Therapeutic Options

Therapeutic Options Mark Pesner, Ph.D., Director Licensed Psychologist, NJ License # 2562 271 Route 46 West, Suite G101 Fairfield, New Jersey 07004 Phone (973) 276-9040  Fax (973) 276-9062

Mary Burke, L.C.S.W. [email protected] Patricia Einbender, RDI Consultant [email protected] Karen Liberato, L.C.S.W. [email protected] Celeste Mancinelli, M.A., CCC [email protected]

August 25, 2014

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our Social Skills Program for the 2014-2015 school year. Your child’s group is meeting on ______; the group leaders are ______. Following is some important information that we would like to share with you.

PARTICIPATION Weekly attendance is critical for the development of group cohesion and trust between members.

1. Arrival time Please arrive on time. A late arrival can make it more difficult for you child to transition into the group and can be disruptive to the other children. 2. Late arrival If you are unavoidably late, please accompany your child down the hallway to the group room in order to ensure a quiet and orderly entrance. 3. Non-attendance If you know in advance that your child will be unable to attend a session, please give as much notice as possible. Please leave a message for Karen at ext.12 if your child will be absent. 4. Late cancellation In the event of last-minute cancellation of your child’s group, you will receive advance notice by telephone or e-mail.

COMMUNICATION & FEEDBACK

1. Weekly Feedback

Please be in the waiting room at least 10 minutes before the end of your child’s group. At the end of each group session, one of the group leader talks briefly with parents about that day’s lesson. This time for communication is a central component of our program. By 1 sharing the lessons with you, you can extend the practice of them into real-world settings, which in turn helps the child to develop mastery of the concepts.

Please understand that group leaders are not able to privately discuss individual children immediately before or after group.

2. Individual Feedback

a. Written Reports Written feedback concerning your child will be provided at the mid-year and year-end of our program. b. Conferences Two conferences with your child’s group leader/s are required. The conference provides an opportunity to talk extensively and privately about your child - this is a critical component of our program and imperative to your child’s ongoing progress. One of your group leaders will contact you to schedule the first of those meetings in October. There is a $125 fee for these meetings. c. As needed We encourage telephone and/or e-mail contact so that we are aware of your child’s experiences outside of group; email addresses for the group leaders can be found on the letterhead. When the group leaders are aware of situations or events that are relevant to the group topics, they are able to incorporate that information into the group structure.

If there is an issue that requires extensive conversations and/or the group leader determines that an in- person conference is necessary in order to fully address the concerns, you will be asked to schedule an office meeting. There is a $125 fee for these meetings.

FEES & COSTS

1. Fee per session The fee is $80.00 per group session. 2. Payment Payment is due promptly after receipt of the monthly statement. Checks should be mailed and made payable to Therapeutic Options. We accept Visa and MasterCard in the office. 3. Payment for missed sessions Our policy concerning missed sessions is as follows: a. No charge for the first 4 missed sessions during the school year. b. After the first four missed sessions, every missed session will be charged at the regular group rate of $80.00. While we appreciate you providing advanced notice when your child will be

2 absent, it nevertheless will be billed as a missed session.

Please understand that much thought and deliberation was devoted to the composition of the groups. Sometimes we are unable to meet everyone’s scheduling requests. If you are absolutely unable to attend during the day or time that has been assigned, please call as soon as possible. Additionally, after a few weeks, we may suggest a change in your child’s placement after we have developed a greater understanding of him or her. Please feel free to call us immediately if you have any questions, concerns or worries.

We are looking forward to a year full of social success!

Warm regards,

Mark Pesner and Staff