Droste Policies and Procedures
POLICIES: Working With Clients

How Clients Come To Us

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In this section you will find Droste’s client policies which emphasize professionalism, communication standards, confidentiality, and ethical behavior. Our client policies outline the guidelines and expectations for employees and contractors when interacting with clients to ensure consistent, professional, and ethical conduct at all times. This policy applies to all employees and contractors who engage with clients at Droste.

  • Droste clients come to us either through word-of-mouth, through internet searches, or community referral partners.

  • Droste currently does not service clients under the age of five.

    Droste also is unable to serve clients where substance use is the primary focus of treatment or a physical dependency which requires a detox program. This is because Droste is an outpatient setting without a substance use expert or medical facility appropriate for the detox process.

    Droste also is unable to serve clients with a severe and persistent mental illness requiring intensive psychiatric support as Droste does not currently have a psychiatrist on our team. This includes people suffering from psychosis or mania.

  • Droste provides individual, family, group, and couples therapy.

    Each therapist determines what specific services they are comfortable providing.

Intakes & Assessments

Intake Process

Intakes are conducted on the phone (30-45 mins, roughly) by either a clinical intern on staff or the Executive Director. If you are conducting intakes and assigned an intake, you will receive an email with the client’s name and contact information as well as any other pertinent information that has already been gathered. Contact the client within 48 business hours to set up an intake. When you have completed the intake, please send the intake and any supporting documentation (for adults, the ASSIST, AUDIT, and C-SSRS) to the Executive Director or any other designated personnel. Those documents will then be uploaded in the potential client’s Therapy Notes portal.

Assessments Used in the Intake Process

Adult intakes include a semi-structured assessment as well as three instruments: Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). 

For children and teens, the intake is completed with the parent. This means in the first session, the clinician will need to review the child’s perspective on presenting problems identified. Additionally, the clinician will need to administer two instruments: the CRAFFT to assess for substance use, and the CSSRS to assess for suicidality.

Additional Assessment Instruments Available

Therapy Notes has a variety of assessment tools available in the Library. Assessments sent through TherapyNotes will integrate into the portal automatically once completed. If you wish to use an assessment tool that is not integrated into Therapy Notes, or have a client who struggles with accessing Therapy Notes, please use the Droste Assessment Guide to access copies of relevant assessment tools. Assessments administered outside of Therapy Notes should be uploaded to the client’s Therapy Notes profile.

Matching Clients

The steps taken by the Executive Director in the matching of each client with a therapist is as follows:

  1. The Executive Director will conduct an intake with the client.

  2. Clients are matched based on any client preferences, including scheduling needs, and clinical judgement.

  3. An email will then go out to the client (the assigned therapist will be CC’d) including all onboarding information as well as a notice to the client that they will get a separate email invitation to their Therapy Notes account where they will find onboarding documentation required to begin therapy at Droste.

  4. Dedicated personnel will then update TherapyNotes by ‘assigning’ the therapist to the new client.

    Note: If, for any reason, you do not see the onboarding documents (which include the Welcome Packet) come through, please alert the Executive Director asap, as some require an electronic signature. Others documents like payment authorization CC form and emergency contact info requires information to be entered directly in the portal by the client. 

  5. Once you are connected with a client, reach out to them within 24 business hours to schedule the first session.

    Note: If you email a client and you do not hear back within a day, try calling or texting. Check their Therapy Notes profile and intake to see preferred forms of communication and to ensure that voicemails and texts are allowed.