Inner Peace & Enlightenment Therapy


Creating transcendent balance to illuminate and awaken the deepest peace within

Contact & Crisis Policies

Updated December 2025

Calling, Texting, and Emailing

Clinicians provide their professional contact information and may be reached via phone, text, or email for the following limited purposes:

1. Scheduling & Administrative Needs

  • Scheduling appointments
  • Cancelling or rescheduling
  • Notifying your clinician if you are running late
  • Requesting the telehealth session link

2. Requests for Paperwork

  • FMLA documentation
  • Letters (e.g., diagnosis, work/school notes)
  • Treatment summaries as appropriate

3. Emergencies Requiring Higher-Level Care

You may contact your clinician only for urgent issues that may require emergency evaluation, such as:

  • Informing your clinician that you are going to the Emergency Room or Emergency Services
  • Letting your clinician know you have been hospitalized or discharged
  • Requesting that your clinician (with your consent) speak with ER or crisis staff
Important: These communication methods are not monitored 24/7 and are not appropriate for immediate emergencies.

HIPAA Warning for Phone, Text, and Email

Phone, text message, and standard email are not fully HIPAA-secure. You agree to use these methods at your own discretion and risk. For secure communication, HIPAA-compliant messaging is available through our secure patient portal.

Response Time

Clinicians will attempt to respond within 8–12 business hours, but this cannot be guaranteed. If your concern cannot safely wait 12 hours, or if no response is received, you must contact 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or use local crisis services immediately.

Boundaries for Out-of-Session Contact

  • Therapists cannot provide therapy, processing, or clinical intervention by text, email, or phone outside of session
  • Therapists cannot socialize, chat, or provide ongoing updates between sessions
  • If you wish to send updates between sessions, this must be discussed first, and your clinician must agree
  • If approved, your clinician will wait until the start of your paid session to review these messages

When Out-of-Session Contact Becomes a Billable Service

If you text, email, or call with therapy-related content or safety concerns, your clinician will assess whether you need:

  • A telehealth session
  • An in-person session
  • A safety plan
  • Or a higher level of care

Any clinical assessment or intervention conducted outside of a scheduled session will be billed in 15-minute increments, the same as crisis or therapy services.

Crisis Protocol

You may contact your clinician in a crisis for assistance determining next steps. A crisis includes:

  • Active thoughts or plans to harm yourself or others
  • Hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia impairing your safety
  • Inability to care for yourself (e.g., not eating/drinking for days, severe medication noncompliance causing harm)
  • Rapidly worsening mental health symptoms creating immediate risk
  • Any situation where you are unsure if you need a higher level of care

When You Reach Out, Your Clinician Will Determine Whether To:

  1. Recommend a higher level of care, such as:
    • Emergency Services
    • Emergency Room
    • Police/welfare checks (if necessary)
    • Hospitalization
    • Intensive outpatient programs (IOP/PHP)
  2. Create a safety plan with you (billable service)
  3. Offer an extra therapy session, if appropriate and available

Same-day or next-day sessions are not guaranteed.

If You Do Not Receive a Prompt Response

If your clinician does not respond immediately and you are in crisis, you must contact emergency services:

  • Call 911
  • Go to the nearest emergency room
  • Use local crisis numbers (listed below)

Clinicians cannot guarantee immediate availability.

Additional Crisis Resources (Virginia & National)

Local Virginia Crisis Lines

  • Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania & Stafford County: 540-373-6876
  • Caroline County: 804-633-4148
  • King George County: 540-775-5064
  • Virginia Beach VBCSB Crisis Response: 757-385-0888
  • Richmond Behavioral Health Authority Crisis Services: 804-819-4100 | www.rbha.org

National Mental Health Crisis Lines

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
  • Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
  • National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 800-656-4673
  • Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 | translifeline.org
  • The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ youth):

Domestic Violence