Associate Handbook

Welcome to Head and Heart Counselling. We are so happy you are working with us!

This is the Associate manual for Head and Heart Counselling

You should be able to quickly find:

• what your responsibilities are
• how to complete tasks
• who to contact when something goes wrong or you don’t know what to do
• forms and scripts to send

There are also references for policies and standards of care for counsellors working at Head and Heart Counselling.

How to use this handbook

• Start with the section pages below, then click into the specific procedure/template you need.
• Use search in your browser (Cmd/Ctrl+F) for quick scanning on long pages.

Start here (sections)

Intake & New Clients

• Intake Index
• Client retention — purpose and clinic expectations
• Continuity of care (treatment planning, first session, retention habits)
• Consultation follow-up and ownership
• Consultation call script

Billing

• Billing Index

Billing clients

• Admin billing responsibilities (what admin owns)
• Direct billing to insurance
• Failed card / decline (associate role)
• Late cancel / no-show scripts
• Third-party payer (non-insurance)

Associate invoicing (getting paid)

• Invoicing procedures
• Invoice example + common mistakes

JaneApp

• JaneApp Index
• Bookings on JaneApp
• Scheduling
• Client profiles setup
• Couples in JaneApp
• Arrived / No-show and billing basics
• Appointment status rules

Session notes are typed in Jane, but charting policy and standards have their own section: Notes & charting.

Notes & charting

• Notes & charting — index
• Charting / notes policy
• Charting standards

Policies & Expectations

• Policies Index
• Standards of Clinical Practice (minimum expectations)
• Client communication norms
• Team communication channel (what belongs / what doesn’t)
• Communication boundaries policy
• Late or missed session — immediate response
• When therapy ends — notify admin

Documentation & Forms

• Documentation & forms Index
• Documentation requests policy
• Documentation request — associate response (template)
• Release of records policy
• Consent for release of information (fillable PDF to email to clients)

Clinical Consultation & Escalations

• Clinical consultation & escalations Index
• Urgent concerns escalation pathway
• Safety checklist: what to do first
• Referral and transfer process

Privacy

• Privacy Index

Referrals & Marketing

• Referrals & marketing Index
• Directories where associates are listed
• Areas of expertise and ethical specializations
• Referral source etiquette