Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions: Dr Cecilia Lopez

  • References to the ‘Website’ hereunder shall be understood to refer to the website accessible at www [dot] drcecilialopez [dot] com.

CONTACT

  • Please contact me by email at cecilia@drcecilialopez.com or 1-408-454-8038 to make appointments or request any cancellations. I will make every effort to respond as soon as possible, and within reasonable time periods in the case of weekends and holidays.

SERVICES OFFERED

  • Your relationship and experience with psychotherapy and any provided services and consultations will vary according to the particular problems you bring forward. Successful therapy usually depends on the willingness of the client to engage actively and adopt an inquisitive and open attitude. Psychotherapy is most effective when there is regularity in the appointments between client and psychotherapist.

TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP

  • There may be times in a client relationship when things feel challenging or present emotional difficulties.  There should be every intention of seeing things through in such circumstances. If I feel you would be better served by another professional, I will refer you accordingly. You understand I can accept no liability whatsoever for any communication, outcome, or relationship involved with any referred practitioners.

ASSUMPTION OF RISKS

  • Psychotherapy can have benefits as well as risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may on occasion experience uncomfortable and/or negative emotions. There are no guarantees of what you will experience.  However, most people benefit from regular sessions.  It is important to remember that you are responsible for your own health physically, emotionally and psychologically.

INITIAL CONSULTATION AND ASSESSMENT PERIOD

  • The first 30 minute free consultation and first official session will be considered an assessment period. During this time, I will be able to get a better idea of what our work together might involve. You are expected to determine if you agree about the anticipated direction of the consultations and relationship and if you feel comfortable enough to make a commitment or engage with any of my services.  It is important that you raise any questions or doubts during such an initial assessment period.

PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE

  • Please avoid taking state-altering drugs or alcohol before a session.  If, in my discretion, you arrive at the session in an altered state of mind which makes you unable to make full psychological benefit of the session, the session may be cancelled without prior notice and in these cases no refund will be available.

DURATION OF SESSIONS AND THERAPY, TERMINATION

  • Each psychotherapy session will last 60 minutes.  No additional time can be given at the end if you are late for the session.  The therapeutic process may be for an agreed length of time or otherwise.  Any expectations and desired outcomes should be discussed and understood at the outset.
  • Frequency of meetings will be discussed and mutually agreed upon according to your individual circumstances. Ending the therapeutic relationship is a mutual process and should be done on agreement of both parties.

CANCELLATIONS, RESCHEDULING AND MISSED SESSIONS

  • Any notification of cancellation must be given at least 24 hours before a scheduled appointment. Any changes in schedule or cancellations made within 24 hours of an appointment will be charged for in full unless an agreement has been made otherwise between yourself and myself, Dr Cecilia Lopez. Any missed appointments will also be charged in full. For all scheduling changes, I require a minimum notice of 24 hours.
  • If you are unable to attend a session due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, please email me and let me know as soon as possible.  Please bear in mind that rescheduling may not always be possible.
  • On certain occasions, a session may be cancelled at short notice due to illness, personal circumstances, family engagements or other unforeseen life events. In these cases it may be necessary for me to re-schedule or rearrange sessions at my sole discretion. This will always be done with due consideration and having provided as much notice as is possible and practicable.

NOTE-TAKING

  • I reserve the right to take informal notes during any session. These are strictly for own use. On certain occasions at the discretion of myself, Dr Cecilia Lopez, any notes taken may be used with another professional in a supervisory, advisory or consultancy role who is bound by the same codes of confidentiality.

PAYMENTS

  • Fees are reviewed from time to time at my discretion, and I will strive to provide advance notice of any increase in fees.
  • I require all teletherapy session fees to be paid in advance by credit card or other provided online method before a counseling or psychotherapy session takes place. I reserve the right to refuse payment by bank transfer or any method not stated on this Website. Any offered engagement or service shall begin only after payment has been cleared and final.

CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

  • I reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions when deemed fit. In such cases, I will endeavour to give notice in reasonable time. You hereby understand that I am in no way obliged to give you prior or subsequent notice of any additions or modifications to these terms and conditions or any and all text and content on the Website, and you must therefore assume full responsibility to regularly check and keep yourself updated accordingly.

REFUND POLICY

  • Except as expressly provided by myself, there are no refunds available once your credit card or other method of payment has been charged. In cases of unforeseen circumstances, refunds or partial refunds may be considered at my sole and exclusive discretion. In these cases, it is your responsibility to explain your situation. Due to the nature of my services and time restraints, there can be no guarantee that any refund will be provided.

REFERRALS

  • If at any point in time I am of the opinion that I am no longer able to continue being effective in helping you, I may attempt to refer you to another professional or practitioner.
  • Any referred therapists will have their own individual terms and conditions. It is up to the client to thoroughly check and read the respective terms and conditions for each practitioner. Any referred practitioners operate independently of myself, Dr Cecilia Lopez, and I am not responsible for any issues that arise subsequent to any referral.

STATE REGULATIONS AND GOVERNING LAW

  • This Website is intended for use in the United States of America only. All terms and services provided are governed by the laws and ethical requirements of the State of California. As a client, you agree that any teletherapy or counseling will be considered as taking place within the state of California, regardless of your location during the time of a session.
  • The relative law will be used exclusively to construe, govern and enforce these terms. You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in California.

DOCUMENTS

  • Through the Website you may be offered the opportunity to download and/or purchase documents. Please note that I retain complete ownership of the intellectual property rights in these documents. You acknowledge that when you download a document from the Website, you are doing so at your own risk. You may only use the downloaded document for non-commercial uses. At no time are you permitted to remove any copyright or proprietary notices on the pages of a document. I make no representation or warranty regarding the quality of these documents and assume no responsibility for the accuracy or availability of these documents. I expressly disclaim all liability related to the downloading and contents of any documents.

AGE AND VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

  • The Website is intended for use by people aged eighteen (18) or older. By using the Website, you represent that you are over the age of eighteen (18).
  • You are acknowledging that you are participating voluntarily in using the Website, blog, social media, programs, products and/or services. You agree to take sole, personal and professional responsibility for your choices, actions and any results or consequences. You acknowledge that you take full responsibility for your physical and mental health, life, and well-being, as well as the health, lives and well-being of your family and dependants, for all decisions now and in the future.

TESTIMONIALS

  • Any testimonials or reviews accessed via the Website, any social media presence or through any communication or platform whatsoever are used for illustration purposes only. The reviews are unique, unsolicited and are not intended to warrant or guarantee that current or future clients will achieve similar results. In line with patient confidentiality norms and our policies on your data protection, kindly note that I do not make available or share any testimonials garnered from individual psychotherapy or consultation sessions. All testimonials and reviews visible result from non-personal sessions, including but not exclusive to those garnered via skill-building groups, programs, and media publications. Please read the Privacy Policy for more information on how any information you provide may be handled.

RELIEF AND REMEDY AT LAW

  • In the event you breach or threaten breach of this Agreement, I, Dr Cecilia Lopez may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction accepting jurisdiction under this specific provision, who will apply the laws of its own jurisdiction in determining whether any injunctive or other equitable relief will be granted in relation to any committed or attempted breach.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • The unregistered and registered trademarks, logos, and text of this Website are the sole property of the Website owner and may not be copied or used without consent of Dr Cecilia Lopez.
  • By using this Website, you are deemed to have agreed to these terms. I reserve the right to modify them at any time. You should check these terms periodically for changes. By using this site after I post any changes to these terms, you agree to accept those changes, whether or not you have reviewed them.
  • If any of these terms and conditions is found unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision will be considered amended and/or reworded to reflect as nearly as possible the original intentions of the parties in accordance with applicable law and will not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions. This is the entire agreement between you and Dr Cecilia Lopez relating to the subject matter it contains. This agreement may be modified only by my posting of changes to these terms and conditions, or by a writing signed by both parties. Any queries concerning these terms and conditions of use should be sent to cecilia@drcecilialopez.com.