Practice Policies

Initial phone or email contact and first session

I am happy to talk with you by email about your interest and to answer any questions. Then if you wish to meet in person/remotely, that first meeting is at no charge, so each of us can see if we feel we have a good fit together. I am retired from practice as a licensed psychotherapist and no longer offer psychotherapy. If in my opinion, you are suffering from a mental health condition that I cannot manage in spiritual care, I will request you to seek outside professional psychological help and may not be able to offer spiritual companioning.

Fees and Payments

My fee is on a sliding scale for an hour, from $125-$70. I accept personal checks or use IvyPay. (Venmo is not encrypted so I do not use it.) Please plan to pay your fee by the end of each session.

Our Meetings

We will meet either remotely through my professional, encrypted Zoom video account, by telephone, or in person in my study, near downtown Littleton, Colorado. It is not ADA accessible, however, as it has a short step onto the porch. Nor does it have a restroom.

Confidentiality

You may discuss anything relevant to your spiritual concerns. Spiritual Directors are bound to an ethical code including confidentiality. In addition, while I retain my licensed as a clinical social worker, by law I cannot divulge information about you to anyone without your written consent. Exceptions: if you are unsafe from self-harm or intend to harm another person, I must notify the police to meet with you and assess your safety, and I must warn the intended victim. If you disclose harming a child or vulnerable adult, I must inform protective agencies. I prefer to do that with you, in my office, so we can prepare and process together.

Spiritual Direction Code of Ethics

As a member of Spiritual Directors International and Spiritual Direction Colorado, I am required to receive spiritual direction myself, and to seek consultation and/or supervision with another Director. This helps me stay on my own spiritual path in a healthy way that serves you best. I do not share your name or identifying details in supervision.

Communication

I do not socialize with directees on social media, both for your privacy and my boundaries. I respond to occasional contacts between planned meetings by email or voicemail if you feel it is important to share something with me prior to our next meeting. Texting is not encrypted and you should use it only to alert me to an email you have sent, or to request or change an appointment. I am unable to respond to communications after hours or on weekends.

Digital Privacy

To help ensure your privacy, if we meet remotely I use a professional, encrypted ZOOM video platform, or telephone, as you wish.

My website is hosted by Squarespace, a website builder site, and while it does not “see” your identifying info, it aggregates data if you visit my site. For example, it can ‘read’ your digital address and use that anonymously to improve its service. See the SquareSpace privacy statement at the very bottom of this page, at “Privacy Policy.”

You may see the Code of Ethics of a Spiritual Director by visiting Guidelines for Ethical Conduct at sdicompanions.org.

Peace,

Laura A Thor, DMin