A Few Things Worth Knowing
This practice is built on trust, confidentiality, and focused clinical care. Before we begin working together, there are a few important things I want you to understand, about what therapy can and cannot do, and why I take the protection of this space seriously.
This Is a Private, Solo Practice
There is no front desk, no administrative team, and no institutional support behind this work. It is one clinician and a commitment to providing consistent, high-quality care to every person in this practice.
That structure is intentional - it keeps the therapeutic relationship direct, private, and undiluted. It also means that anything that disrupts clinical availability affects real people in active treatment. That context matters for everything that follows on this page.
That structure is intentional - it keeps the therapeutic relationship direct, private, and undiluted. It also means that anything that disrupts clinical availability affects real people in active treatment. That context matters for everything that follows on this page.
What This Practice Will and Will Not Do
In the interest of full transparency:
These are not policies born of indifference. They reflect the reality that a treating clinician and a forensic clinician are different roles that require different training, different engagement structures, and different documentation practices - and that conflating them causes harm to the therapeutic relationship and to the people depending on it.
- This clinician does not serve as a forensic evaluator, expert witness, or fact witness in legal proceedings involving current or former clients.
- This clinician does not write letters or prepare reports for use in court, custody proceedings, disability applications, workers' compensation claims, or personal injury cases.
- This clinician does not provide opinions about causation, severity, or legal significance of a client's psychological condition for litigation purposes.
- This clinician will assert all available legal privileges - including the psychotherapist-patience privilege - in response to any subpoena or records demand, before complying with any disclosure.
These are not policies born of indifference. They reflect the reality that a treating clinician and a forensic clinician are different roles that require different training, different engagement structures, and different documentation practices - and that conflating them causes harm to the therapeutic relationship and to the people depending on it.
If You Are Currently Involved in Legal Proceedings
If you are currently involved in - or anticipating any of the following, please disclose this before or at intake:
- A lawsuit, personal injury claim, or civil action
- A custody or divorce proceeding
- A workers' compensation or disability claim
- A criminal proceeding in which your mental health may be relevant
- Any situation where an attorney has suggested therapy and therapy records could be useful
This does not automatically disqualify you from receiving services. Many people in legal situations benefit genuinely from therapy. Disclosure simply allows us to be clear with each other about what this clinical relationship can and cannot provide - before records exist and before expectations form.
The following services are NOT offered at Coastal Beaches Therapy:
- Custody evaluations
- Couples/Marriage counseling
- Intensive treatment or assessment for primary substance abuse problems
- Medicaid or Medicare mental health services
- Medication prescriptions (although we work closely with primary care doctors and psychiatrists)
- Emotional support animal evaluations