LAWRENCE S. PELTZ, PH.D., LMFT
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
At all times, I consider my patients’ rights and needs as a foremost concern.
Psychotherapy involves a special relationship between people. In this relationship, I receive monetary remuneration in return for a close interpersonal relationship in which your needs are paramount. It is expected that this relationship will be honest, trustworthy and dedicated to helping you develop greater understanding and skills to more successfully live your life in a gratifying and healthy manner. My primary interventions involve understanding, helping you gain insight, making suggestions and following up on your progress.
There are two major functions of psychotherapy: crisis work and growth work.
CRISIS WORK: Often, people enter psychotherapy in the hope of better coping with life crises. This work tends to be relatively short term (less than a year in duration). It may involve weekly or more or less frequent sessions, depending on the nature and severity of the problem. On rare occasions, these problems can be severe enough to warrant medication or hospitalization.
GROWTH WORK: Not everyone enters psychotherapy at a time of crisis. Frequently, people wish to work on long standing patterns that have puzzled or bothered them in their lives. This work involves in-depth probing, often with a focus on personal historical events. Because this work entails long established patterns and unconscious motivation, it usually has a longer treatment duration (a year or longer). This work normally requires weekly or more frequent sessions.
In either kind of psychotherapy or counseling, the best results will be possible only if you, as a patient, work hard with me and honestly give me complete information.
It is important that you understand that the process of psychotherapy may bring up unpleasant memories, and can arouse intense emotions such as fear and anger. Intense feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, frustration, helplessness etc. may be aroused. You may feel worse before you feel better.
Benefits from therapy can include better family relationships; increased satisfaction from social relationships, work and creative endeavors; greater maturity; appropriate goal setting and personal growth.
You have the right to refuse treatment at any time. You can do this without any moral, legal or financial obligation (as of the date that you inform me that you wish to leave my care). You are of course liable for any outstanding debts. If you wish to seek treatment elsewhere, I will provide you with a list of qualified therapists.
You also have the right to review your confidential records and files at any time.
Within certain required legal limits, all of the contents of your therapy sessions will be treated with strict confidentiality, and will not be released without your written permission. At your written request, any part of your records or files will be released to any other person, agency or organization you request. If making these records public can be forseeably dangerous or harmful to you, I will inform you prior to sending said records.
Under the following situations, I am required by law to reveal certain information to other persons or agencies without your permission. I am not required to inform you of these actions.
If you threaten grave bodily harm or death to another person, I am required by law to inform the intended victim and appropriate law enforcement agencies.
In cases of child or elder abuse, or neglect, that is potentially ongoing, I must report it to appropriate agencies.
If a court of law issues a legitimate subpoena I am required by law to provide the information specifically described in the subpoena.
If you are in therapy or being tested by court order, the results of the test must be made available to the court.
You can rest assured that I will act to facilitate progress while acting to protect you and others if necessary throughout the process.
I welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your concerns, hopes and goals.