Informed Consent for Psychological Assessment and Treatment Services with Samantha English, Ph.D.

Thank you for choosing Wolff Child Psychology, PLLC, a private practice owned by Dr. Brian Wolff, Ph.D. This document is intended to inform you of our policies, and to meet the legal requirements of the State of Colorado. If you have questions or concerns, please ask and we will try our best to give you all the information you need.

Dr. Samantha English is a current post-doctoral fellow in clinical psychology. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Penn State. Dr. English completed her APA-accredited predoctoral internship in child and family clinical psychology at the Aurora Mental Health Center in Colorado. Her clinical training and experiences have focused on providing evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy for children and adolescents (from early childhood to young adulthood) with a broad range of presenting concerns. Dr. English is passionate about working with children and families and employs a strengths-based approach to promote positive change.

Samantha English's work is supervised by Hillary Grady-Speckhals, Psy.D., CO Licensed Psychologist #5378. Dr. Hillary Grady-Speckhals is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She received her M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver. She completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in child clinical psychology at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her clinical training and experiences have focused on providing assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with depression, anxiety, behavioral concerns, complex trauma, ADHD, learning disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Grady-Speckhals has experience working in a number of settings, including both inpatient and outpatient hospital clinics. Her license is #5378.

Client Rights

* The practice of licensed or registered persons in the field of psychotherapy is regulated by the Mental Health Licensing Section of the Division of Professions and Occupations. The Board of Psychologist Examiners can be reached at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1350, Denver, Colorado 80202, (303) 894-7800. As to the regulatory requirements applicable to mental health professionals: A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Licensed Professional Counselor must hold a Master’s degree in their profession and have two years of post-masters supervision. A Licensed Psychologist must hold a doctorate degree in psychology and have one year of post-doctoral supervision. A Licensed Social Worker must hold a Master’s degree in social work. A Psychologist Candidate, a Marriage and Family Therapist Candidate, and a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate must hold the necessary licensing degree and be in the process of completing the required supervision for licensure. A Certified Addiction Counselor I (CAC I) must be a high school graduate, and complete required training hours and 1000 hours of supervised experience. A CAC II must complete additional required training hours and 2,000 hours of supervised experience. A CAC III must have a Bachelor’s degree in behavioral health, and complete additional required training hours and 2,000 hours of supervised experience. A Licensed Addiction Counselor must have a clinical Master’s degree and meet the CAC III requirements. A Registered Psychotherapist is registered with the State Board of Registered Psychotherapists, is not licensed or certified, and no degree, training or experience is required.

* You are entitled to receive information from your therapist about the methods of therapy, the techniques used, the duration of your therapy, if known, and the fee structure. You can seek a second opinion from another therapist or terminate therapy at any time.

* In a professional relationship, sexual intimacy is never appropriate and should be reported to the board that licenses, registers, or certifies the licensee, registrant or certificate holder.

* The information provided by and to you as a client during assessment and therapy sessions is legally confidential and generally cannot be released without the client’s consent. There are exceptions to this confidentiality, which are listed in the Notice of Privacy Practices you were provided. For instance, if we are directed by a judge in a court of law to reveal information, then we must do so. Additionally, if you provide us with information about child abuse or neglect, abuse or neglect of the elderly, or abuse or neglect of a compromised adult, we must report that information immediately. If you tell us that you intend to harm someone else or yourself, we are required by law to reveal that information to the authorities and to the individual who may be harmed. In addition, we are required to work with you closely to preserve your safety. If a legal exception arises during therapy, if feasible, you will be informed accordingly.

* Certain functions of psychological testing, including collecting background and medical history, administering and scoring of psychological, social, behavioral, personality and neuropsychological measures and test interpretation, may be performed by a psychometrist under the supervision of Brian Wolff, Ph.D.

* You acknowledge, and by signing this form, agree that neither you nor the therapist will record (audio or video) any sessions without the prior mutual written consent of the therapist and client.

* Every Psychologist engaged in the practice of psychology as defined in C.R.S.§ 12-43-303 shall create and maintain records on each of his/her psychology clients. The Psychologist shall retain a record on each psychology client for a period of seven (7) years commencing on the date of termination of psychology services or on the date of last contact with the client, whichever is later.

How to reach Dr. Samantha English:

You can reach me by calling my confidential phone line and voicemail at (303) 500-3407 or e-mailing me at samantha@wolffchildpsychology.com. Because I do not provide an emergency response system, I may not return your call promptly. On weekdays, I usually check my voicemail at least twice per day (i.e., in the morning and before the end of the business day On the weekends and on holidays, I check my voicemail at least once per day. I do not carry a pager or work cell phone.

E-mail is an acceptable form of communication with me; however, as with any form of communication, I cannot completely ensure its confidentiality. You should not email me with urgent concerns or to tell me about self-injurious thoughts or actions. Rather, you should call 911 or contact your nearest emergency room if you are in imminent danger of hurting yourself or someone else. If there is time for you to safely leave a message on my voicemail indicating you are in a state of emergency after you call 911 or go to an emergency room, please do that as well. You may also contact 1-800-273-TALK for immediate 24-hour services if you are thinking of hurting or killing yourself.

Clinical services provided by Wolff Child Psychology are not intended for use in any legal matter, including but not limited to child custody hearings, parental responsibility evaluations, and other legal matters. If you become involved in a legal matter during or after receiving services from Wolff Child Psychology, you agree to pay, at the legal matter hourly rate disclosed on the fee information form(s), for all time spent by a Wolff Child Psychology therapist on the legal matter. Such work may include, but is not limited to, responding to subpoenas, preparation related to the legal matter, phone calls, time to travel to and from hearings or depositions, time testifying, time spent waiting to be called for testimony, and any other time spent by Wolff Child Psychology related to the legal matter.

Collaborating on treatment is essential. Please keep me informed in terms of what you feel does or does not work for you in our sessions. Please give me feedback about anything about our work together that causes you distress or makes you feel uncomfortable. You are welcome and encouraged to ask questions about my theories and practices of psychotherapy, any of my policies, your bill, or any other concerns that arise. The better informed you are, the more effective our work together will be!

I have read the preceding information, it has also been provided verbally, and I understand my rights as a client or as the client’s responsible party. I have received a copy of this form for my own records.