Practice Policies

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours.

The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 55 minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the 55-minute session needs to be discussed with the therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.

A $10.00 service charge will be charged for any checks returned for any reason for special handling.

Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a $50 charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time. No notice of cancelation before session and not attending session will be subject to $100 charge.

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY If you need to contact me between sessions, please leave a message on text, email or voice mail. I am often not immediately available; however, I will attempt to return your call within 24 hours. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, I will do so. While I may try to return messages in a timely manner, I cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

Services by electronic means, including but not limited to telephone communication, the Internet, facsimile machines, and e-mail is considered telemedicine by the State of California. Under the California Telemedicine Act of 1996, telemedicine is broadly defined as the use of information technology to deliver medical services and information from one location to another. If you and your therapist chose to use information technology for some or all of your treatment, you need to understand that:

You retain the option to withhold or withdraw consent at any time without affecting the right to future care or treatment or risking the loss or withdrawal of any program benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.
All existing confidentiality protections are equally applicable.
Your access to all medical information transmitted during a telemedicine consultation is guaranteed, and copies of this information are available for a reasonable fee.
Dissemination of any of your identifiable images or information from the telemedicine interaction to researchers or other entities shall not occur without your consent.
There are potential risks, consequences, and benefits of telemedicine. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to improved communication capabilities, providing convenient access to up-to-date information, consultations, support, reduced costs, improved quality, change in the conditions of practice, improved access to therapy, better continuity of care, and reduction of lost work time and travel costs.

Effective therapy is often facilitated when the therapist gathers within a session or a series of sessions, a multitude of observations, information, and experiences about the client. Therapists may make clinical assessments, diagnosis, and interventions based not only on direct verbal or auditory communications, written reports, and third person consultations, but also from direct visual and olfactory observations, information, and experiences. When using information technology in therapy services, potential risks include, but are not limited to the therapist’s inability to make visual and olfactory observations of clinically or therapeutically potentially relevant issues such as: your physical condition including deformities, apparent height and weight, body type, attractiveness relative to social and cultural norms or standards, gait and motor coordination, posture, work speed, any noteworthy mannerism or gestures, physical or medical conditions including bruises or injuries, basic grooming and hygiene including appropriateness of dress, eye contact (including any changes in the previously listed issues), sex, chronological and apparent age, ethnicity, facial and body language, and congruence of language and facial or bodily expression. Potential consequences thus include the therapist not being aware of what he or she would consider important information, that you may not recognize as significant to present verbally the therapist.

MINORS

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. I will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. I may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if I determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. I will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another therapist, I will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

Should you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, I must consider the professional relationship discontinued.

BY SIGNING BELOW I AM AGREEING THAT I HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO THE ITEMS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT.

SMS Terms & Conditions

The Terms of Service related to SMS communication must be included in the privacy policy or as a stand-alone document. Note: If the customer has a Terms and Conditions page, this information should be included there, not in the privacy policy. The document must include the following:

SMS Consent Communication:

Information (Phone Numbers) obtained as part of the SMS consent process will not be shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

Types of SMS Communications:

If consent has been given to receive text messages from Hufford Integrative Therapy, messages may be received related to the following (provide specific examples):
Appointment reminders
Follow-up messages
Billing inquiries
Example: "Hello, this is a reminder of your upcoming appointment with Dr. Carl Hufford at 9111 Broadway Suite JJ, Merrillville, IN, 46410-8122 on 06/06/2025 at 9pm. Reply STOP to opt out of SMS messaging at any time."

Message Frequency:

Message frequency may vary depending on the type of communication. For example, up to [X] SMS messages per week may be received related to [appointments/billing, etc.].
Example:
"Message frequency may vary. You may receive up to 2 SMS messages per week regarding your appointments or account status."

Potential Fees for SMS Messaging:

Standard message and data rates may apply, depending on the carrier's pricing plan. These fees may vary if the message is sent domestically or internationally.

Opt-In Method:

Opt-in to receive SMS messages from [Company Name] can be done in the following ways:
By submitting an online form

Opt-Out Method:

Opting out of receiving SMS messages can be done at any time by replying "STOP" to any SMS message received. Alternatively, direct contact can be made to request removal from the messaging list.

Help:

For any issues, reply with the keyword HELP. Alternatively, help can be obtained directly from us at link
Additional Options:
If SMS messages are not desired, the SMS consent box on forms can be left unchecked.

Standard Messaging Disclosures:

Message and data rates may apply.
Opt out at any time by texting "STOP."
For assistance, text "HELP" or visit our [Privacy Policy] and [Terms and Conditions] pages. Message frequency may vary

Privacy Policy

A privacy policy should inform customers about how the company collects, uses, and shares their information.
The privacy policy should be easily accessible and linked to all pages (footer or header).
The privacy policy needs to be on a single page or pop-up window.
The privacy policy's sharing section must explicitly state: "SMS opt-in or phone numbers for the purpose of SMS are not being shared with any third party and affiliate company for marketing purposes."

Additional Considerations:

- Examples of full privacy policies should not be provided.
-The privacy policy must be comprehensive, addressing all aspects of use, collection, and sharing.
A company can share information as long as it does not share SMS consent or phone numbers for SMS by providing the disclaimer; it will be compliant