Your Questions Answered

Nope. You simply have to e-mail info@dochaspsych.com or phone 780-446-0300 to set up an appointment. It is helpful to let your doctor know what’s going on though. Just sayin’.

We are open 7 days a week with evening appointments Monday to Friday and daytime appointments on the weekend.

Make an appointment on the Contact page.

You may cancel or manage appointments through the Jane app account.

At your first session, you will be asked to fill out some paperwork. Then, when we are sitting down together, we’ll go over an ethical spiel to make sure we both know what we’re agreeing to. After that, we usually ask you the story of you or do a more formal intake. We won’t get through all of that in the first session, but that’s ok. Basically, the first session is us talking together to figure out if we have the skills to be of service and if you want to work with us. That’s it!

YES!!! This is something we take seriously. As part of the consent process, we do clarify when this promise might be broken (if you indicate serious risk of harm to self or others). As well, we do consult with other practitioners to improve care, BUT any identifying information is NOT shared. In cases where insurance is involved, we discuss what information is disclosed and when. In addition, note-taking during sessions meets all PIPA/HIPAA requirements.

No! Here’s an example: Let’s say your benefit plan only covers $100.00 per session (even though you have $600 for the year). Since we don’t direct bill, you would still pay the $180 and claim for $100 through your provider. So you’d basically be paying $80.00 for the session out of your own pocket.

For in office appointments, we accept cash, VISA, MasterCard, and e-mail money transfer. We ask to keep your credit information with your file in case of recurring non-emergency cancellations. We do require 24 hours notice of a non-emergency cancellation.  Fees for late cancellations are half the session fee if less than 24 hours notice or the full fee in case of not attending without a cancellation.  To send an e-mail money transfer, please send it to billing@dochaspsych.com.

That’s a tough one… we generally like to see clients once every 2 weeks (depending on the situation) to start. This way, we’re able to move forward instead of dealing with emergencies. The sessions run on a fifty (50) minute hour. Other than that, how long it takes depends on many different factors and because so many of the people we’ve met tend to be really hard on themselves if they don’t meet perceived expectations, we won’t put a number down here. We will say it’s really individual and we can talk about that more once we know each other better!

Sometimes you’ll be asked to do something really specific, like breathing strategies or imagery. Sometimes we’ll use some specific thinking strategies, like reality testing (looking for proof outside of your own head that something is true). Sometimes, you’ll be asked to do some work outside of the session, like thinking about a particular idea or concept or practicing one of the strategies we try. As you can tell from all the “sometimes” therapy is very individual and it will be tailored to fit you. We generally use a mix of mind, body, and emotionally based strategies. Anything asked of you will usually be framed in the form of an experiment like, “Are you willing to try an experiment? Let me tell you about it and then you can decide.” Then we will often model or participate in it. The point is, even though you are asked to try something, it doesn’t mean you have to. The choice is yours.

We would just need a copy of any document that clarifies guardianship. Basically, if there is joint custody, you both would have to sign a consent form or indicate consent. If one of you has primary custody, we’d need a copy of that documentation for the file.

Heck, no! We get it, it’s how many of us are raised in North America, but we all work better when are connected in a meaningful way to others. You ARE able to handle your problems; sometimes we just don’t recognize it. As for the whole weakness thing, is someone with diabetes weak because he or she needs to take insulin? Or another way of looking at it is: Do you take your car in for regular maintenance? You are doing what you need to do to take care of you. In our world, that’s not weakness – that’s strength and resilience!