Practice
Information Bulletin
June 2007
This
information bulletin describes:
·
my
beliefs and approach to psychological services
·
the
nature of my practice;
·
my
fees policy;
·
what
to do if you find yourself in an emotional emergency; and
·
an
abbreviated summary of my credentials, training and experience.
My Psychological Services
In
my practice, psychological assessment and psychotherapy are
collaborative ventures. My
client and I work together to clarify and achieve the client's goals.
Openness and honesty facilitates a rapid progression towards, and
increases the likelihood of, an effective outcome.
Your
task is to talk about whatever is on your mind. Together we will explore your
thoughts and feelings in areas related to the reasons that led you to seek
assistance. Part of our work
together will include discussion of your experience of our professional
relationship, and of the progress and process of the therapy.
As
your psychologist my task is to listen carefully; to look for patterns in your
life experiences, as well as your thinking, feelings and behavior; and to point
out alternative interpretations of events or strategies for problem solving.
I will ask evocative questions and provide and promote intellectual,
emotional, and behavioral learning experiences to stimulate you to move your
thoughts, feelings and actions in more suitable and satisfactory directions.
It is not usually my job to tell you what to do or to give direct advice;
rather, I may suggest that you consider specific ideas, exercises and other actions, but the final
decision, of course is yours to make. Human behavior is frequently a reaction to
unconscious needs and conflicts; psychotherapy is intended to help you to come
to conscious decisions about courses of action that will promote your own
best interests.
My
aim is to be an objective sounding board, a trained, knowledgeable listener who
is present and here for you.
In a successful therapy relationship a genuine, appropriate and caring bond
develops between therapist and client (technically known as the
"therapeutic alliance") which focuses on nurturing the psychological
development of the client.
Everything
you say is confidential and no information is released to anyone without your
consent. Exceptions include the
legal obligation the psychologist has to inform a potential victim of violence
of the client's intention, and to inform the Children's Aid Society if a client
is placing a child at risk for sexual or physical abuse. In rare cases, a
court of law could subpoena clinical records.
It
is my belief that psychotherapy should be tailored to the client's need, using
approaches and methodologies appropriate to the issues and the client's
personality and functioning, as well as the client’s situation. My first job is to assess what psychotherapeutic
approaches would be most useful to you. Usually
this is done by my asking you questions. Sometimes I also use questionnaires
and/or structured experiences. From
this information I formulate an approach. Then
I explain the process and suggest what approximate time frame you may expect.
However, you have the right to work at
your own pace, and to be an active participant in discussing the progress of
your psychotherapy. Different
clients of the same psychologist will progress at different rates and may be
receiving different types of psychotherapy.
What matters is what works for you.
My approach to psychotherapy
The Process of Therapy
Because
we are together to help you deal with personal issues of importance, it is necessary to discuss matters that may be
considered 'private'. While
I encourage clients to be as open and honest as they can, I also take the view
that at no time should you consider yourself obliged, within our sessions, to do
or say anything.
I do ask that you inform me directly of any hesitation on your part to
respond to any of my questions, requests or suggestions.
It is particularly important that you not
tell me anything that you know or believe is not accurate or truthful, as far as
you are consciously aware. If you
do not wish to reply accurately and truthfully to any question that I may ask,
just tell me that you prefer not to answer that question, rather than tell me
anything you know is untrue or incomplete.
To do otherwise would be to precipitate and participate in pseudotherapy,
which is, at the least, a waste of our time and your money.
Therapeutic Approaches
I
may employ a variety of theoretical and practical assessment and therapeutic
approaches within our sessions, depending upon what appears, in my clinical
judgment, likely to be most effective and efficient.
Generally I employ a Transactional Analysis / Gestalt Therapy / Mental
Imagery/ Behavioral/ Reintrojection Therapies orientation, one that also goes by
the name Redecision Therapy.
I began training in Redecision Therapy in over 35 years ago (in 1972)
with the originators of this approach, Dr. Bob and Mary Goulding, co-directors
of the Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy, in Watsonville,
California.
Goals
The
whole of the psychotherapy process is, in a sense, 'grounded in' and augmented
by our developing professional
relationship. It is essential that
we work as partners-in-the‑process, each with different roles and
functions, yet with the same or similar goals in mind.
These goals are mutually agreed upon by us in our early sessions,
although at a later date they may be modified by mutual agreement.
By keeping in mind our agreed-upon goals for both the therapy process and
for individual sessions, we can assess whether you are getting what you came
into psychotherapy to acquire (whether that be altered and improved feeling
states, thinking processes and/or behavioral functioning).
Frequency of Sessions
The
frequency of sessions is determined by us, jointly. Sessions usually do not
occur more often than once per week, and indeed, in most cases, our sessions
eventually become spaced further apart as our work progresses.
(Eventually sessions may be scheduled on a once per two weeks or even
once per month or quarterly basis, as needed and desired.)
Clients may stop therapy at any time; once terminated, psychotherapy may
begin again at any time in the future if and as mutually agreed upon, and as
both our schedules allow.
Couples
In
my work with couples I state at the
outset that I usually consider myself to have three clients: each partner individually and the couple-as-a-unit. The
exception is where either or both partners already have individual therapists.
My intake (initial) interviews consist of two individual appointments and
a joint appointment with both partners together.
I maintain confidentiality with each client: what is discussed in
individual sessions is not transmitted or communicated to the other partner
without consent. When I am with you
in my office, you are my client, and
my role is to be there for you.
There
are several advantages in having a flexible approach that permits individual as
well as joint sessions. In the
event that issues emerge that are primarily the concern of one of the partners,
or that person is not prepared to discuss, or perhaps even disclose, certain
matters in the presence of the partner, we may schedule individual sessions to
address these matters without the other
person being present. Each of you may request and/or I may recommend individual
or joint sessions at any time.
As
both partners are fully aware of this opportunity to request or have individual
sessions, and as both have agreed to this arrangement, I have seldom encountered
any difficulties with proceeding in this manner.
In the rare instance where there may be a major conflict of interest when
operating with this approach, I will recommend a referral to another therapist
for one or other partner, or the couple‑as-a-unit.
Types of
problems and clients:
I
frequently work with clients who must deal with one or more of a variety of
problems, including the psychological and behavioral consequences of being adult
children of dysfunctional families, or the survivors or children of survivors of
the Holocaust, or other severe trauma. Many clients present with emotionally and
relationship-destructive states of depression, anger, anxiety, stress or other
chronic negative feelings; some clients wish to deal with issues of
co-dependency, compulsive behaviors, atypical theft behavior, Mid-Life and
mid-career issues, couples conflict resolution, or inter-generational (usually
parent/adult-child) issues. I also work with clients who have cardiac problems
who want to learn to employ stress management, relaxation, and mental imagery
approaches in the service of moving towards wellness.
Some
clients may be having some difficulties in their inner (intrapsychic),
interpersonal and/or working aspects of their lives. Others are experiencing sexual or communications problems.
Still others are dealing with needing to make important decisions (such as
whether to get married or to divorce, to have a child or remain child-free, to
retire, change jobs, move, and so on).
I
limit my direct client contact to clients who are over
15 years of age.
Some
of my clients are executives or business owners who are dealing with
work-related matters where there can be value in discussing these matters with
an objective professional who has no personal investment in the business-related
issue being discussed but who does
have a keen, informed awareness of the personality, history and requirements of
the client.
Although
I was for twelve years on the staff of the forensic service of the Clarke
Institute of Psychiatry (where, from 1984-86 I was the Psychologist-in-Charge,
Forensic Outpatient Psychological Services), the
only forensic cases that I currently undertake are those involving possible
‘Atypical Theft Offenders’, who are individuals who are generally
honest, frequently hardworking and ethical persons who have committed acts of
shoplifting, fraud or other acts of theft. I am the author of the book, WHY
HONEST PEOPLE SHOPLIFT OR COMMIT OTHER ACTS OF THEFT: ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT
OF ‘ATYPICAL THEFT OFFENDERS’,
published by Tagami Communications in 1997. The revised edition was published in
2002.
I
do not work with other kinds of criminal cases, nor do I take multiple
personality disorder cases.
At times, when it is important to the progress of my client, I may ask
to see a "significant other" -- often the spouse, parent, or child of
my client -- in a separate interview. Such sessions usually provide important and relevant
information about my client from one who has known that person for some time.
After
more than 40 years of doing counselling and psychotherapy I can truly say that
virtually nothing -- no thought,
feeling or behavior that you could tell me about -- would shock me.
You are able to say virtually anything while expecting to be viewed as
one who is personally deserving of concern, compassion and caring.
Part
of my philosophy of client care is to rule out any physical basis for the
clients' problems. To this end, I
expect my client to see his or her family physician for a physical examination. I also promote consultations with other professionals such as
psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists or other medical specialists
when there is an indication that the client could benefit from the expertise of
these professionals. It is my
policy to work with the other resources of the community and to stay within the
limits of my competence as a psychologist.
It is also my policy to expedite the referral of any client who wishes to
transfer, for whatever reason, so that nothing stands in the way of any
individual receiving the help he or she needs.
Length of Sessions
Individual
sessions are 45 or 50 minutes in length, although I may continue somewhat longer
at times. Payment is the same regardless, unless it has been previously agreed
that we will be doing ‘one-and-one-half’, or ‘double’ length sessions.
Fees and
Cancellation Policy
My
fees are at or below those the guidelines set by the Ontario Psychological
Association (OPA) for psychological assessments, consultations and ongoing
individual, couples and group psychotherapy.
I offer a sliding scale in regard to fees that is a primarily a function
of total gross household income, although other factors may be taken into
account in particular circumstances. Generally,
clients pay for their sessions at the end of each visit.
In this way, the account remains manageable and psychotherapy becomes a
naturally budgeted expense. Unless you cancel 48 hours before a session, you will likely
be charged for a missed session. I
expect that your psychotherapy will become one of your top priorities.
This will be reflected in your determination to come to sessions on time
even when it is difficult, and to handle your account responsibly.
There
are objectively very few reasons for which an appointment must be canceled.
Even if your car is not working there are, of course, taxis and the TTC.
One of the few exceptions is in the
event of severe (usually in winter) driving conditions if you could only be
arriving by private automobile; in such a case, by all means do not take any
undue risk
-- merely call and let me know that the weather/driving situation is
markedly risky for you. There
will be no charge for a missed session in such a situation regardless of how
close to the time of the session you call to let me know of your circumstances.
If
you have insurance that reimburses you for your psychotherapy expenses, I will
issue or sign any document that you require for submission to your insurance
company. Usually, I do not accept
cheques directly from the insurance company or submit your claim on your behalf.
There may be some exception to this general policy due to special
circumstances of the client. However, my agreement
is with you and you are responsible for your account here.
It
should be noted that the major reason psychological services are not covered by
OHIP is purely political. If you
would like to see psychologists covered by OHIP you could write to your Member
of Provincial Parliament or the Minister of Health at Queen's Park, Toronto.
If it is the middle of the night or if you feel you cannot wait for me
to get back to you, and you are having an emotional emergency, then you should
consider going to the emergency department of any of the hospitals in your area.
The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry
in Toronto specializes in emotional problems.
If
you do enter hospital, I will continue to help in any way that I can.
However, if you are admitted to hospital, you become the responsibility
of the attending physician and my rights, responsibility and accountability end.
Your psychotherapy with me ends and you may or may not want to resume it
later. Resumption of psychotherapy must be discussed in light of the
limitations inherent in the private practice context and what types of support
you need.
***********************************************************
Who am I?
I
was born in Montreal and lived for my first 21 years in Quebec.
I moved to Ottawa in 1961 where I lived for five years; I moved to
Toronto in 1966 and have lived and worked here ever since.
I
am registered as a psychologist with both the Ontario College of Psychologists
and the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.
Registration as a psychologist in Ontario requires a
doctorate degree in psychology from a recognized university, a one year
supervised postdoctoral experience and passing written and oral examinations.
Registration as a health care provider in Psychology in Canada requires
all of the above plus specific clinical psychology predoctoral training and two
years supervised clinical psychology experience.
I
have also been an extramural instructor at the Ontario Institute of
Education/University of Toronto where I
taught graduate courses in group therapy.
***********************************************
My formal education and working career has thus far
had several distinct phases.
·
My first university degree was a Bachelor
of Engineering (B.Eng.) from McGill University
(1961). I worked for one year
(1961-62) as an electronic engineer doing original design work in the
aeronautical field, as a Navigational
Systems Design engineer for Computing Devices of Canada, located near Ottawa.
·I
began my formal study of psychology in the summer of 1960 at Sir George Williams
University (now Concordia University) in Montreal.
I returned to university full-time in 1962 and graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor
of Arts (BA) (major in psychology) from Carleton University in Ottawa.
·In
1963 I began my first of a total of 9 years in the full-time employ of three
different Boards of Education in Ontario -- Ottawa, North York and Etobicoke.
For the first six years I worked as high
school science and mathematics
teacher, and as of 1964 I began dividing my time between classroom teaching
and being a guidance counsellor.
·For
the three years that I worked for the Etobicoke Board of Education I worked out
of the board office as an Attendance
Counsellor.
·While
working for school boards I acquired Ontario Department of Education’s
Specialist Certificates in both Guidance and Physics.
·I
earned a Masters of Education (M.Ed.)
degree in Guidance and Counselling (1970),and a doctorate in Counselling Psychology (Ph.D.)., (1979), both degrees
from the University of Toronto.
· I have been registered as a Psychologist in Ontario since 1980.
·In
1969 I began training as a group psychotherapist at the North York Group
Psychotherapy Foundation (NYGPF). I was a senior group therapist for NYGPF for
two years, from 1972-74. I acquired
full membership in the American Group Psychotherapy Association
in 1972. I
began my private practice in 1972.
·Also
in 1972, I began training in Redecision
Therapy with it’s developers, Dr. Bob and Mary Goulding, co-directors of
the Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy (WIGFT) in Watsonville,
California, starting with a one-month intensive training program. Thereafter I attended professional training programs at WIGFT
on numerous occasions, and also worked for WIGFT as guest faculty in both California and Canada.
·In
1974, while in the doctoral program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education (OISE), a graduate faculty of the University of Toronto, I began a
psychology internship at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry.
I was taken on board as a part-time psychometrist in the Clarke's
forensic service the following year, and in subsequent years worked as a
full-time psychometrist, and then staff psychologist. For the last two years I was employed at the Clarke
Institute (1984-86), I held the title of Psychologist-in-Charge,
Forensic Outpatient Psychological Services. I resigned my staff position at
the Clarke in 1986 to pursue my private practice on a full‑time basis.
My
belief in continuing education as a method of furthering professional competence
leads me to attend conferences, workshops and/or training seminars every year.
I hold full membership in the following professional
associations:
·Ontario Psychological Association,
·Canadian Psychological Association
·American Psychological Association
·Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association
·I have been awarded Diplomate status as a Board Certified Forensic Examiner by The American College of
Forensic Examiners.
If You Have Any Questions
Please feel free to ask me about any aspect of your psychotherapy or any
other aspect of your potential or actual experience here
Disclose
June 2007 on Sony
Psychologist Dr. Will Cupchik, 