Our Policies & Terms of Services

  • Welcome to Warrior's Way Psychological Services
    I aim to provide you with a professional service that is friendly, warm, and comfortable. The purpose of this section is to share important information with you about counselling so you can make an informed decision about
    whether counselling is right for you. You have the right to refuse or withdraw your consent at any time without judgment or prejudice from me. Please read through the following points carefully.

    As part of providing psychological services, individuals are asked to provide personal information to aid in assessment or treatment. Psychological services may consist of formal or general assessment, diagnosis, or treatment.

    Dr. Laura Friesen is registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP: 7065). She uses evidence-based treatment approaches that have been helpful to people in research and practice. However, there is no guarantee that you will obtain the outcome you desired. It is important that you engage in treatment as non-action can reduce the effectiveness of treatment. When possible, alternative modes of assessment and treatment will be considered. Appropriate referrals will be made when necessary.


    Risks: You may experience uncomfortable feelings (e.g., sadness, shame, guilt, anger, frustration, etc.) as these are
    often topics discussed in counselling.

    Benefits: Counselling has been shown to have many benefits including better relationships, better self-understanding, new ways of solving problems, distress tolerance, coping, and others.

  • All personal information shared with the psychologist during sessions will be kept confidential unless:

    • There is a risk of imminent harm to yourself or to others.

    • As per the Child Youth and Family Enhancement Act: when there is known or suspected abuse of a child (or
      other vulnerable person).

    • As per the Protections for Persons in Care Act: when there is suspected or known abuse of a person in care.

    • As per the Public Health Act: when a person under the care of a health practitioner is infected with a communicable disease.

    • A court order/subpoena/production order is issued.

    • In some jurisdictions, work-related injuries must be reported (i.e., WCB).

    • The psychologists’ regulatory body may be able to request your files without your consent if you issue a complaint against the psychologist.

    • If you consent to have your information shared as part of the psychologist’s ongoing supervision or for the use of training videos.

    • Insurance companies sometimes request reports and/or diagnoses. They may also at times conduct session audits to ensure you attended the sessions for which sessions have been submitted for reimbursement. In audits, psychologists are required to share whether clients attended sessions that were submitted to the insurer.

  • In order to provide you with the best possible service, I engage in regular consultation with colleagues. I may
    consult with colleagues on your case but will not provide any identifying information. Your identity will remain
    confidential.
    *In the event that the psychologist passes away or is incapacitated during your work with her, another
    psychologist with whom this psychologist has an agreement, will access your contact informa‐
    tion and contact you to provide referrals.

  • I am required to maintain a record of your session according to legislation (e.g., a minimum of 11 years as per standards but longer in some cases). Files are kept on an electronic platform (Owl Practice). You have a right to your records with certain exceptions (e.g., psychological test materials cannot be released to anyone but another psychologist, or if the information may cause harm if released, or is subject to legislation). You have the right to request corrections on your file.
    Please note if ever required, I can only be a fact witness, meaning I can only speak to the information written in the file. I am unable to be an expert witness, meaning I cannot speak to causality or future predictions of experiences.

  • The cost of a 50-minute session is $235.00. Sessions may be longer, and the cost will be adjusted accordingly. If your psychologist has agreed to the terms of a sliding scale, she will discuss if there are limits to how many sliding scale sessions are available before the full fee resumes. In some cases, your psychologist may be able to direct bill to insurance companies on your behalf. In these cases, a different consent form may be required. The fee for report writing or additional telephone consultations is $58.75 per 15 minutes.

    Payments are due the day of your session, following the end of the session. The accepted payment methods at this clinic include e-transfer, cash, or cheque. Please note that a credit card number must be kept on your file for overdue
    payments. Overdue payments are fees that have not been paid in five days. If you are mailing a cheque or cash, please arrange this with the psychologist so that your credit card is not charged if the mail takes longer than 5 days.
    Please also note that credit card fees apply when the overdue payment has been charged to your credit card (approximately 3%). New sessions cannot be booked if your credit card has been declined on overdue payments. In rare
    cases, a collections agency could be involved in substantially overdue payments with no effort to make payment; you will be given 30 days notice in writing if the psychologist is considering involving a collections agency to give you time
    to make a payment. The psychologist may be able to direct-bill on your behalf and will send a consent form to authorize direct billing if you arrange this with her. Amounts not covered by direct billing will be invoiced to the client who is then responsible to pay the remaining amount.

  • If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please provide at least 24-hours notice. If less than 24-hours notice is provided, you will be charged a cancellation fee equivalent to your session fee. To cancel or reschedule your appointment, you may contact Laura at laurafriesen.warriorsway@gmail.com or 587-599-5649. Alternatively, following your first session, you will be given access to an online booking system that will allow you to schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments.

  • Warrior’s Way Psychological Services is not a 24-hour clinic. As such, your psychologist is not able to accept crisis calls at any hour. You are advised to call 911, go to your nearest emergency department, call a crisis line, or reach out to a trustworthy person who can support you (depending on the situation, formal or informal resources may be appropriate).

  • You are asked to complete a consent form before your first session. However, Laura will review and discuss the terms of this consent form in your first session. You may ask her any questions you may have at that time and throughout your work together. The time period covered by this consent form starts the day you sign and ends upon your termination or one year after your last session if there has been no clear termination. You have the right to rescind consent at any time without prejudice by the psychologist. If consent is rescinded, services must end. In the case that your presenting concern is out of the psychologists’ scope, or you are no longer benefiting from therapy, the psychologist may refer out and/or terminate your relationship. For any concerns about your psychologist, you may contact the College of Alberta Psychologists or the Registrar of the Northwest Territories.

  • This consent form outlines additional considerations for tele-psychological services. By signing our consent form, you are consenting to telepsychology services with Laura Friesen, Registered Psychologist. You agree to supply your true full name, address, and phone number and e mail address on the intake form. You agree that all of the information you have provided is accurate, and that no important information has been deliberately omitted.

    The systems used in telepsychology at this clinic are PIPEDA compliant. Reasonable efforts have been made to reduce confidentiality risks associated with telepsychology services (i.e., encryption, passwords, PIPEDA compliant systems, discussion of risks, anti-virus, and malware software, etc.). It is your responsibility as the client to ensure you are in a private location with a good internet connection and appropriate anti-virus software. Your psychologist reserves the right to refuse to continue the session if she feels the surrounding environment is not secure or safe enough for the session to proceed safely or ethically.

  • Clients are prohibited from recording the session in any form unless this is part of your treatment protocol. In this case, your psychologist will discuss risks and benefits with you and how the information is to be used/not used. Your sessions will not be recorded without your consent. The only situation where recording may be requested is for the psychologist’s ongoing training (i.e., in supervision, consultation, or training of others) and only with your consent. If you have consented to recordings, the recording files will be securely stored and deleted as soon as their purpose is complete.

  • You will inform your therapist of your location at the beginning of every session. This is to help ensure safety in case of emergencies and ensures you are located within the psychologist’s jurisdictions.
    I reserve the right to choose whether or not to work with you via phone or online, and will provide referrals when possible to support you in finding services. There will never be a diagnosis over the phone. Therefore, if, at any point a diagnostic assessment is required
    you may be required to have a video face-to-face diagnostic assessment. When visual cues are absent there may be misunderstanding of meaning. Client and therapist are requested to always seek clarification if they are uncertain of the context of the message or the intended meaning. In the case of emergencies: You will be required to provide the contact information of someone I can call in case there is concerns about harm to self, harm to another person, or if other issues arise where you may be in danger and require support.
    A plan is to be put in place in the case of internet and/or phone outages, concern about your health and safety or the health and safety of others, or another individual entering the room unexpectedly during the session. A plan may include identifying local resources, creating a verbal password if the session needs to pause due to another person entering your space, or a connection plan if the internet goes out, etc.

  • Email, voicemail, or texting is only to be used for scheduling or cancelling appointments or sending documents/resources that do not identify you. If you would like to send or receive personal information, this can be done through the clinic’s secure Owl Messaging Portal. Please ask your psychologist about how to access your portal. Email is not a secure medium and even with reasonable efforts in place, risks remain.
    If your psychologist is required to discuss your confidential information with a third party (i.e., with your family physician or insurance company), she will discuss the risks and benefits with you and obtain your consent. Contact with third parties may occur over email, secure messaging, or telephone. Any communication becomes part of the clinical file.

  • Laura is registered in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. As per inter-provincial/territorial agreements, she can provide psychological services to clients physically located in Alberta, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, New Brunswick, Quebec and Nova Scotia. If you are travelling outside of those jurisdictions during your planned session(s), you must notify Laura to reschedule.

  • The psychologist will not accept personal friend requests from clients. The psychologist has professional practice
    Facebook and Instagram pages. While clients can follow these pages, she will not discuss matters related to your treatment in comments or direct messages. Please contact her via email or telephone if you would like to discuss your treatment. Social media is not a mode of therapy.

  • The College of Alberta Psychologists advises against public ratings of psychologists as there are risks to client confidentiality. The psychologist is not permitted to reply to public ratings to protect clients. If you have a complaint about your psychologist, it is best to contact the appropriate licensing body or your psychologist if you feel able to do so. If you have a concern about Dr. Laura Friesen, you may reach out to the College of Alberta Psychologists or the NWT Registrar.

  • The information you provide as part of assessment, diagnosis, or treatment becomes part of your file. Only the psychologist has access to this securely stored information. Your information is stored in the clinic’s secure Owl Practice system. You may request access to your confidential information by contacting your psychologist. An administration fee may apply.

  • In some cases when required by law, police have involvement and connect with psychologists. Sometimes psychologists may have a duty to report to law enforcement officers (i.e., reasonable threat of imminent harm to self or others).

    When is a psychologist permitted to release information to police?

    • Confidentiality is extremely important to a psychologist’s work to maintain the trust of the clients. Police involvement is often extremely stressful for clients. Clients who have been victims of trauma can be retraumatized in the justice process due to exposure to triggers, memories, and more. Psychologists aim to “do no harm” and aim to support their clients in the most helpful way, even in difficult circumstances when the law requires disclosure.

    • Psychologists must abide by a code of ethics, standards of practice, and practice guidelines.

    • The following information is founded in the standards of practice, code of ethics, and practice guidelines outlined by the College of Alberta Psychologists (2024).

      • Generally, information is never released without the client’s consent except in some circumstances when a psychologist has a duty to disclose information even if consent is not provided.

      • Psychologists must adhere to legislation.

      • CAP (2018) states the following: “Requests from Police: Psychologists presented with a court order by the police are obligated to cooperate with the police and to produce the records described in the court order. An informal inquiry from the police does not allow psychologists to provide personal or confidential information to the police without client consent” (p. 4).

      • Psychologists must “limit disclosure to persons who reasonably need to know and to the extent necessary in the circumstances” (CAP, 2018, p. 3).

      • As the specialists, psychologists may know the client and their psychological needs quite well and are qualified to vet which information from the file may be harmful or irrelevant if released in its entirety. For this reason, some psychologists may express their discomfort in releasing all client notes and may request to submit a summary letter of relevant material in its place. In some cases, releasing all information could place the client or others in imminent risk.

      • For example, it may be dangerous to release an entire file for a production order in the case of domestic violence if the perpetrator and their defense also receives this in disclosure. In this case, a summary letter from the psychologist outlining relevant material and observations may be safer for the client. A summary letter of the clinical notes can provide the necessary information in a concise manner which may be more helpful to investigators and all stakeholders involved in the judicial processes (i.e., the Crown, defense, the judge, jury, clients, etc.).

      • Consulting with psychologists and better understanding their role and limits can help police in understanding their responses and the information released. Working to understand the roles, ethical, and legal obligations of both the police and psychologists is a helpful step to building good working relationships and maintaining ethical and effective client care.

    Resources

    CAP References: