Dr.
Cupchik's Practice
Information Bulletin
December 16 2008
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
