses and Disclosures
    We may also use or disclose your PHI in limited circumstances without your authorization, such as:

    • When required by law (e.g., reporting abuse or threats of harm)

    • For public health and safety purposes

    • To comply with a court order or legal proceeding

    • For health oversight activities (e.g., audits, inspections)

    • To prevent or lessen a serious threat to health or safety

  • Uses That Require Your Written Authorization

    We will obtain your explicit written permission before:

    • Releasing your information for marketing purposes

    • Sharing psychotherapy notes, unless permitted by law

    • Disclosing PHI for any reason not described in this notice

    You may revoke your authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent that action has already been taken.

  • You have the right to:

    • Access Your Records: Request a copy of your treatment records (paper or electronic).

    • Request Corrections: Ask us to amend your records if you believe they are incorrect or incomplete.

    • Request Restrictions: Ask us not to use or disclose certain parts of your PHI.

    • Request Confidential Communications: Specify how or where you wish to be contacted.

    • Get a List of Disclosures: Receive a record of certain disclosures we’ve made.

    • Receive a Copy of This Notice: Download, print, or request a copy at any time.

    Please note: We may deny some requests in accordance with HIPAA laws, and we will inform you of the reason if we do so.

Read our full Notice of Privacy Practices for more information.

We utilize Simple Practice Telehealth as our Electric Health Record (EHR) and Telemental health platform. We also use Headway for billing software functionalities.

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General Practice POLICIES

  • The standard session length is 53-60 minutes. If you would like to adjust the length of your sessions, please discuss this with your therapist in advance so that adequate time can be reserved. If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please remember to cancel or reschedule your appointment at least 24 hours in advance. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours' notice will be subject to the full session fee ($165 unless otherwise agreed upon with your clinician). Additionally, there is a $10.00 service charge for any failed payment transactions or returned checks.

     

    Late cancellations or rescheduled sessions without 24 hours' notice will be charged the full session fee. This policy is in place because your scheduled time is reserved exclusively for you. If you arrive late to your session, the session will still end at the scheduled time. If you are more than 15 minutes late without prior communication, the appointment will be considered a no-show and you will be charged the full session fee.

  • If you need to contact Bienestar Counseling & Consulting between sessions, please feel free to email, send a secure message via Simple Practice, or leave a voicemail. We are not always immediately available but will make every effort to return your message within 24 hours.

    If you are experiencing a crisis, please call 988 for mental health support, 911 for emergencies, or go to your nearest emergency room.

  • To protect your confidentiality and uphold ethical boundaries, providers at Bienestar Counseling & Consulting do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on personal social media platforms (such as Facebook or LinkedIn). Connecting in this way could risk compromising your privacy and the therapeutic relationship.

    You are, however, welcome to follow and engage with Bienestar Counseling & Consulting’s official professional social media pages. If you have questions about this policy, feel free to bring them up during a session—we’re happy to discuss it further. Please note: social media is not an appropriate or secure method of contact.

  • Please be aware that confidentiality cannot be guaranteed when communicating via electronic means, including text messages and emails. You may use email or text for scheduling or cancellations only, but please avoid using these methods to discuss therapeutic content or urgent matters, as responses may not be immediate.

     

    Telemedicine Services:
    If we choose to use technology for any part of your treatment (e.g., phone sessions, video sessions), please understand the following:

    • You may withhold or withdraw consent for telemedicine at any time without impacting your right to care.

    • All confidentiality protections remain fully in place.

    • You may access medical information shared via telemedicine, and copies can be provided for a reasonable fee.

    • Your identifiable information will not be shared with third parties or researchers without your consent.

     

    While telemedicine offers benefits such as convenience, improved access to care, and reduced travel time, there are also limitations. For example, we may not be able to observe certain nonverbal cues, physical health indicators, or environmental factors that could be clinically relevant. This could limit some aspects of assessment and intervention.

  • Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. We may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if it is determined that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. We will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason, we will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

    Should you fail to maintain contact or schedule an appointment for two consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, we must consider the professional relationship discontinued.