Informed Consent

Contact Information:

My name is Anthony Santen.
I can be contacted through my office at:
1066-35 Wishart Street, Red Deer, AB, T4N 5W2, Canada (403) 598-3278

Company Name:

All program materials and courses are provided through Goo Fusion Corp.
All commercial transactions are conducted and taxes collected and remitted through Goo Fusion Corp. – A Canada Corp.

Experience:

My work primarily draws from Evolutionary Psychology and reflects over 25 years of experience working with clients in session. I utilize a technique I developed known as the 'Dialectic Therapy Process.' Additionally, my approach is informed by research and findings in the realms of mental health, exploring didactic, cognitive, and environmental influences, as well as the encoding of the human mind during development. This information is detailed in my books,"The Path Within" (Anthony Santen, Amazon Press – ISBN: 9781508851530),"Answer Anxiety" (Anthony Santen, Amazon Press – ISBN: 9780994754912) and Attachment Styles In Relationship (Anthony Santen, Amazon Press – ISBN: 9780994754950)

Education and Training:

Stonebridge Associated Colleges – Diploma Psychotherapy (Advanced) – SAC Dip. (Adv. Psychotherapy)
Expert Rating – Certified Life Coach – CLC
Australian Institute of Business – Leadership and Strategic Marketing Management
Hypno-Healing Institute of Toronto – Certified Hypnotists CH and Mastery – MCH.
American University of Neurolinguistic Programming – NLP
Ontario Hypnosis Centre (NGH) – Certified Instructor – CI
Global College of Natural Medicine – Nutritional Consultant – NC
Robbins Madanes Institute – Strategic Intervention – Cloe Madanes, Anthony Robbins
The Living Institute – Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy
Influences: Brené Brown, Miguel Ruiz, Milton Erickson, John Bowlby, Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung, Robyn Gobbel, Gabor Mate, Jennifer Kolari.

Memberships:

The Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta – ACTA – (Counselling Therapist)
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association – CCPA – (Professional Member)
National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) – (Faculty Member and Certified Instructor)
International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development – ISSBD – (Voting Member)
Annual continuing education to maintain my training at a high level.

Notice:

The province of Alberta has not adopted educational and training standards for hypnotism, coaching or counseling, so this statement of credentials is for information purposes only.
Hypnotism is a self‐regulating profession, and its practitioners are not licensed by governments.
Counseling is an unregulated profession, closely related to psychotherapy, but different in approach and limited in scope.
Psychotherapy is a partially regulated profession divided between the “Controlled Act of Psychotherapy” (Controlled Act) and Psychotherapy, more commonly known as Counseling Psychotherapy.
The Controlled Act is reserved for Registered Psychotherapists (RP) who, through the privilege bestowed by their title and registration, may diagnose and treat severe cases of cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbances that may seriously impair an individual’s judgment, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning. In such cases—if they fall outside my scope of practice—I will refer you to a more qualified professional.

The Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) has declared a distinction between psychotherapy & counseling as follows: “The practice of psychotherapy is distinct from both counseling, where the focus is on the provision of information, advice‐giving, encouragement and instruction, and spiritual counseling, which is counseling related to religion or faith‐based beliefs.” (HPRAC: New Directions, 2006; Chapter 7, Regulation of Psychotherapy, p. 208.) The College is not regulating counsellors or counseling, nor is it regulating psychotherapy outside the scope of “The Controlled Act of Psychotherapy.”

IMPORTANT

If you require medical treatment for a severe cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbance, please consult a licensed psychiatrist.
If you require assessment for a severe cognitive, emotional or behavioural disturbance, please consult a licensed psychologist.
As I do not engage in any regulated, controlled act—and am neither a physician nor a licensed health care provider—I do not provide a medical diagnosis nor recommend changes to medically prescribed treatments.

If you desire a diagnosis or treatment from a licensed practitioner, you may seek such services at any time. If my services are terminated, you have the right to coordinate the transfer of your care. You have the right to refuse any service I offer, and you have the right to be free of physical, verbal or sexual abuse. You also have the right to know the expected duration of sessions and to assert your rights without retaliation.

Ethics:

As a current, registered member of The Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (ACTA), I practice in accordance with the ACTA Code of Ethics. I am a former Faculty Member of the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) and practice in accordance with the NGH Code of Ethics and Standards. I am also a current Professional Member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) and adhere to the CCPA Code of Ethics.

Fees:

Fee for time: Fees are quoted per agreement and may change with reasonable notice.
You are responsible for settling your bill at the end of each appointment (cash, debit, or credit card).

Packages:

Pre-Paid session fees (including deposits to hold a time slot) are non-refundable.

Insurance:

If you wish to use insurance, you agree that we update your insurance company with the information they request to facilitate your coverage. We may direct bill some companies, but you remain responsible for any fees not covered by insurance.

Guarantees:

Some packages include a progress or price guarantee (or both), all of which require “Intentional and Deliberate Participation” by the client—such as completing homework and actively engaging in session exercises. Missed sessions, unpaid fees, or lack of participation immediately void any guarantees.

Cancellations & Rescheduling & Refunds:

Rescheduling or canceling appointments with less than a full calendar day* notice is subject to a cancellation fee, payable before your next session.

2 in 30 rule:

If you cancel or move 2 or more sessions in a 30‐day period, you will be charged a full fee for the second and subsequent missed sessions, and future sessions will be removed from the calendar.

2 in‐a‐row rule:

>If you cancel or move 2 or more consecutive sessions, you will be charged a full fee for the second and subsequent missed sessions, and future sessions will be removed from the calendar.

When I need to cancel:

For a chargeable session canceled with less than a full calendar day’s notice, I will credit you the cancellation fee.

Refunds:

Any refund you initiate will be subject to a deduction equivalent to the credit card processing fees. Refunds are issued in the original currency and payment method, and you are responsible for any additional bank or conversion fees.

No-Shows:

All no-shows are charged cancellation fees regardless of reason.
Homework: Failure to complete homework assignments before a session is treated as a no-show.

* A full calendar day is defined as before 9:00 am the day before the scheduled appointment.

Multiple appointments:

To avoid calendar hogging, clients may reserve an average of one time slot per week. Reserving more requires a 50% non-refundable deposit.

Confidentiality:

I will not release any information without your written authorization except as required by law, except in the following cases:

Imminent harm:

If I believe you intend to harm another person, I must attempt to warn that person and notify the appropriate authorities.

Abuse:

If I suspect child or vulnerable adult abuse—or receive information about such abuse—I must report it to law enforcement. (For example, if someone under 16 discloses sexual contact with a teacher, health practitioner, or coach, I must report it.)

Self-harm:

If I believe you are in imminent danger of harming yourself, I may break confidentiality to contact law enforcement (after exploring other options with you).

Other health care provider:

If you inform me of concerning behaviour by another named provider (for example, sexual contact with a patient or impairment from practice), I may be required to report this to their licensing board.
Sexual contact exception: If you are my client and a health care provider, your confidentiality remains protected by law (subject to the above imminent harm rules).

Cross-over:

The following is not a legal exception to your confidentiality, but it is an essential policy you should be aware of:
When services are provided to couples or relationship systems, and one or both participants engage in individual sessions, the content of those sessions is considered part of the shared relational process. This content may be referenced in future sessions—whether joint or individual—to support continuity, insight, or integration.
By agreeing to this informed consent, each person in the relationship system acknowledges that anything spoken, expressed, or documented during joint sessions is considered shared within the system. This includes verbal content, clinical reflections, and any form of session materials—written notes, audio recordings, video recordings, transcripts, or summaries—that originate from those shared sessions.
This agreement allows session content to be used or referenced within the relationship system, but does not permit its release or use outside the system (e.g., for legal or third-party purposes) without mutual consent. That consent may be provided verbally or in writing by all individuals present at the session.
If you prefer to keep any information private from others in the session, please do not share it in a joint or crossover context.

Confidentiality in Joint Sessions

When services are provided to more than one person in a joint session (e.g., couples, families, or other relationship configurations), all disclosures, experiences, and session materials are considered shared and confidential among the participants present.
By agreeing to this informed consent, all participants acknowledge that joint session content—including what is said, expressed, or recorded—may be referenced in future sessions with others from the same relationship system. This includes any form of session material: verbal dialogue, clinical notes, written summaries, audio or video recordings, and transcripts.

Key principles:

- Shared ownership: All session materials from joint sessions—whether written, visual, or audio—are held in trust for the relationship system. They are not the personal property of any one individual participant.
- Internal reference vs external release: While joint session content may be verbally referenced in future sessions with other members of the relationship system, no session materials (notes, audio, video, transcripts, etc.) will be released to any one participant or third party unless all participants provide mutual consent. That consent may be verbal or written, so long as it is informed and confirmed by all individuals present at the session.
- Consent for external use: If any participant intends to use session materials outside the relationship system—for example, in legal matters, employment disputes, or external communications—consent from all individuals present in the session must be obtained in advance, verbally or in writing, and confirmed as informed.
- Limits of access: If one participant from a joint session requests access to any form of session material, that request will be acknowledged, but access will only be granted once mutual verbal or written consent has been obtained from all parties involved.

Publication:

If you wish to disclose your relationship with me or any session content to third parties or for publication, you must first obtain my written permission. Without such permission, you release me from liability for any related damages or costs.

Records:

Your records are stored electronically using industry-compliant security measures and are accessible only by me. These records may include brief session notes, factual excerpts, or other relevant materials created during your sessions. All session materials—whether written, recorded, or otherwise documented—are held in trust, not owned by any one participant.
You have the right to request a copy of your individual records. For joint sessions, records are considered shared between all participants present. Access to any material from a joint session—including notes, audio, video, or transcripts—will only be provided if mutual verbal or written consent is obtained from all participants in that session.
If you prefer that no records be kept beyond attendance dates, you may submit a written request at any time. In such cases, only your session dates will be retained.

Contact:

I may need to contact you regarding appointments via phone, text, or email, but I will only leave my name and number on any message left with a third party.

Complaints:

If you wish to lodge a complaint about my services, please contact me directly at my office. If unresolved, you may then contact the Association of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (ACTA), PO Box 77054, St. Albert, AB, T8N 6C1.

My Approach:

I use an interpersonal approach informed by study, certification, research, and practice. Methods may change during sessions to best suit your needs. Please note that some techniques (such as Dialectic Therapy) may stir strong emotions. Counseling can be helpful—but if I determine that your needs exceed my qualifications, I reserve the right to discontinue our sessions and advise alternative treatment.

Client Electronic Signature:

By checking the appointment form’s box (an electronic signature), you agree to the terms outlined above. (A copy of this document can be requested at any time.) and I acknowledge that joint session content is confidential to all participants and may not be accessed or shared without mutual written consent.