Common Questions

  Counseling is a process by which people who are dissatisfied with some aspects of their lives enter into a relationship with a trained professional to gain greater insight into their situation and to develop more effective ways of responding to life experiences. The function of Therapy is to help you resolve problem areas in your life. Your therapist will be an understanding person who is interested in helping you work through your emotional distress. It is the function of the therapist to listen, understand, and to be helpful to the fullest extent of his or her professional training. It is your responsibility to help the therapist understand your life situation, thoughts, feelings and to have the courage to try to master problem areas. Counselors do not give advice or make decisions for their clients: rather they ask questions and make comments to help you understand yourself more fully, make your own choices and become more self-reliant. The counseling process may entail emotional pain, stress and life change. Although counseling helps most people, it is not always or completely effective. 

       Confidentiality is a pretty big deal between a client and therapist. With the exception of a few things  (listed below) your therapist will work with you to build trust in this process. 

        State law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

         * Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.

         * If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threatened to harm another person.

         *If written consent is given 

         *By court order 

         *Other exceptions may also apply based on individual situations

        In the case of joint legal custody, it is your responsibility to provide True Balance with a copy of your court order that is in effect. Should you fail to provide this, True Balance will operate under the assumption of joint legal custody with no restrictions or limitations. .  

         Stated otherwise, the general rule is that either parent may authorize or consent to treatment of their minor child unless the court order specifies otherwise, however the Parent is responsible for notification treatment to the other parent. 

        Minnesota is an assumed joint custody state. The State of Minnesota defines Joint Custody as “both parents share the responsibility for making decisions regarding how to raise the child, including the right to participate in major decisions about the child's education, health care, and religious training.” As such parents are often allowed to seek medical services with the other parent being notified but do have the responsibility to make the other parent aware of services provided to the minor child. 

        The Therapist will make every effort to reach out to both parents should contact information be provided and no therapeutic or legal limitations exist. You are responsible for notifying your co-parent of services and appointments and True Balance will not be involved in the resolution of this matter. 

      Please refer to your court order regarding resolution of these differences. It is your responsibility to provide and update your contact information should it change. Should you not provide this information, we may be unable to reach you. 

Please contact your provider or our office for a release of information. It can be sent to you via the Client Portal (most secure), Email, or regular mail.  You can also find a copy of this on our forms page by clicking the link below. Written requests for records are required as we are unable to identify you by phone or email. 

      If you request release of information to any other entity, we may request personal contact with you in addition to the written release. When release of records creates a safety risk for any individual or entity,  the law provides for restriction of records release based on an evaluation of the individual situation.  

      Upon receipt of a valid written request we will provide a response to your request . This response may be a call to you, a letter referencing your records and next steps to receive records, or a copy of your treatment summary and/or pertinent portions of your record to another mental health care provider or physician of your choice. 

       If you request release of information to any other entity, we may request personal contact with you in addition to the written release. When release of records creates a safety risk for any individual or entity,  the law provides for restriction of records release based on an evaluation of the individual situation.