Most frequently asked questions (FAQ's)

Answer:

1. Consultation fees are charged according to the instructions of the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF). This practice is contracted to most of the medical schemes.
2. Medical Scheme tariffs are charged according to the applicable schemes in the 51 to 60 minutes bracket.
3. Please keep in mind that the duration of a session may be shorter than 51 to 60 minutes, as ten minutes of admin time is included in the time.
4. My private rate – should you not belong to a Medical Scheme, or when your funds are depleted, will amount to R1 100 per session. This rate is payable in cash, credit card or an EFT transaction.
5. Although we are making use of the latest technology to inform you immediately when your funds are exhausted, it will be a good idea if you get in touch with your medical scheme and make sure what your annual limit is. Too many clients were shocked to learn that their benefits were exhausted and then end up with a huge bill. It remains your responsibility to make sure what your benefits are. If your benefits are depleted, you may be eligible for a private lower rate.
6. Certain conditions, such as depression and especially bipolar disorder, are covered by the so-called PMBs (Prescribed Minimum Benefits) whereby your medical scheme is required by law to finance these sessions, without the funds levied from your savings fund. Please contact your medical scheme to request a PMB form. Our secretary can also assist you with this.
7. By law, all appointments that are cancelled must be cancelled at least 24 hours before your appointment.
8. However, we are also human and understand when you really have a valid reason why you could not attend our session. If your appointment is filled by another client – you will not be charged.
9. Should you forget an appointment or if you do not attend, you will be held liable for the account.
10. We reserve the right to request a medical certificate from you if the reason for cancelling your appointment is due to illness, or a letter from your employer if a late cancellation is work-related.
11. Interest may be charged on overdue accounts.
12. Should you not keep your appointment, you may be placed at the bottom of the waiting list.

Answer:

1. It is obviously impossible to predict how long therapy will last. The duration of therapy varies as much as the people and the challenges they face.
2. I work on average between four and eight sessions per client. Your challenge might be more or less complex, which may have an impact on the number of sessions we may need. I undertake to work as quickly and efficiently as possible to save time and costs.
3. You largely determine the course of therapy. I allow myself to be guided by you. It also means you manage our time. I will make suggestions from time to time, but if you want us to do hypnosis or any other intervention during a session, we need at least half an hour to do so.
4. We are going to use our first session to investigate your challenge. I need to get perspective on your challenge first and you may not benefit much from your first session. The first session is also your opportunity to determine if you can work with me or not.
5. Therapy will help you get in touch with your intuition and you will know instinctively when we have come to the end of therapy.

Answer:

I usually see my clients on a weekly basis.

In my experience, allowing approximately a week (seven days) between sessions gives many clients sufficient time to process and integrate the work we have done together. Only after seven days will we be able to determine our way forward.

Some clients prefer once every two weeks or even once a month. You are welcome to do so, provided the diary allows.

Answer:

The duration of a session is between 41 and 50 minutes. You will be levied according to medical scheme rates on the 51 to 60 minutes scale for an added ten minutes of administration.

If you are late for your appointment, we will try to get our work done in the remaining time available. If I’m late for our appointment, that’s my problem!

Answer:

When therapy commences, the first session is usually used to:

• determine what your problems or challenges are,
• how we interpret it, and
• establish a preliminary treatment plan.

Therapy normally commences in the second session. You might need to elaborate more on your challenge during the second session. My task is primarily to listen to you, understand, facilitate and give feedback.

Although you will always be in control of our sessions and its time management, I will try to guide you, where and if necessary.

It is however important that you determine the course of our sessions. If you would rather use sessions to talk, or just to vent – it is my primary job to listen to you, ask questions, and give feedback. We will only start with techniques when you have finished saying what you need to say. Talking about your challenge, however, remains the primary task of psychotherapy. You will know when you have said enough and you will decide when we can start with therapeutic techniques.

Although you always remain in charge of our sessions and the time-management thereof, I will try to guide you, where necessary.

Answer:

I will never take that decision for you. I do not have blood tests, a stethoscope, x-rays or any other measurements to make that decision on your behalf. You and only you will instinctively know when you’ve reached the end of your treatment.

You may get a feeling that you do not need to see me anymore. You may feel a sense that you are no longer benefiting from therapy, or even that therapy may become boring for you. These may be your subconscious’s message that you’re ready to terminate therapy.

However, life happens. Something might happen that might trigger you again.  In such case, you are always welcome to make more appointments.

Some clients do return – some of them return after only a week, some even after years. They might return for one or two sessions, or for a whole new series, depending on their circumstances, new traumas or needs. 

Answer:

This practice is following an eclectic approach. This means that all disciplines within psychology are being used, depending on your needs.

This practice focuses more on alternative therapies. You can read more about it on my website. Also feel free to ask me more about it.

I specifically use modern, fast and effective therapeutic systems to get the best results in the least number of sessions possible.

Please feel free to read more on my website about:

• Clinical Hypnosis
• BWRT
• NLP
• EcCT
• Mindfulness
• Positive Psychology

However, I was also trained to do more traditional, longer-term therapy, should you prefer.

Answer:

I have a huge responsibility to you. Psychologists are subjected to a strict code of ethics, as established by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). This code guarantees you, as client, professional and ethical conduct from me at all times. If I do not comply with this code, you can report it to the Council. A copy of the code can be requested from our receptionist.

One of the most important issues that matters here is the aspect of confidentiality. I would like to assure you that any information provided by you will, at all times, be treated as highly confidential. I may only disclose information about you with your written consent. I may not even disclose information about you to your spouse, parents or children without your written permission.

Your confidentiality is protected by law and by the ethical rules of the HPCSA, even if you are a minor.

A court may force me to release information. In these circumstances I usually do it under protest. Even then, I will only release the necessary information and still do everything in my power to protect your confidentiality.

In my experience, courts have generally recognised the importance of therapeutic confidentiality and have often limited the disclosure of confidential information wherever possible.

In my experience, the courts have generally recognised the importance of protecting therapeutic confidentiality and have often limited the disclosure of confidential information wherever possible.

Answer:

You do not have to be referred by someone such as a doctor.

You can simply decide to sign up for therapy, out of your own free will.

Answer:

Many people feel anxious before their first appointment. Fortunately, there is very little to worry about. I prefer to use first names; the atmosphere is informal, comfortable and relaxed.

Therapy is a relationship. I would love for you to feel as comfortable as possible. Feel free to complain or ask if you feel uncertain or uncomfortable about anything whatsoever.

You will never be condemned or judged.  Only understood. A psychologist is not a judge, but someone who wants to understand you and wants to know where you are coming from. Professional psychologists strive to understand rather than judge.

Answer:

This is such an important question.

No psychologist should ever judge anybody ever. Psychology is supposed to understand human behaviour and to provide alternatives to clients.

You will never ever be judged on any aspect of your life, especially your:
• Sexuality
• Religion
• Race
• Opinions
• History
• Mistakes
• Successes
• Life

Judgement will only limit understanding and outcomes. You can really feel safe to open your heart safely without fear of judgement in the light of unconditional understanding, regard, respect for you, and of course – the ethical code.

Answer:

We do not split hairs here. Many evidence-based trauma therapies still involve revisiting traumatic memories, although they do so in structured and carefully managed ways.

This is the amazing aspect of brain-based psychotherapy. In mainstream therapy, work is done to gain new insight. There is good evidence that insight alone is often insufficient, but many therapies do rely on insight as an important mechanism of change. Your challenge lies in your reptile brain – that primitive brain in the back of your brain that is only interested in your survival.

This part of your brain does not necessarily have insight, but it does make you feel better. Even though you do not fully understand the processes and what is happening, you will only notice that you feel better. You can choose to fully understand your challenge and not feel better. Or you can choose not to understand your challenge but feel better about it. The latter is what we do in this practice.

Answer:

Yes, I do offer online therapy. I have clients who consult me worldwide through the internet. I prefer using WhatsApp Video Calling or Skype.

Online therapy works beautifully for all forms of psychotherapy, even alternative therapy like BWRT and hypnosis.

Answer:

Please click on Contact Us on my website. 

You can find all the various ways to make an appointment here.

Answer:

I do not claim to be different from other psychologists.

I am still a clinical psychologist who will listen to you, try to understand you and to be fully present with you.

I might sometimes or most of the time be:

• More direct
• Task-oriented
• Seeing your challenge as problems to be resolved as quickly as possible
• Sometimes seen as no-nonsense therapy
• I might sometimes be empathic, and sometimes be far less
• Humorous, even if that means exposing irony

I might even kick off my shoes, since I believe I can’t think with my shoes on!

Please see my Home Page for more information on my history with psychology and my approach.

Answer:

In a sense, no one’s challenges are really serious enough. There are however people with bigger problems than you have. There is suffering, famine, war, survival issues, and many more.

Is your challenge really serious enough? It is perhaps time to stop comparing yourself to others. If your problem is serious for you, then it is serious. And serious enough for me.

It may not even be serious – psychology can also be seen as a way to improve your life.

You are allowed to sometimes pamper yourself with an expensive holiday, a massage, a luxury or therapy.

Answer:

This is a question many people ask, and it is an important distinction – I am a Clinical Psychologist and not a Psychiatrist. 

Only a Psychiatrist or your General Practitioner can prescribe medication. I can, however, assist with decisions regarding medication and may recommend medication to your GP or Psychiatrist. The prescribing of medication, however, falls outside my scope of practice.

Answer:

This practice focuses on adolescents and adults from the age of 16 years and older.

Child psychology is a specialised field in its own right, and I therefore usually refer children to psychologists who specialise in working with children.

Answer:

I am a Clinical Psychologist and treat a wide range of conditions commonly encountered in clinical psychology.

Please refer to the Therapeutic Focus section of my website for more information about the conditions in which I have a particular interest.

Answer:

It is important to me that you get the most out of therapy. If you have any questions about this document, feel free to ask me about it. If there are any issues regarding therapy that are bothering you, please discuss them with me. It can be detrimental to therapy if you are unhappy, or feel that you can’t trust me.

Please feel free to contact me should you have more questions at jorgan@jorganharris.co.za. I will gladly answer any questions.

I hope you will experience therapy as an opportunity of growth and development – discovering how easy it is to just live.

Therapy is life made easier.