Dr. Maggie Battiato & Lotus Guidance & Consultations, LLC

Holistic Psychotherapy is aligning the Mind, Body, Spirit and Emotions. Wellness is a journey and you will not take this journey alone. Call Dr. Maggie for a free 10 minute consultation to get started! 1-844-247-4754

Divorce
Women’s Issues
PTSD
Family Conflict
Grief/Loss
Impulsivity
Life’s Changes
Obesity/Weight Loss
Sadness/Depression

As a professional therapist, my role is to guide you as you take steps towards positive life changes. Together we’ll work to uncover a better understanding of life’s challenges and day-to-day stressors that detract from your life and focus, and begin identifying and practicing things that will make you stronger.

I consider all my patients to be more than just another name, or an appointment. Therapy is meant to be a completely individual experience, and I treat it as such, with deep compassion and absolutely no judgment. Not only do I want to provide support and encouragement for each of my clients, but it’s my goal to offer them practical resources that they can put into practice immediately in their lives.
*** At this time I ONLY accept Medicaid Insurance.***

Holistic Psychotherapy Sessions 60 Minutes $80.00 (Self-Pay)

*Medicaid Insurance will reduce session fees.

Client-Counselor Service Agreement/Consent Form

Welcome to my practice!
Lotus Guidance & Consultations and Dr. Maggie Battiato want to invite you to receive trained, certified Holistic Psychotherapeutic Counseling to support you on your healing journey.
This document contains important information about my professional services and business policies. It also contains summary information about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law that provides privacy protections and patient rights about the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information (PHI) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. Although these documents are long and sometimes complex, it is very important that you understand them. When you sign this document, it will also represent an agreement between us. We can discuss any questions you have when you sign them or at any time in the future.

The counseling relationship between people works in part because of clearly defined boundaries, rights and responsibilities defined and maintained by each person. As a client in counseling, you have certain rights and responsibilities that are important for you to understand. There are also legal limitations to those rights that you should be aware of. I, as your counselor, have corresponding responsibilities to you. These rights and responsibilities are described in the following sections.

Goals of Counseling
There can be many goals for the counseling relationship. Some of these will be long term goals such as improving the quality of your life, learning to live with mindfulness and self-actualization. Others may be more immediate goals such as decreasing anxiety and depression symptoms, developing healthy relationships, changing behavior or decreasing/ending drug use. Whatever the goals for counseling, they will be set by the clients according to what they want to work on in counseling. The counselor may make suggestions on how to reach that goal, but you decide where you want to go.

Risks/Benefits of Counseling
Counseling is an intensely personal process which can bring unpleasant memories or emotions to the surface. There are no guarantees that counseling will work for you. Clients can sometimes make improvements only to go slightly backwards after a time. Progress may happen slowly. Counseling requires a very active effort on your part. In order to be most successful, you will have to work on things we discuss outside of sessions. However, there are many benefits to counseling. Counseling can help you develop coping skills, make behavioral changes, reduce symptoms of mental health disorders, improve the quality of your life, learn to manage anger, learn to live in the present and many other advantages.

Holistic Psychotherapy is evidence based traditional counseling (person-centered, emotion centered, spiritually positive based Logotherapy) blended with holistic methods such as: Reiki, meditation, and/or guided imagery. We will develop short and long term goals together in order for you to reach your optimal potential.
Dr. Maggie has earned her PhD in pastoral counseling. She has developed and researched her dissertation and counseling theory based on nondenominational spiritual positivity and Logotherapy. Below is a brief summary of her education and experience. For a more detailed list please refer to her website where her curriculum vitae can be found (www.docmaggie.com).
• PhD Pastoral Counseling (nondenominational spiritual positivity and Logotherapy focus)
• M.S. (Psychology)
• B.A. (Psychology)
• CDA, Certified Chemical Dependency Associate (Certification #1415)
Certified Reiki Master Teacher
• Ordained Clergy-Esoteric Interfaith Theological Seminary
• Business owner: (2011-Present) Lotus Guidance & Consultations, LLC

If you would like this type of Holistic Psychotherapy counseling, please read the Informed Consent below thoroughly, ask any questions you may have, and sign and date it prior to your first counseling session (you may download the forms on this website bring a copy with you).
Clients will be referred outside of Lotus Guidance & Consultations if it is determined during assessment and evaluation that the treatment required is beyond the scope of care available here.

COUNSELING FEES
Each session is 60 minutes. Payment is due at the beginning of each session and accounts must be kept current in order to continue sessions. Cash or PayPal are accepted forms of payment.
***Please note that Dr. Maggie DOES NOT accept insurance except Delaware Medicaid. 
Insurance
If you have a health insurance policy, it will usually provide some coverage for mental health treatment. You should also be aware that most insurance companies require you to authorize Dr. Maggie to provide them with a clinical diagnosis. In addition, they require additional clinical information which will become part of the insurance company files. Dr. Maggie DOES NOT participate in any insurance panels except Delaware Medicaid at this time.
Otherwise, she is an out-of-pocket provider only accepting cash, PayPal.

Professional Fees
You are responsible for paying at the time of your session unless prior arrangements have been made. Payment must be made in full. If you refuse to pay your debt, I reserve the right to use an attorney or collection agency to secure payment.
If you anticipate becoming involved in a court case, I recommend that we discuss this fully before you waive your right to confidentiality. If your case requires my participation, you will be expected to pay for the professional time required.
Fees are non-negotiable.

CONFIDENTIALITY
Dr. Maggie strictly adheres to Delaware codes of privacy and confidentiality in terms of counseling ethics. There are situations, however, in which the state of Delaware and federal laws require that certain information must be revealed without your consent. Under the discretion of this pastoral counselor, if there is any indication that you may be a danger to yourself or others, or are involved in the abuse of a minor, the elderly, or a pet your information may be disclosed to appropriate mental health services and/or law enforcement.
If you wish to have information released, you will be required to sign a consent form before such information will be released. There are other limitations to confidentiality to which you need to be aware. Dr. Maggie IS currently under supervision and will consult with a supervisor or other professional counselor in order to give you the best service. In the event that there is a consultation with another counselor, no identifying information such as your name would be released. If Dr. Maggie receives a court order or subpoena, she may be required to release some information. In such a case, she will consult with other professionals and limit the release to only what is necessary by law.

Confidentiality and Group Therapy
The nature of group counseling makes it difficult to maintain confidentiality. If you choose to participate in group therapy, be aware that Dr. Maggie cannot guarantee that other group members will maintain your confidentiality. However, she will make every effort to maintain your confidentiality by reminding group members frequently of the importance of keeping what is said in group confidential. Dr. Maggie also has the right to remove any group member from the group should she discover that a group member has violated the confidentiality rule.

Confidentiality and Technology
Some clients may choose to use technology in their counseling sessions. This includes but is not limited to online counseling via Skype, telephone, email, text or chat. Due to the nature of online counseling, there is always the possibility that unauthorized persons may attempt to discover your personal information. Dr. Maggie will take every precaution to safeguard your information but cannot guarantee that unauthorized access to electronic communications could not occur. Please be advised to take precautions with regard to authorized and unauthorized access to any technology used in counseling sessions. Be aware of any friends, family members, significant others or co-workers who may have access to your computer, phone or other technology used in your counseling sessions. Should a client have concerns about the safety of their email, your counselor can arrange to encrypt email communication with you.

Record Keeping
Dr. Maggie is required by law to keep records of your counseling sessions and a treatment plan which includes goals for your counseling. These records are kept to ensure a direction to your sessions and continuity of services. They will not be shared except with respect to the limits to confidentiality discussed in the Confidentiality section. Should the client wish to have their records released, they are required to sign a release of information which specifies what information is to be released and to whom. Records will be kept for at least 7 years but may be kept for longer. Records will be kept either electronically on a USB flash drive or in a paper file and stored in a locked cabinet in the counselor’s office.

Your Rights As A Client
1. You are entitled to information about any procedures, methods of counseling, techniques and possible duration of therapy.
2. You have the right to end counseling at any time without any moral, legal or financial obligations other than those already accrued.
3. You have the right to expect confidentiality within the limits described.
4. You have the right to authorize your counselor to consult with another professional about your therapy in writing and with your consent.
At any time during the counseling sessions for reasons sufficient to
himself/herself, either the counselor or the counselee shall have the option of terminating counseling.
Cancellation policy: please give 24-hour advance notice whenever possible if you must cancel a session. (If you have several incidences of last-minute cancellations, we will need to fill your spot with someone else and place you on the wait list before we resume counseling you. We will determine this at our discretion.)
No-Show Policy: If you do not show up for an appointment without cancelling in advance, you will be required to pay a fee of $25.00.

Appointments
Appointments will ordinarily be 60 minutes in duration, once per week at a time we agree on, although some sessions may be more or less frequent as needed. The time scheduled for your appointment is assigned to you and you alone. If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, I ask that you provide me with 24 hours’ notice. If you miss a session without canceling, or cancel with less than 24 hour notice, you may be required to pay for the session [unless we both agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control]. if you are late, your appointment will still need to end on time.

Contacting Me
I am often not immediately available by telephone. I do not answer my phone when I am with clients or otherwise unavailable. At these times, you may leave a message on my confidential voice mail and your call will be returned as soon as possible, but it may take a day or two for non-urgent matters. If you feel you cannot wait for a return call or it is an emergency situation, go to your local hospital Emergency Room or call 911.

Email
Counselors may request client’s email address. Clients have the right to refuse to divulge email addresses. Counselors may use email addresses to periodically check in with clients who have ended therapy suddenly.