Counseling Nook for Trauma and Dissociation (CNTD) is committed to building a more just and equitable East Texas. We recognize the history of oppression that has resulted in generational and community trauma. We believe that therapists that prioritize engaging diverse perspectives and evolve to be inclusive behave equitably and have profound impacts on society. For this reason, CNTD is committed to transforming each aspect of our practice by confronting our own biases and operationalizing our values. We know that intention alone is not enough to make change happen. To this work, we bring the success and mistakes of our own continuing efforts in the direction of equity on behalf of our clients and the community. The mission and vision we have for creating a space of healing and ending generational trauma move us to directly challenge ourselves and deconstruct frameworks of oppression while building opportunities for learning, change, and accountability. We know this work is urgent and we will always be learning. We will make mistakes and own our responsibility for corrective action.

Counseling Nook for Trauma and Dissociation are committed to transparency and ensuring that clients are informed about their rights regarding access to their health records and how to file a complaint if needed.

Requesting Your Health Records

You have the right to request access to your health records maintained by our practice. To request your records, please contact your clinician by email.
Please include the following information in your request:

• Client name
• Date of birth
• Description of records requested
• Signature of the client or legal guardian

You will be asked to complete a Release of Information form in order to process your request. Please note that processing documentation may take some time. Your therapist will explain the documentation requirements and the process involved.
Records will be provided in accordance with applicable Texas law and HIPAA regulations. Reasonable administrative fees may apply as permitted by law.

Licensing Authority

Licensed Professional Counselors in Texas are regulated by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council.
Phone: (512) 305-7700
Website: https://bhec.texas.gov

Mailing Address:
333 Guadalupe St, Tower 3, Suite 900 Austin, TX 78701

Filing a Consumer Complaint

If you have concerns regarding services received, you may file a complaint with the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council.
Complaints may be submitted online at: https://bhec.texas.gov/discipline-and-complaints/

If you have questions about your care, please feel free to speak with your therapist or contact our office.

This notice is provided in accordance with Texas Health & Safety Code §181.105.

Acceso a Registros de Salud y Presentación de Quejas

(Código de Salud y Seguridad de Texas §181.105)

Counseling Nook for Trauma and Dissociation están comprometidos con la transparencia y con asegurar que los clientes conozcan sus derechos respecto al acceso a sus registros de salud y cómo presentar una queja si fuera necesario.

Solicitud de Registros de Salud

Usted tiene el derecho de solicitar acceso a sus registros de salud mantenidos por nuestra práctica. Para solicitar sus registros, por favor comuníquese con su terapeuta por correo electrónico.

Por favor incluya la siguiente información en su solicitud: • Nombre del cliente

• Fecha de nacimiento
• Descripción de los registros solicitados
• Firma del cliente o del padre/madre/tutor legal

Se le pedirá completar un Formulario de Autorización para Divulgación de Información para poder procesar su solicitud. Tenga en cuenta que el procesamiento de la documentación puede tomar algún tiempo. Su terapeuta le explicará los requisitos y el proceso correspondiente. Los registros serán proporcionados de acuerdo con las leyes del estado de Texas y las regulaciones de HIPAA. Pueden aplicarse cargos administrativos razonables según lo permitido por la ley.

Autoridad Reguladora

Los Consejeros Profesionales Licenciados en Texas son regulados por el Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council.
Teléfono: (512) 305-7700
Sitio web: https://bhec.texas.gov

Dirección postal:
333 Guadalupe St, Tower 3, Suite 900 Austin, TX 78701

Presentar una Queja

Si tiene inquietudes sobre los servicios recibidos, puede presentar una queja ante el Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council.
Las quejas pueden presentarse en línea en: https://bhec.texas.gov/discipline-and-complaints/

Si tiene preguntas sobre su atención, puede hablar con su terapeuta o comunicarse con nuestra oficina.

Este aviso se proporciona de conformidad con el Código de Salud y Seguridad de Texas §181.105.

If we are out-of-network providers for your insurance, you may pay for counseling and seek reimbursement from your insurance carrier by submitting a Superbill, which is provided by your therapist. Many insurance companies give out-of-network reimbursements for mental health services. Usually, you can get partial or full reimbursement, but we always recommend you check with your insurance carrier.

We are happy to provide all of the documentation you need to allow you to submit to your insurance company so you can be reimbursed if you have “out of network” coverage. It is often helpful to call your insurance company and ask about your out-of-network coverage.

POSSIBLE ISSUES WITH INSURANCE

There are many financial benefits to using insurance, but we also find it important to make sure our clients are well-informed. The following are possible things to consider when using insurance.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Insurance companies can require detailed information about a patient’s psychiatric history as a condition of paying their therapist. These requirements can compromise confidentiality and increase the risk of your information being out there.

FORCED DIAGNOSIS: When using private pay, therapists are not required to pathologize and give mental health diagnoses. If insurance is involved, we have to diagnose you. Even if it’s not appropriate, there has to be a diagnosis for it to be covered by insurance. In some circumstances having a diagnosis can be helpful. We make intentional efforts to be as collaborative as possible with you in this process when it is requested or required.

TREATMENT DECISIONS: Insurance companies highly influence treatment decisions. They can determine the number of sessions and the frequency.

At its core, trauma is any deeply distressing or disturbing experience or series of experiences that still have an effect on one’s emotional, mental, and physical health. There are three main types of trauma: Acute, Chronic, and Complex.

Acute trauma is a result from a single incident.

Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged incidents (e.g. domestic violence or abuse).

Complex trauma is exposure to many traumas with varying degrees of intensity that occur throughout a person’s life, often beginning in childhood. These events are often of an invasive, interpersonal nature, and lead to severe attachment injury.

MORE INFORMATION ON TRAUMA

Trauma-related dissociation is a process in which a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories, behaviors, physical sensations, or sense of identity due to traumatic events. During these traumatic events, most professionals believe that the dissociation is a way the mind copes due to too much stress.

For references please visit https://www.isst-d.org/public-resources-home/fact-sheet-iii-trauma-related-dissociation-an-introduction/

MORE INFORMATION ON DISSOCIATION

“Often, when something traumatic happens, it seems to get locked in the brain with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings, and so on. Since the experience is locked there, it continues to be triggered whenever a reminder comes up. It can be the basis for a lot of discomfort and sometimes a lot of negative emotions, such as fear and helplessness, that we can’t seem to control. These are really the emotions connected with the old experience that are being triggered.

The eye movements we use in EMDR seem to unlock the system and allow your brain to process the experience. That may be what is happening in REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep, when our most intense dreaming takes place: The eye movements appear to be involved during the processing of unconscious material.

The important thing to remember is that it is your own brain that will be doing the healing and that you are the one in control.”

Shapiro, Francine. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Therapy, Third Edition (pp. 115-116). Guilford Publications. Kindle Edition.

MORE INFORMATION ON EMDR

Developed by David Grand, PhD, Brainspotting is a therapeutic tool that allows a client to access the deep brain through direct access to the autonomic and limbic nervous systems. This access is achieved through the connection with a “Brainspot”, which is “the eye position which is related to the energetic/emotional activation of a traumatic/emotionally charged issue within the brain, most likely in the amygdala, the hippocampus, or the orbitofrontal cortex of the limbic system. Located by eye position, paired with externally observed and internally experienced reflexive responses, a Brainspot is actually a physiological subsystem holding emotional experience in memory form.” (excerpt from the pamphlet “What Is Brainspotting?” by David Grand)

Brainspotting relies heavily on the therapist’s ability to maintain attuned presence and strong rapport throughout the client’s processing. The very client-focused, anti-oppression heart of Brainspotting makes it a wonderful trauma-informed tool for relational healing.

READ MORE ABOUT BRAINSPOTTING

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a dynamic, evidence based psychotherapy model. In IFS, we believe that the mind is a multiplicity, made up of many different parts that all play important roles. While each part holds unique qualities that are important for the function of the overall system, the core Self knows how to heal and invites harmony - especially when trauma and other events have caused disruption and pain. Most importantly, all parts are welcome in the journey toward becoming healed and whole.

We are open to working with people from many faiths and cultures. Below are a few examples that we have experience with:

Agnostic

Atheist

Catholic

Christian

Hindu

Interfaith

Islam

Jehovah's Witness

Multi-Faith

Pagan

Wiccan

LGBTQIA+: All are welcome and affirmed. We recognize the multiple intersectionalities that many in the LGBTQIA+ communities embody, and we strive to offer a therapeutic space that fosters security and self-compassion in the process of healing.

Multicultural (MK, TCK, MB, Xpat): As someone who grew up in a variety of cultures and countries, my heart goes out to anyone who identifies with many cultures. It can be frustrating and hard to explain what your atypical childhood was like. It is so nice when you are around people that get it. - Beth

Immigrants: It can be scary, overwhelming and tough to move to another country. There are many factor that lead to these moves, and some of them can be traumatic. It can be hard to be surrounded by people of different cultures and trying to adapt to while also not losing a core part of who you are.

BIPOC: We strive to create an environment that is focused on liberation and healing. We are intentional about acknowledging our privilege as white women in a medical system that has historically caused harm to BIPOC folx; therefore, we are always working to decolonize our practice and move toward a future of systemic change and healing.

Neurodiversity (special focus on ADHD and ASD): As two therapists with ADHD, working with a neurodiverse population is close to our hearts. We both have extensive experience working with folks across the Autism and ADHD spectrums, and are always willing to work closely with your (or your child’s) care team should that service be requested.

Adoption: Whether you are an adoptee, adoptive parent, relinquishing parent, or some combination of the three, we recognize that adoption is inherently complex and often traumatic. We work with the adoption constellation to aid folks in understanding and healing the wounds of this vital family dynamic, however they may present.

For more information about any of the above, please contact our team and/or refer to our resources page

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.

You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.