Ethical Commitment
- My practice is about quality rather than quantity. Hence, I do not overload my caseload.
- I do not charge for telephone calls outside of sessions when clients are in crisis. I am not in the business of nickel and diming my clients.
- I am very concerned about the privacy of my clients and the possibility of hacking internet databases. Hence, I do not store any session notes in the Cloud or any other internet facility. And I do not allow AI to record sessions and write session notes about my clients. I also limit my use of a HIPAA-compliant database to processing credit card payments, generating receipts for services provided, and sending appointment reminders.
- All written content on my website, blog, brochures, business cards, etc. is written by me. I do not use AI nor pay other companies to generate newsletters, social media posts, etc. for me or my practice.
- I do not post testimonials on my website, and I do not ask clients to write reviews for me. Since therapists are viewed as authority figures, it is considered unethical to ask a client for a favor, because they may feel that they cannot say “no” to a therapist to whom they feel attached and grateful. Soliciting a review or testimonial is asking a client for a favor, even when such posts are anonymous.
- I provide my credentials as a psychologist on my website. I do not hide them from clients or potential clients. Part of informed consent and the decision-making process of choosing a therapist is having the opportunity to evaluate a therapist’s credentials, the ranking of the program they attended, and whether or not the degree they earned was from an accredited program.
- I do not put extra letters after my name that claim certification and imply expertise from a one-course Continuing Education program. My expertise and specialized training come from multiple courses, numerous clients, and supervision/consultation over an extensive period of time.
- I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and am a Licensed Psychologist in Florida because I have passed all the requirements for a doctoral-level license. Florida law bars anyone from advertising themselves as a “psychologist” unless they have fulfilled the State’s requirements of a doctoral-level license. Be aware, however, that many therapists who hold a master’s-level license but who have NOT fulfilled the State of Florida’s requirements of a doctoral-level license nevertheless advertise themselves as “doctor” because they claim to have some sort of doctoral degree, even if it is from an unrelated field or an unaccredited program.
- Psychotherapists, no matter their degree or training program, are predominantly trained as Generalists, that is, with standard counseling skills meant to help clients with a variety of difficulties. However, Specialists are those with extensive training through multiple courses, readings, supervision/consultation, and clients with a specific disorder, usually over the course of an academic year or more, an internship, or a post-degree comprehensive training program. Yet, many therapists advertise themselves as specialists in a dozen or more areas, simply because they have encountered a client or two with a specific disorder. As a reference, I have two master’s degrees and a Ph.D., and I am a specialist in five areas, with one coming from my first master’s program internship, three coming from multiple years of training in my doctoral program, internship, and postdoctoral residency, and one coming from post-licensing extensive training and consultation. Currently, my practice is focused on only one of my specialties, Anxiety Disorders.
- I have always loved learning about human behavior, and I am continually updating my treatment skills and knowledge about the latest scientific research on effective treatments. My goal is to bring the best treatments to my clients in order to help them move forward with their lives. Considering the trust, emotional energy, time, and resources that clients invest in therapy, they deserve nothing less.