CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPY POLICIES

Welcome to my practice! Below are important policies that help clarify how I work with children and families. Please read them carefully.

The Role of Play in Therapy

Play is often a child’s primary language—and in therapy, it becomes a powerful form of communication. Through play therapy, I help children express their inner world, which informs our treatment goals. I also support parents in managing their own emotions to strengthen their connection with their child.

Consultation and Assessment Process

Our work begins with an initial assessment and consultation with caregivers to gather developmental and family history, and to understand your child’s current functioning. I will then meet with your child for three individual sessions to engage and assess.

Sometimes, due to scheduling issues, I may meet with your child more than three times before the follow-up parent session is scheduled. As long as your child feels comfortable in therapy, I prefer to maintain continuity rather than pause treatment.

The final step in the assessment process is a follow-up session with caregivers to share impressions, determine whether to move forward, and establish therapy goals.

Parent Involvement in Therapy

Parents are a vital part of the therapeutic process. In my experience, regularly scheduled parent sessions lead to more meaningful progress—especially for younger children and adolescents.

  • For children under 10, frequent parent involvement is often necessary, as they may have difficulty conveying important experiences on their own. I typically suggest monthly parent sessions, though this is always a joint decision and will be discussed during the assessment phase.

  • For younger adolescents, I recommend parent sessions approximately every six weeks. Frequency can vary based on family needs and availability.

I offer appointment times between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to accommodate varying schedules.

Confidentiality

What your child shares in therapy is confidential, except in the following situations:

  • If they are at risk of harming themselves or others

  • If they are in danger

  • If they give permission to share specific information

What you share during parent sessions will not be relayed to your child verbatim, but themes or relevant information may be integrated into the work to support their therapeutic progress.

Waiting Area Guidelines

Because there is no formal waiting area, I ask that you:

  • Arrive no more than 5 minutes before your child’s session

  • Return 5 minutes before the session ends, as children may not be left unsupervised

  • Note that if we begin early, we will end early

Food and Drink

Please do not bring food into the therapy office. Drinks are fine, especially water, as long as your child is careful.

Cancelling Sessions

Cancellations must be made at least 48 business hours in advance by leaving a voicemail at (646) 783-8514.

  • If your child is comfortable canceling, that’s great. If not, please call on their behalf.

  • You may also email me, but voicemail is required, especially for cancellations close to the appointment date.

  • If you're uncomfortable canceling by phone, please let me know—we can find an alternative that works for you.

Attendance

Regular attendance supports therapeutic progress. When possible, I encourage rescheduling rather than canceling, as it allows your child to get the most out of therapy and honors the time I’ve reserved for them.

If your family anticipates a prolonged absence—such as during summer months—we can plan accordingly.

Communication

You can reach me by:

Email is not HIPAA-compliant, so please avoid including personal information. For a faster response, call and leave a voicemail—I check email less frequently, especially on clinical days.

Please do not text.
The phone number provided is a Google Voice number, and text messages are forwarded to an unmonitored email address. I do not use texting professionally because:

  • It is not HIPAA-compliant

  • It increases the risk of confidentiality breaches

  • It is easily misinterpreted

If you have concerns about this policy, I’m happy to discuss it further.

Parent Contact Outside of Sessions

While I’m available between sessions, I ask that the majority of clinical communication take place during scheduled parent sessions. This ensures I can give each family my full attention, rather than managing clinical conversations between appointments.

Finances and Payment

  • Invoices are sent on the 1st of each month, and payment is due by the 3rd.

  • If you need a different arrangement, please let me know in advance.

  • Payments that are more than 10 days late will be considered overdue unless we've made a prior agreement. Chronic late payments may be addressed during a parent session, as they can impact the therapeutic relationship.

  • Superbills will be sent after payment is received. You can use them for out-of-network insurance reimbursement or for your records.

  • Your credit card will only be charged if payment has not been received after multiple reminders.

Accepted payment methods:

  • Zelle (to: bazlcsw@gmail.com)

  • Cash

  • Check (please notify me in advance)

  • ACH bank transfers

If paying by credit card, a 3% + $0.30 processing fee applies.

Mailing address for checks:

Alexa Baz
553 Clinton Street
First Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11231

I do not accept Venmo, PayPal, or other electronic payment platforms.