Client Policies
Counselling / Psychotherapy Policy
Counselling involves a collaboration between the client and the therapist. Your active participation is necessary to produce the most effective outcomes. Infinite Mindcare’s clinicians use an integrative approach to therapy that is attentive to cultural and contextual factors. Although each clinician will adapt their approach to best meet your needs, there are some overarching values that guide our practice.
First, we believe that people are formed in relationships, and it is in relationships that we heal. We will likely bring focus to your past and present relationships, including, when appropriate, our relationship as therapist and client. Additionally, we will likely work to build awareness and understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and values. When helpful, we will work to modify your behaviours such that they are increasingly consistent with your identified values. Overall, we strive to help individuals develop and utilise their strengths, increase their healthy coping strategies, and foster greater self-awareness, compassion, and acceptance.
The first session will include an assessment of your primary presenting concern(s) and any symptoms you may be experiencing, as well as relevant history or background information. By the end of our first or second session, we will come to an agreement and plan together on which concerns you would like to address and how we will proceed in addressing them together. At any time, you can ask questions, revisit our goals, and make changes to our plan.
Risks and Benefits
Counselling is meant to provide a safe and supportive environment to explore yourself and your concerns while building new skills. However, clients can experience some discomfort during the course of therapy. It is possible to experience feelings of guilt, sadness, anxiety, fear, loss, frustration, anger or other unpleasant emotions. You may also discuss or remember painful events or memories. These experiences are usually normal and appropriate given the work you are doing in psychotherapy. I encourage you to tell your therapist about any possible negative side effects as they occur.
Therapy may not create immediate changes in your life or fully eliminate your presenting concerns, but you can expect to experience positive outcomes. Benefits of therapy can include increased coping abilities, a decrease in unpleasant or painful symptoms, and a more fulfilling relationship with yourself and others. You may find direct benefits in having opportunities to talk through your thoughts and feelings in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment. In addition, psychotherapy can offer increased self-awareness, new perspectives, and new ways of responding to yourself and others. However, psychotherapy is a very individualised process and there are no guarantees about what you will experience.
Professional Relationships
A strong working relationship is imperative to successful outcomes in therapy. The nature of our business can often be personal because we are all working so intensely with each other on a frequent basis. For this reason, we mandate that clients maintain a friendly relationship with staff members but not a personal relationship. Clients acknowledge that any relationship outside the clinical service or therapeutic service is completely inappropriate.
Standards have been set by the American Psychological Association for the limits in the relationship between a therapist and client. These standards include keeping the information that you share with our clinicians confidential (specifics related to this will be further discussed in the “Notice of Privacy Practices” document). Additionally, the standards limit us to a professional relationship only. Under our ethical codes of conduct, we are not allowed to work with you in any other capacity except as your therapist; our clinicians cannot be your friend, business partner or have a romantic / sexual relationship during or after the course of therapy.
Discharge from Services
Infinite Mindcare may discontinue your treatment for any of the following reasons:
- Achievement of treatment goals.
- Failure to appear to two or more appointments within a two-month period, without at least a 24- hour notification.
- Being consistently late for appointments or consistently cancelling appointments.
- Not participating in treatment when requested.
- Outstanding invoices over 30 days.
Client Responsibilities
Infinite Mindcare can only work with clients who fully inform us of any and all of their concerns. We will need your full cooperation as we try to understand the various behaviours that are problematic for you. We will be asking a lot of questions and making a few suggestions and need your total honesty with us at all times. We will be showing you data as part of ongoing evaluation of treatment and expect that you will attend to the data and give us your true appraisal of conditions.
Operating Hours and Communication
Our business office is open Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We provide services year-round, and on occasion some Public Holidays.
Out of respect for our client’s privacy, it is our policy that our clients and accompanying persons can only remain in our lobby at a maximum of 30-minutes before their appointment, and 30-minutes after their appointment. Please have all phone conversations outside. If you, or an accompanying person is watching a movie, playing a game, listening to music, etc please make sure to utilise your personal headphones.
Our clinicians are not immediately available by telephone. Communication is a vital role for many different reasons. Our goal at Infinite Mindcare is to respond to all emails, phone calls or texts within 24 hours during regular business hours. There may be times that we respond with a notification stating that we may need more time to respond. If you tend to be more difficult to reach, please inform our clinicians of some times when you will be available and how late you are available to take calls.
To meet the needs of our clients, we often schedule therapists outside of regular business hours, including evenings, Saturdays or Sundays. Infinite Mindcare administrative staff will be unavailable to answer calls after operating hours and will return your call at the earliest possible opportunity during operating hours. After regular business hours, please leave a voicemail, and your call will be returned within 24 hours.
Clients acknowledge to reply to phone calls or emails from staff members within 24 hours. If you do not have time to respond to the communication from a staff member within 24 hours, you can email, call or text to indicate when you will be able to respond so that we are aware that you received the communication.
Emergencies
If you have an emergency it is best to immediately call 911, go to the nearest hospital emergency room, call The Mental Health Helpline 1-800-534-MIND (6463). If there is an emergency during our work together, or if your therapist becomes concerned about your personal safety, we are required by law and by the rules of our profession to contact someone close to you. We are also required to contact this person or the authorities if we become concerned about you harming someone else.
Legal Matters
Infinite Mindcare does not employ Forensic Psychologists, and are not trained in conducting evaluations for legal matters. It is our preference to never appear in court for clients, as this can damage the therapeutic relationship. Infinite Mindcare’s staff will only appear in court if legally required to do so. Fees associated with time in court are detailed in our Financial Responsibility Agreement.
Referrals & Consultations
It may be necessary for our clinicians to make recommendations for you to meet with other professionals during our work (psychiatrist, physician, nutritionist, etc.) to coordinate the best care for you. To do this, our clinicians will need to obtain your written consent to share any information, and clinicians will only release information that is relevant to coordination of care with these professionals. If we receive a referral directly from your doctor, consent to speak with the referring physician is implied; therefore clients acknowledge that Infinite Mindcare clinicians are authorised to speak with your referring physician if a referral is received directly.
Grievance Procedure
At Infinite Mindcare, we make every effort to ensure that our staff are caring, respectful and partnering with our clients and their families. We encourage the client to discuss any matter of concern regarding the services delivered by Infinite Mindcare staff with the clinician or the assigned for the purpose of resolving a concern.
Early and immediate resolution of concerns and conflicts is strongly encouraged, and a meeting may be scheduled with the client, staff member, and the designated management staff to assist in reaching a satisfactory resolution.
We recognize that at times our families and clients will need to provide us with feedback concerning our staff. As appropriate, please follow this grievance procedure:
STEP ONE: Please communicate with your assigned Clinician (if applicable) about any concerns pertaining to the direct service provider, clinical program, or other initial concerns. In the event there is not a satisfactory resolution reached with the Clinical Supervisor / Clinician, the client may appeal the matter to the Clinical Director, or if you have concerns about the Clinician, please proceed to STEP TWO. Note that it is ALWAYS the client’s right to refuse services at any time; this needs to be communicated in writing to the Clinical Director ([email protected]) if consent for services is revoked.
STEP TWO: Please communicate with the Clinical Director about any concerns about your Clinician or about any concerns that you have elevated to the Clinician that have not been addressed adequately.
STEP THREE: If you feel like the issue/concern has not been resolved, please fill out a formal complaint at http://www.infinitemindcare.com/complaints. Within two (2) business days of receipt of a written complaint (via email, website submission, letter or the Client Complaint Form), the company’s Director(s) will respond.
STEP FOUR: If the client is still not satisfied, they have the right to refuse services, contact their insurance company/case manager (if applicable) or contact the Cayman Islands Health Practice Commission:
Health Practice Commission
3nd Floor, Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Avenue
Box 132 Grand Cayman KY1-9000, CAYMAN ISLANDS
Telephone: (345) 949 -2813 / 946 -2084
Cultural Awareness
Infinite Mindcare recognizes and respects the value of cultural diversity and will strive to ensure that your ethnic or cultural customs, practices, and beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, disability, and/or community is respected by all staff.
Given the multiple nationalities and cultures represented across the three Cayman Islands, we recognize that our clinicians may not be fully versed in all cultural differences. Please make sure to communicate to our Clinical Director if you have any prior or on-going concerns regarding your clinician.
Wellness Policy
To minimise the spread of illness, Infinite Mindcare wellness policy requires that a session be cancelled and rescheduled if the client or Infinite Mindcare staff displays one or more of the following symptoms and guidelines listed below.
The client or staff must be free of infection and other symptoms, without the aid of medication, for 24 hours before resuming program sessions. Sessions may resume when the incubation and contagious period is passed and the client or staff is well enough to resume normal activities. If the client or staff becomes ill during a session, the session will be immediately cancelled.
- Vomiting/Diarrhea
- Temperature greater than 100 degrees fahrenheit
- Respiratory problems – severe coughing, rapid breathing, croup, or whooping sound after coughing
- Thick discoloured discharge from nose
- Rash or infection of the skin (e.g., ringworm, poison ivy)
- Evidence of lice, including nits
- Communicable diseases – Conjunctivitis (pink eye), influenza, measles, chicken pox, strep throat, etc.
Clients acknowledge that if they are experiencing any of the symptoms outlined above, they should contact the staff at Infinite Mindcare to cancel and reschedule their session. Clients agree to notify the staff within 24 hours of the diagnosis of a serious contagious illness or parasitic infestation. Clients acknowledge that in some instances sessions will be cancelled until we have written permission from a doctor saying they are well enough to resume therapy sessions. This is for the client’s well-being along with the well-being of the staff.
Client Attendance and Cancellation Policy
One of the most critical aspects to intervention is consistency of implementation. In the same way that pharmaceutical prescriptions are only effective if taken in the manner prescribed, the same is true for therapy services. You will benefit the most from our services if you attend 100% of scheduled appointments.
We value you as a client and hope to help you with your current and future endeavours; however, we can only accomplish this with your understanding of the obligations set forth in this policy and consistency with treatment. We are here for you and are dedicated to helping you succeed and grow in every way possible.
Therapy sessions are scheduled in advance and are a time reserved exclusively for our clients. When a session is cancelled without adequate notice it makes it difficult for us to reschedule you in a timely manner, and our counsellors are not able to help and support another client in need, which could be you one day. Please make every attempt to keep your scheduled appointment. In the event you need to cancel, please call or email your clinician. Medical insurance does not cover cancelled or missed appointments.
1. Attendance Rate Policy: Attendance must be 80% or greater for regularly scheduled appointments within a 60-day period. (Does not include sessions cancelled due to holidays)
2. Less than 24-hour Cancellation Policy: Sessions cancelled with less than 24-hour notice are defined as cancellation with insufficient notice. We are not able to bill your insurance company for an appointment that never took place; you will automatically be charged directly, using the credit card on file. Absences with insufficient notice will be managed according to the following procedure:
First cancellation with insufficient notice – The Office Manager will call you to review these policies, and you will not be charged. You will receive a written reminder of this policy from the Office Manager.
Second cancellation with insufficient notice – The Office Manager will email you again to review this policy, and you will be charged. You will receive a written reminder of this policy from the Office Manager.
Third cancellation with insufficient notice – Your sessions may be terminated after the third cancellation with insufficient notice within a 60-day period.
3. Scheduling reminders policy: Please note that email reminders are provided as a courtesy to our clients; you as the client are ultimately responsible for keeping track of and attending your scheduled appointments.
4. Late policy: If for any reason you are running late for a session, please notify your clinician as soon as you know you will be late. If no contact is made, the session will be cancelled 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment start time. If you contact your clinician to notify, the therapist will wait up to 30 minutes. Please note your full session may not be met because other clients may be scheduled after your session.
Cancellation Fees
Cancellation fees for Unexcused Absences
| Type | Definition | Policy |
| Cancellation with insufficient notice | Notifying your clinician of a cancellation less than 24 hours in advance. | On the first instance of cancellation with less than 24-hours’ notice, you will receive a reminder of this policy and will not be charged. On the second instance, the full session rate will be charged ($180-$200 dependent upon service you were scheduled for). |
| No show | Failure to call your clinician to cancel a session or calling after a session was scheduled to begin. | |
Policy for Excused Absences
| Type | Definition | Policy |
| Cancellation with sufficient notice | Notifying your clinician of a cancellation more than 24 hours in advance. | You will not be charged for excused absences. However, continued rates of cancelation in excess of 20% of scheduled sessions (less than 80% attendance) may result in termination of services based on our inability to guarantee clinical integrity in the services being provided. |
| Cancellation due to illness | If you are sick, please notify your clinician as soon as possible. Please note that your clinician or the front office may request a doctor’s note to verify your absence. | |
| Cancellation due to emergency | Please call your clinician or the office as soon as possible. | In emergency situations (hurricane, motor vehicle accident, etc) we do not require any notice and will not bill the client for the cancelled appointment. |
Other Circumstances
In the event of storm weather or pandemic lockdown, we offer the following alternatives to maintain your sessions:
1. COVID Lockdown – the office will be closed and all sessions will automatically go to telehealth Zoom calls. You will be contacted with all the relevant information.
2. Tropical Storm Watch/Warning – Clients will have the option of online or in office sessions as long as the office remains open. This will be the same for Hurricane watches.
3. Hurricane Warning – all sessions will be cancelled unless otherwise discussed with your therapist.
Clients will be notified of the switch to Zoom sessions at least 1 hour before their appointment. If Infinite Mindcare will be closing early due to weather, clients will be called, then emailed. In the event of closings, we will make every effort to reschedule your appointment within the same week. Please note that in the case of the emergency situation, hurricane watch/warning, and COVID lockdown, we will not be able to continue with Neurofeedback. In the case of another lockdown, accommodations for in-person Neuro may be granted based on exceptions given from the Cayman Islands Government and discussions with your therapist.
Infinite Mindcare Cancellations
Infinite Mindcare specialises in working with First Responders, and is honoured to work with multiple first responder agencies on island. In times of critical incidents, Infinite Mindcare has a commitment to provide services to emergency workers on very short notice. While we have a system in place to accommodate this, in some instances it may require us to change around our current clients. We will usually provide between 24-48 hour notice of a change of appointment for these purposes.
If you are concerned about the frequency of your clinician cancelling your appointments, please notify the office to raise this concern by emailing [email protected]
Payment Policy
It is Infinite Medicare’s policy that all clients have a credit or debit card on file with Cayman Gateway, a secure filing system. If you are coming to Infinite Mindcare and your sessions are paid by your Employer, a card is still required to be on file. Payment is due at the time of your session. Unless another payee or payment method is specified the debit/credit card on file will be charged for your sessions or if payment has not been received by the due date listed on the invoice or statement emailed after an insurance payment has been received. A 3% admin fee will be added to each credit card transaction. For the purpose of authenticating your credit card during the intake process, you will be charged $0.01.
Client Policies - Children
General Policies
For parents bringing children to sessions, we have zero tolerance for violence on our premises (i.e. no spanking).
If your child is 15 years old or younger, a parent/guardian must be present in the facility unless otherwise agreed upon with your therapist and a signed consent form.
Please be reminded you will not be permitted to leave your child in the lobby watching a movie or playing a game on their phone. If you are accompanying a minor, please make sure they have appropriate headphones.
Legal Consent for Children
Decisions about psychological, medical, behavioural, developmental and/or educational care must be made by the child’s legal guardian(s), who must be physically present to provide consent, have an opportunity to be fully informed of Infinite Mindcare’s service process, be provided with an opportunity to ask questions, and in order for identity to be verified.
Infinite Mindcare only requires ONE parent to consent to services; parents agree that if only one parent signature is on file, this is sufficient to proceed with services. The parent/guardian assumes all responsibility for the other parent being informed of services.
Assessment and Treatment of Children of Separated or Divorced Parents
In the event of a parental separation or divorce, with a consent order or divorce decree stating both signatures are required for medical interventions related to the child(ren), it is the presenting parent’s responsibility to inform and provide relevant contact information to Infinite Mindcare administrative staff in order for another child consent form to be sent.
Both parents are invited and encouraged (as they are able) to participate in Infinite Mindcare’s service delivery process. If one parent retains sole legal custody, this parent MUST provide legal documentation of this in order for Infinite Mindcare’s services to be provided. In the case of joint custody, both parents MUST consent if there is definite interest in engaging Infinite Mindcare’s services. Both parents, regardless of custody, have a legal right to records.In the treatment of children whose parents are separated or divorced, a number of issues can arise. By signing this document, you confirm that you understand and are in agreement with the following policies:
- Each parent will be offered equal time with Infinite Mindcare staff regardless of which parent initially contacts Infinite Mindcare. A signed release of information will need to be obtained from the custodial parent in order to share information with the non-custodial parent.
- Exceptions to these policies include but are not limited to: when a parent lives outside of the Cayman Islands; is incarcerated; has a restraining order in place against him/her; has limited to rare contact with the child/family; and/or does not have legal authority to make decisions regarding development-related services and/or mental health services for the child (or as specified in court documentation). Infinite Mindcare is available to consult by phone with parents who live out of state, and these sessions will be billed at our standard fee for Telehealth services.
Please provide Infinite Mindcare with a copy of the section within your divorce decree and/or court order that specifies legal custody agreement.
Ideally, consent for clinical services and/or treatment for the child should be provided by all legal guardians. Rare exceptions are clinically determined case by case or if mandated by court documentation. In addition, information provided by one parent or legal guardian may be shared with the other parent or legal guardians in order to facilitate services/treatment, as clinically warranted, or as mandated by court documentation.
Legal Matters
Infinite Mindcare does not employ Forensic Psychologists, and are not trained in conducting evaluations for legal matters. It is our preference to never appear in court for clients, as this can damage the therapeutic relationship. Infinite Mindcare’s staff will only appear in court if legally required to do so. Fees associated with time in court are detailed in our Financial Responsibility Agreement.
In legal disputes, particularly between parents, psychologists are sometimes asked to release information such as detailed treatment records, testing protocol, and/or to testify in Court. Releasing this information can be detrimental to a child’s well-being, especially if used against the child’s other parent; as such, this breaches a psychologist’s ethical mandate to do no harm. Infinite Mindcare asks that you do not seek records with the goal of utilising the information in a legal or domestic dispute.
Requests for access to the client’s case record(s) maintained by Infinite Mindcare and/or for Infinite Mindcare clinicians to legally testify regarding any and all aspects of services delivered on behalf of the client will only occur where required by law (i.e., a court order or subpoena). In addition, Infinite Mindcare will not make recommendations towards and/or participate in the process of determining child visitation or child custody. Infinite Mindcare does not employ forensic psychologists who are trained in that type of evaluation. Therefore, Infinite Mindcare clinicians will not communicate with attorneys for either parent or with any professional within the legal system about visitation or custody.
Privacy in Child Therapy
Clients under the age of 18 years of age who are not emancipated, and their parents, should be aware that the law may allow parents to examine their child’s treatment records. In such cases where a request is made, a treatment summary will be provided. One of the major purposes of therapy is to create a safe place for child(ren) to discuss any topic in a healthy manner. Many children (and more often adolescents) will not open up and reveal information if they are aware that the information will be disclosed. Infinite Mindcare requests your child’s privacy be honoured during the course of therapy unless he or she discloses harmful situations; at which time you would need to be involved in treatment for us to discuss how to keep your child safe.
Since privacy in psychotherapy is often crucial to successful progress, we will come to an agreement, in collaboration with the parents and the child/adolescent, as to what information can and cannot be released. Any other communication will require the child’s authorization, unless we feel that the child is in danger or is a danger to someone else, in which case, clinicians will notify the parents of their concern. Before giving parents any information, clinicians will discuss the matter with the child, if possible, and do their best to handle any objections he/she may have.
Experience has shown that revealing therapy notes or the content of conversations can harm the trust relationship between therapist and child(ren). No matter how carefully this is explained, the child(ren) can invariably feel betrayed and may no longer choose to be in therapy with the therapist who released the information. Sometimes this breach of trust may have an impact on other relationships as well such as the relationship between the parent(s) and the child(ren).
Mandated Reporter Disclosure
All clinical and educational staff for the programs operated by Infinite Mindcare are mandated reporters as deemed so by Cayman Islands regulations, and/or laws. This is also true of all social workers, teachers, and those engaged in any type of social service-oriented or clinical-oriented work; and should not restrict the work to be completed. This is a law designed to protect children from injury, and should not be viewed as means to harm parents and caretakers.
This form shall serve as a reminder to the family of this fact, and shall also provide insight into what this disclosure means. This disclosure shall serve as part of the client education regarding the program, and/or the client information packet.
Being deemed a mandated reporter, the Clinicians at Infinite Mindcare are required by law to report any and all allegations, reports, and suspicions of child abuse, neglect and maltreatment to the appropriate identified governing body.
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) unit is the governing body identified in the Cayman Islands that manages cases of child abuse, neglect, and maltreatment. All Clinicians are required by law and shall therefore report the above-mentioned incidents to the MASH unit under any circumstances where there is reasonable suspicion that a child or adult is subject to abuse or neglect.
Any report to MASH, where deemed necessary by Infinite Mindcare’s clinicians, shall constitute a separate case from the one managed by Infinite Mindcare. For this reason, it should be noted that the Infinite Mindcare Clinicians shall only participate in MASH cases as required and requested by the MASH directly. The clinical program operated by Infinite Mindcare shall play no part in decisions made by MASH and should be viewed as a separate organisation from MASH.
The client shall sign a Mandated Reporter Disclosure Receipt Form that shall be kept in the client’s file as evidence that the above-mentioned information was provided to the client and family.
Data Storage & Retention
Your data may be stored in a combination of paper and electronic formats including medical records recorded in writing and on paper and in an electronic medical record system, DrChrono.
Data will be deleted when it is no longer needed in any given format e.g. if copies of a file have been received in hard-copy and then scanned and added to your electronic medical record, the file will be shredded once the document has been imported into your electronic medical record.
Infinite Mindcare will maintain your medical records for a period of seven (10) years after your last session.
Safety and Confidentiality of Information
Infinite Mindcare will take appropriate technical and organisational measures against unauthorised or unlawful processing of your personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to your personal data.
Personal information that we hold is protected by:
- Securing our premises;
- Placing passwords and varying access levels on databases to limit access and protect electronic information from unauthorised interference, access, modification and disclosure; and
- Providing locked cabinets and rooms for the storage of physical records.
- Backing up electronic records.
Everyone working at Infinite Mindcare is subject to a confidentiality agreement. Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purposes advised with consent given by the patient, unless there are other circumstances covered by the law. Infinite Mindcare staff are required to protect your information and keep it confidential. We also make sure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.