What to Expect at Sycamore Counseling Services

Clear, Compassionate Guidance Every Step of the Way

Starting therapy can feel like a big step. At Sycamore Counseling Services, we want you to feel comfortable and confident from the very first moment you reach out. Here’s exactly what you can expect during your initial visit and throughout your therapeutic journey.

Your Initial Intake Session

Your first session is all about building comfort, understanding your needs, and laying the foundation for successful therapy.

During your intake session, you can expect:

A Warm Welcome: Your therapist will greet you warmly, ensuring you feel comfortable, safe, and at ease.
Understanding Your Needs: Your therapist will ask thoughtful questions to learn about your experiences, concerns, personal goals, and hopes for therapy.
Collaborative Goal-Setting: Together, you and your therapist will discuss your therapeutic goals, exploring the changes you wish to achieve.
Confidentiality and Questions: We’ll clearly outline confidentiality practices and ensure all your questions about therapy and our approach are thoroughly answered.
Creating Your Therapy Plan: You and your therapist will collaboratively design a personalized treatment plan tailored specifically to your emotional wellness and goals.

Your intake session typically lasts between 50–60 minutes.

Ongoing Therapy Sessions: Frequency & Duration

Consistency in therapy is key to achieving meaningful change and lasting emotional wellness. Our therapy process is designed to meet your individual needs, circumstances, and lifestyle.

Typical session details:

Session Frequency: Most clients attend therapy once a week initially, allowing consistent support, progress, and growth. Frequency can be adjusted based on your individual needs, progress, and schedule.
Session Duration: Therapy sessions typically last 50–60 minutes, providing adequate time for meaningful dialogue, skill-building, and emotional exploration.
Flexible Scheduling: We offer flexible appointment times, including evening hours and Telehealth options, making it easy and convenient to fit therapy into your life.

What Happens During Regular Therapy Sessions?

Regular sessions are structured to help you achieve emotional clarity, practical coping skills, and meaningful growth.

Each session typically includes:

Check-Ins: Briefly reviewing your progress, experiences, and emotional state since your last session.
Discussion & Exploration: Thoughtful conversation exploring your emotions, experiences, and challenges in depth.
Skill-Building & Practical Strategies: Teaching practical coping strategies, emotional regulation skills, communication techniques, and other evidence-based practices.
Setting Intentions and Goals: Planning actionable steps to practice between sessions, fostering consistent emotional growth and skill reinforcement.

Your Comfort and Confidentiality

Your emotional safety and confidentiality are our highest priorities:

Private, Comfortable Setting: Our welcoming office located at 17 Westerman Avenue, Seymour, CT, provides a calming, supportive atmosphere for your sessions.
Telehealth Counseling Available: If preferred, you can enjoy confidential sessions remotely from any location in Connecticut through our secure Telehealth platform.
Strict Confidentiality Practices: All therapy sessions and personal information are kept strictly confidential, following HIPAA guidelines and professional standards.

Ready to Begin Your Emotional Wellness Journey?

At Sycamore Counseling Services, we’re dedicated to ensuring your therapy experience is comfortable, clear, and empowering from your first session onward.

Let us support you on your path to lasting emotional health, resilience, and personal growth.

Notice of Privacy Practices Effective Date: 02 May 2026

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Sycamore Counseling Services, LLC (the “Practice”) is committed to protecting your privacy. The Practice is required by federal law to maintain the privacy of Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which is information that identifies or could be used to identify you. The Practice is required to provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices (this “Notice”), which explains the Practice's legal duties and privacy practices and your rights regarding PHI that we collect and maintain.

YOUR RIGHTS

Your rights regarding PHI are explained below. To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to the Practice at the address noted below.

To inspect and copy PHI.

You can ask for an electronic or paper copy of PHI. The Practice may charge you a reasonable fee.
The Practice may deny your request if it believes the disclosure will endanger your life or another person's life. You may have a right to have this decision reviewed.

To amend PHI.

You can ask to correct PHI you believe is incorrect or incomplete. The Practice may require you to make your request in writing and provide a reason for the request.
The Practice may deny your request. The Practice will send a written explanation for the denial and allow you to submit a written statement of disagreement.

To request confidential communications.

You can ask the Practice to contact you in a specific way. The Practice will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

To limit what is used or shared.

You can ask the Practice not to use or share PHI for treatment, payment, or business operations. The Practice is not required to agree if it would affect your care.
If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask the Practice not to share PHI with your health insurer.
You can ask for the Practice not to share your PHI with family members or friends by stating the specific restriction requested and to whom you want the restriction to apply.

To obtain a list of those with whom your PHI has been shared.

You can ask for a list, called an accounting, of the times your health information has been shared. You can receive one accounting every 12 months at no charge, but you may be charged a reasonable fee if you ask for one more frequently.

To receive a copy of this Notice.

You can ask for a paper copy of this Notice, even if you agreed to receive the Notice electronically.

To choose someone to act for you.

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights.

To file a complaint if you feel your rights are violated.

You can file a complaint by contacting the Practice.
You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
The Practice will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

To opt out of receiving fundraising communications.

The Practice may contact you for fundraising efforts, but you can ask not to be contacted again.

To file a complaint or exercise your rights, contact the practice using the information below:

Sycamore Counseling Services, LLC
17 Westerman Ave Seymour, CT 06483
Stephanie Jenkins
203-590-7569

OUR USES AND DISCLOSURES

1. Routine Uses and Disclosures of PHI

The Practice is permitted under federal law to use and disclose PHI, without your written authorization, for certain routine uses and disclosures, such as those made for treatment, payment, and the operation of our business. The Practice typically uses or shares your health information in the following ways:

To treat you.

The Practice can use and share PHI with other professionals who are treating you.
Example: Your primary care doctor asks about your mental health treatment.

To run the health care operations.

The Practice can use and share PHI to run the business, improve your care, and contact you.
Example: The Practice uses PHI to send you appointment reminders if you choose.

To bill for your services.

The Practice can use and share PHI to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities.
Example: The Practice gives PHI to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

2. Uses and Disclosures of PHI That May Be Made Without Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object

The Practice may use or disclose PHI without your authorization or an opportunity for you to object, including:

To help with public health and safety issues

Public health: To prevent the spread of disease, assist in product recalls, and report adverse reactions to medication.
Required by the Secretary of Health and Human Services: We may be required to disclose your PHI to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate or determine our compliance with the requirements of the final rule on Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information.
Health oversight: For audits, investigations, and inspections by government agencies that oversee the health care system, government benefit programs, other government regulatory programs, and civil rights laws.
Serious threat to health or safety: To prevent a serious and imminent threat.
Abuse or Neglect: To report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.

To comply with law, law enforcement, or other government requests

Required by law: If required by federal, state or local law.
Judicial and administrative proceedings: To respond to a court order, subpoena, or discovery request.
Law enforcement: For law locate and identify you or disclose information about a victim of a crime.
Specialized Government Functions: For military or national security concerns, including intelligence, protective services for heads of state, or your security clearance.
National security and intelligence activities: For intelligence, counterintelligence, protection of the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state, for purpose of determining your own security clearance and other national security activities authorized by law.
Workers' Compensation: To comply with workers' compensation laws or support claims.

To comply with other requests

Coroners and Funeral Directors: To perform their legally authorized duties.
Organ Donation: For organ donation or transplantation.
Research: For research that has been approved by an institutional review board.
Inmates: The Practice created or received your PHI in the course of providing care.
Business Associates: To organizations that perform functions, activities or services on our behalf.

3. Uses and Disclosures of PHI That May Be Made With Your Authorization or Opportunity to Object

Unless you object, the Practice may disclose PHI:

To your family, friends, or others if PHI directly relates to that person's involvement in your care.
If it is in your best interest because you are unable to state your preference.

4. Uses and Disclosures of PHI Based Upon Your Written Authorization

The Practice must obtain your written authorization to use and/or disclose PHI for the following purposes:

Marketing,
Sale of PHI, or
Psychotherapy notes.

5. Use and Disclosure of Substance Use Disorder Records Subject to 42 CFR Part 2:

(A) If applicable, your substance use disorder (“SUD”) records are protected by federal law under 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”). This law provides extra confidentiality protections and requires a separate patient consent for the use and disclosure of SUD counseling notes. Each disclosure made with patient consent must include a copy of the consent or a clear explanation of the scope of the consent. It must also be accompanied by a written notice containing the language in 42 CFR Part 2.32(a). Disclosure of these records requires your explicit written consent, except in limited circumstances such as:

Medical Emergencies: to the extent necessary to treat you,
Reporting Crimes on Program Premises,
Child Abuse Reporting: In connection with incidents of suspected child abuse or neglect to appropriate state or local authorities, and
Fundraising: We will provide you with an opportunity to decline to receive any fundraising communications prior to making such communications.

You may revoke this consent at any time.

(B) Prohibitions on Use and Disclosure of Part 2 Records:
SUD records received from programs subject to Part 2, or testimony relaying the content of such records, shall not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceedings against you unless based on your written consent, or a court order after notice and an opportunity to be heard is provided to you or the holder of the record, as provided in Part 2. A court order authorizing use or disclosure must be accompanied by a subpoena or other legal requirement compelling disclosure before the requested SUD record is used or disclosed. If SUD records are disclosed to us or our business associates pursuant to your written consent for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations, we or our business associates may further use and disclose such health information without your written consent to the extent that the HIPAA regulations permit such uses and disclosures, consistent with the other provisions in this Notice regarding PHI.

You may revoke your authorization, at any time, by contacting the Practice in writing, using the information above. The Practice will not use or share PHI other than as described in Notice unless you give your permission in writing.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

The Practice is required by law to maintain the privacy and security of PHI.
The Practice is required to abide by the terms of this Notice currently in effect. Where more stringent state or federal law governs PHI, the Practice will abide by the more stringent law.
The Practice reserves the right to amend Notice. All changes are applicable to PHI collected and maintained by the Practice. Should the Practice make changes, you may obtain a revised Notice by requesting a copy from the Practice, using the information above, or by viewing a copy on the website sycamorecounselingservices.com.
The Practice will inform you if PHI is compromised in a breach.

This Notice is effective on 2/5/26.

Contact