[CantExplain]

What does a referral actually consist of?

It is just the name of another T, or does your old T discuss your case with the new T before passing you on? What about the notes she made? Is there a letter of introduction?

For some patients, there would be insurance documents, payment receipts and maybe other burocratic and financial paperwork.

Would old T warn new T if you were a danger to yourself or others? If you missed a lot of sessions or were unreliable about payment, would old T warn new T about that?

[roads]

I've had referrals that consisted of my old T giving me a name & ph# scribbled on a torn page. Other referrals included handing over my entire case file, plus 1 or 2 sessions with both therapists.

You'd have to sign a release before old T could release any patient case information to new T. This would cover any case notes & assessments, e.g., if you were a threat to yourself or to others.

I have no idea whether this would include financial info, such as whether you paid on time or not.

[googley]

A referral usually consists of a name and a phone number. If you want your previous T to talk to your new T you would have to sign releases for both Ts. You would then be able to tell them what stuff they would be allowed to talk about. Sometimes new Ts don't want to talk to old Ts, sometimes they are okay with it. It really just depends on the Ts. If you want them to then they can, but if you don't want them to then they can't. They can't force you to sign consent documents. Usually there are not letters of introduction, though you are free to say "so-and-so referred me to you".

I hope this clears things up for you.

A referal can be as detailed as you and T decide.

Some referrals that I receive from other T's include a name/number (with release) of the client that's being referred. Some are more indepth, like an entire intake, with historical information so the client doesn't have to repeat that process. Others are summaries of treatment progress, diagnostic information, etc.

As a client, referrals I've gotten were just a name and number of another T for me to call.