To inquire further or to make an appointment, call 380-0361.
Office hours:
Monday to Thursday
Earliest appointment 9:30
Last appointment 4:30
Fees and payment options
The hourly fee for psychotherapy recommended by the BC Psychological
Association is $150. My fee is $130 with cash or check, or $135 with online
credit card payment using a secure PayPal site (the extra $5.00 covers PayPal's
charge to me).
To make an online payment using your credit card, visit
www.paypal.com and send the amount owing to this e-mail address:
krys@krystynakinowski.com. Both of us will receive e-mails from PayPal
confirming the payment. You may have to activate an account with PayPal if you
don't have one.
The fees for psychological services are not covered under the Medical Services
Plan. They may be partly covered under an extended health plan, the same plan
that reimburses you for medications, eyeglasses and so on. Read the fine print
in your extended health plan to see how the coverage is structured and if a
doctor’s referral is required. Unless clients have a stand-alone psychological
services plan, most pay me directly either at the end of their appointment or
after they receive a bill. I issue an invoice that you can send to the
insurance company for reimbursement, or include in your income tax return.
There is no GST on direct, face-to-face psychological services.
Appointments and cancellations
I make and change my own appointments. If I'm not in session, I even answer my
own phone! If you leave a message on my voice mail, no one hears it except
myself.
If you need to cancel an appointment, please try to give me 24 hours' notice.
The last appointment of the day is the most popular. If you have to cancel a
4:30 appointment, let me know as soon as possible.
Confidentiality
Our appointments are confidential. This means I don’t talk to anyone about your
test results or therapy without your permission. The exceptions to this are a
court-ordered release of your clinical file, suspected child abuse, or if I
think you or someone else are at imminent risk of harm. I regularly participate
in consultation groups with other therapists. I may discuss your case
anonymously as part of my ongoing continuing education.
If I am seeing your child individually, I’ll work out the confidentiality rules
depending on his or her age and the nature of the problem. Some preteens and
adolescents need complete confidentiality as to details, but don’t mind if I
give you general feedback about their progress. Sometimes a younger child who
is inhibited and very confused can only make progress if I never hear how
worried you are. In these cases, it is recommended you have a separate
therapist we can both talk to.
Length of sessions
Usually 50-55 minutes. I schedule my appointments so I can go a little longer
if you need to. EMDR sessions in trauma work may be 75 minutes, occasionally a
little longer. My fee is prorated by time for longer sessions.
Telephone consultations
I consider being available for telephone consultations part of the service. If
you wish to talk something over with me in between appointments, just call. If
I’m tied up, leave a message with some times when I can reach you after
business hours. These consultations are billable if over 10 minutes, but they
are cost-effective and invariably helpful.
Kid’s appointments
A time that works well for school-age children is my 3:15 appointment. I
routinely offer my kid clients something to eat and drink, usually a couple of
cookies and hot chocolate. Whether therapy or assessment, it seems to go much
better if they’re not hungry!
If your child is sick, PLEASE CANCEL. I guard myself from flu bugs as much as
possible.
Contacting referral sources
I often call a referring physician with your permission to give some courtesy
feedback. Generally though, I don’t write letters or reports about you as a
matter of routine. People typically come for therapy at a low point in their
life. Reports about their psychological adjustment have only a short-term
reliability and yet have a way of staying in files for years to come. I would
much prefer that you be the conduit for information about yourself.
Perfume
A lot of folks are allergic to, or bothered by, perfume. I am happy to have you
linger in my mind, just not in my office air.
FAQ’s
The most frequently asked question is what is the difference between a
psychologist and a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are medically trained first, and
then they specialize in psychiatry. There is a lot of overlap in the coursework
and supervised training between the two professions. Psychiatrists may also
prescribe medications. In BC, psychologists cannot although they can in certain
USA states.
To go to the FAQ page of the BC Psychological Association
click here and select Frequently Asked Questions from the menu at left.
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