The Way Things Flow

Welcome

Welcome. This page contains important information about my professional services and business policies. Also, you can contact me with any questions you may have.

What should I expect at my first visit?

Therapy takes place in the context of the relationship built between client and psychologist. Your first appointment will be an opportunity for me to meet you and gather information about your background and concerns. Additionally, it will also allow you to meet me and decide if you think we would work well together. By the end of this evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include if you decide to continue with therapy.

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks.  Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness.  On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.  But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.

Therapy involves a significant commitment of time, money, and energy. Therefore, you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your concerns persist, I will be happy to help you obtain a second opinion or a referral.

Length of Treatment

Each session is generally 45-50 minutes in length, although an initial session may take up to 60 minutes.

How Often Will I Be Seen?

Most clients are seen once a week, or once every other week. Often, clients start off with weekly sessions in the beginning of therapy, and transition to less frequently over time. However, you and I will decide together what time frame works best for your situation.

How Long Will I Be in Therapy?

There is no specific time frame for how long therapy may take. Some individuals come in for a few months and others come for years. You may prefer a briefer style of therapy (8-12 sessions), which will have a more narrow focus and primarily be about learning skills to cope with life's difficulties. On the other hand, depending on your concerns and goals, you may benefit from a more flexible therapy style. This can be discussed at any time you have questions.

Fees & Payments

My fee is $150 per session. Payment is due at the start of each appointment. Secure payments may be made online through Stripe with a credit card or ACH payments from your bank. Both Anthony Tzoumas, Ph.D. and Jennifer Tzoumas, Ph.D. are accepting BCBS and United/Optum insurance, and Jennifer Tzoumas, Ph.D. is also accepting Aetna insurance. If you have other insurance, you can pay privately and I am happy to provide you with a "superbill" that you can submit for any out of network benefits you may have. Please verify with your insurance company the details of your eligible out of network benefits and reimbursement rates.

Cancellations & Missed Appointments - For appointments that are missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, you will be responsible for the full fee.

Telephone Calls / Emails

I am often not immediately available by telephone, because I will not answer the phone while I am with a patient. Telephone calls and emails will be returned as soon as possible, typically within a couple of hours (except on evenings, weekends, or holidays). Please be aware that the most private and secure way to reach me is either via telephone or message me through the patient portal (click here for Jennifer Tzoumas, and here for Anthony Tzoumas).

If you have an emergency or cannot wait for me to return your call, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room.

I prefer to use email only to arrange or modify appointments.  If you choose to email me, be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of both your and my internet service providers. While it is unlikely that someone will be looking at these logs, they are in theory available to read by the system administrator(s) of the Internet service provider.  Any emails I receive from you, and my responses, become part of your legal record.

Disclosure Regarding Third-Party Access to Text and Email Communications

Please know that if we use electronic communications methods, such as email, texting, online video, and possibly others, there are various technicians and administrators who maintain these services and may have access to the content of those communications. In some cases, these accesses are more likely than in others.

Of special consideration are work email addresses. If you use your work email to communicate with me, your employer may access our email communications. There may be similar issues involved in school email or other email accounts associated with organizations that you are affiliated with. Additionally, people with access to your computer, mobile phone, and/or other devices may also have access to your email and/or text messages. Please take a moment to contemplate the risks involved if any of these persons were to access the messages we exchange with each other.

Social Media

It is important that we be able to communicate and also keep the confidential space that is vital to therapy. Therefore, please refrain from making contact with me using social media platforms or messaging systems such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram or Twitter. These methods have very poor security and I am not prepared to watch them closely for important messages from clients. In order to protect your privacy and confidentiality, if you request to connect on social media (ie "friend request" on Facebook), I will decline the request, and discuss it with you at our next meeting.

Use of Search Engines

It is NOT a regular part of my practice to search for clients on Google, Facebook, or other search engines.  Extremely rare exceptions may be made during times of crises. If I have reason to suspect that you are in danger and you have not been in touch with me via our usual means (coming to appointments, phone, etc) there might be an instance in which using a search engine (to find you, find someone close to you, or to check on your recent status updates) becomes necessary as a part of ensuring your welfare.  These are unusual situations and if I ever resort to such means, I will fully document it and discuss it with you when we next meet.

Business Review Sites

You may find my psychology practice on sites such as Yelp, Healthgrades, Yahoo Local, or other places which list businesses. Some of these sites include options to add reviews. Many of these sites comb search engine listings and add businesses to their site regardless of whether the business requested to be put on the listing.

Please know that if you find my listing on any of these sites, it is NOT a request for a testimonial, rating, or endorsement from you as my client.

Of course, you have the right to express yourself on any site you wish. But due to confidentiality, I cannot respond to any reviews on any of these sites whether it is positive or negative. If you write a review, keep in mind that you will be volunteering personal information in a public forum. You should be aware that if you are using these sites to indirectly communicate with me about your feelings about our work together, there is a good possibility that I may never see it.

Location-Based Services

If you use location-based services on your mobile phone, please be aware of the privacy issues related to using these services. I do not place my practice as a "check-in" location on various sites such as FourSquare, Gowalla, etc. However, if you have GPS tracking enabled on your device, it is possible that others may surmise that you are a therapy client due to regular check-ins at my office. Please be aware of this risk if you are intentionally "checking-in" from my office or if you have passive Location-Based apps enabled on your phone.

Professional Records

The laws and standards of my profession require that I keep treatment records.  You are entitled to receive a copy of your records, or I can prepare a summary for you instead.  Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers.  If you wish to see your records, I recommend that you review them in my presence so that we can discuss the contents.  Patients will be charged an appropriate fee for any professional time spent in responding to information requests.

If you would like your records shared with another professional, like your family doctor or other provider, I will do this with a signed Release of Information (See section on Confidentiality below).

Confidentiality

The law protects the relationship between a client and a psychologist, and information cannot be disclosed without written permission.

Exceptions include: court order, suspected child abuse, or dependent adult or elder abuse, danger of homicidal action or intent to harm self or others. If a client reports intent to harm self/others, every effort will be made to enlist their cooperation in ensuring their safety. Otherwise, the law requires further measures to be taken without client permission in order to ensure their safety.

I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case.  During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of my patient.  The consultant is also legally bound to keep the information confidential. If you don’t object, I will not tell you about these consultations unless I feel that it is important to our work together.

Unexpected therapist absence. In the event of my unplanned absence from practice, whether due to injury, illness, death, or any other reason, I maintain a detailed Professional Will with instructions for an Executor to inform you of my status and ensure your continued care in accordance with your needs. Please let me know if you would like the names of my Executor and Secondary Executor. You authorize the Executor and Secondary Executor to access your treatment and financial records only in accordance with the terms of my Professional Will, and only in the event that I experience an event that has caused or is likely to cause a significant unplanned absence from practice.

It is important that we discuss any questions or concerns you may have at our next meeting.  I will be happy to discuss these issues with you if you need specific advice, but formal legal advice may be needed because the laws governing confidentiality are quite complex, and I am not an attorney.

Contact Me

Still have questions?

Ready to get started?

You can request a specific appointment time that fits your schedule. Once confirmed, you can complete all New Patient Intake paperwork online as well.

License Verification & Public Complaint Notification

Jennifer Tzoumas's Texas license number to practice psychology is: 37969. Anthony Tzoumas's Texas license number to practice psychology is 38230.

If you would like, you can verify the status of a license by contacting TX Board at 512-305-7700. Alternatively, you can look online in the Board's public search of information.

"Be it known that the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists receives questions and complaints regarding the practice of psychology. For assistance please contact: Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists 333 Guadalupe, Suite 2-450, Austin, Texas 78701, (512) 305-7700, or 800-821-3205."

"Se desea informar que la Comision Estatal Examinadora de Psicologos de Texas recibe toda clase de consultas y quejas sobre el ejercicio profesional de la psicologia en el Estado de Texas. Si usted necesita este servicio, comuniquese con: Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists 333 Guadalupe, Suite 2-450, Austin, Texas 78701, (512) 305-7700, or 800-821-3205."