By checking this box I acknowledge that I understand the following: 

Coaching is a personal growth approach. There may be noticeable benefits to your emotional and physical wellbeing from our work together. However, coaching is not a replacement for medical, mental health, or any other type of healthcare service. No diagnosis or treatment of any medical or mental health condition or illness will be offered.

Katherine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of New York. However, the services she wishes to offer to you are not medical, psychiatric, psychological, psychotherapy or any type of mental, physical or healthcare service.

Both coaching and psychotherapy utilize knowledge of human behavior, motivation and behavioral change, and interactive counseling techniques. The major differences are in the goals, focus, and level of professional responsibility and that coaching is not reimbursable by health insurers. The focus of coaching is development and implementation of strategies to reach client-identified goals of enhanced performance and personal satisfaction. Coaching may address general conditions in the client’s personal life or profession. Coaching cannot substitute for, and is not an alternative to, medical or other healthcare diagnosis and treatment when a medical or mental health condition or illness is present. You are advised to seek diagnosis, treatment and advice regarding medical or mental health conditions or illnesses from physicians, psychologists, and other licensed healthcare and mental health professionals. 

If I recognize that you have a goal or need that would benefit from psychotherapeutic intervention, I will refer you to the appropriate resources. In some situations, I may insist that you initiate psychotherapy and ask that I have access to your psychotherapist in order to effectively continue as your coach.

In a coaching relationship, the success of the work depends on the client’s willingness to take risks and try new approaches. The relationship is designed to be more direct and challenging. You can rely on your coach to be honest and straightforward, and ask powerful questions. You are expected to evaluate progress and when coaching is not working as you wish, you should immediately inform me so I can take steps to correct the problem.

It is also important to understand that coaching is a professional relationship. While it may often feel like a close personal relationship, it is not one that can extend beyond professional boundaries during the course of our work together. You are welcome to follow me on social media, but I will not be able to follow you back or communicate over private message.

Confidentiality:
As a coach, I am ethically bound to protect the confidentiality of our communications. I will only release information about our work to others with your written permission or in response to a court order. There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to break confidentiality in order to protect you or others from harm. As I am a mandated reporter, if I have information that indicates that a child is being abused, I must report that to the appropriate state agency. If a client is an imminent risk to him/herself or themselves or makes threats of imminent violence against another, I must take protective actions.

As you are no doubt aware, it is impossible to protect the confidentiality of information that is transmitted electronically. This is particularly true of e-mail and information stored on computers that are connected to the internet, which do not utilize encryption and other forms of security protection.