Quote:
Originally Posted by itisnt
I'm sure you're attempting to be helpful by describing your experience of how things are billed in your location, but it really seems to me that if this is indeed how things work in your location it seems more than a little absurd. I timed myself reading your email. It took me 1 min. 3 seconds. Personally, I think that any T that charges or counts an email, similar to the length of yours, as equivalent to one of the 52 sessions a client is permitted on his/her insurance plans the T is committing something equivalent to fraud. Even if the T took the time to compose a lengthy and well crafted response, that would mean that the therapist would have to spend another 58 min. 57 seconds on the email! I don't know about you, but even when I'm taking my time to write an email, it never takes that amount of time. If this kind of billing practice is going on in the T's office across the U.S., I think the insurance companies need to be looking into things. Jeesh, no wonder our insurance plans here in the U.S. are hitting the stratosphere. Sounds like bill padding to me.
OP, I'm sorry you're getting dinged by your T for emailing. I have no problem with a T putting a limit on my emailing. But he/she needs to be upfront about it from the very beginning of the therapy experience. For example: A T saying, "I can't read and respond to lengthy emails, but I'm fine with you sending one email a week. I'll let you know that I've read and received it and we'll discuss it in session." Or "I'm sorry but I'm unable to read and respond to emails, but if there is an emergency, please call and leave me a message, I will get back to you." If a T needs to change the rules midstream, I need him/her to DISCUSS it with me like an adult. I'd like to hear some suggestions from the T on how things might change and I'd like her to listen to my thoughts on the subject and my suggestion on how things can be handled. In my world, it needs to be a negotiation with both parties being able to express how they feel about the changes.
From my perspective, any T threatening to cancel my next session because I've called or emailed too much is treating me like an infant. Example: "Because you were late getting home last night, you're grounded for a week." This kind of thing would NOT be helpful in my book and it would tell me that the T was inexperienced or lacking in therapeutic skills. I do understand that it's hard to leave a T once you feel attached, but the thing you have to realize is that if she keeps doing things like this, you'll be in for even more heartache and hurt in the future. I'm sorry you have to go through this.
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posting on psych central for me is not called an email. an email in my location is when some goes to their email account (ie yahoo.com or gmail.con or google.com) signs into their email account and then sends a letter.
with mental health agencies receiving an email theres more involved then just taking one or two minutes to read it.
first the treatment provider has to make a copy of the email (making copies cost the agency time and money)
there there is the agency paperwork and stamping of that copy because the treatment provider must document that they received that email. (this also takes time and money especially if an agency has receptionists and assistance to this receptionists and assistance do not do their jobs for free)
then theres the actual reading and formulating a treatment plan around the content of that email. Obviously the client wants the therapists help or therapist do something like email them back or discuss \work on the issues in the email in some way. otherwise they wouldnt have needed to send that email.
there is also the replying to the email process when agencies do allow their employed therapists to use emailing....
the treatment provider has to write the email
make a copy of the email
document they sent an emaail
there is much more than this going on, on the filing side of this also that takes time and money.
my therapist told me the whole process with her office usually takes anywhere between an hour to 4 hours depending upon whether the receptionist\secretarial people do all the documentation and filing and copying and sometimes dictation or calling the client who wants to reschedule or if she does the whole process her self.
since the whole process usually takes the same or more than the amount of time of a therapy session and whats contained in the email is therapy issues, things the client can discuss in sessions its billed as a therapy session here in my location.
my suggestion is when sending an email ask ahead of time what the process is and if the therapist has to bill for it and how. that way at some point when thinking about sending an email anyone wishing to email their therapist will know whether its a billed service and how it will affect their sessions and insurance plans.