Our Ethical & Professional Practice
Ethical Practice
Our team members are actively affiliated with the local and international professional bodies and communities and diligently adhered to the professional ethics of respective associations. These affiliations constitute to the core beliefs and foundation of Meta-Oasis’s ethical practice which safeguards our client’s well-beings. The core themes of Meta-Oasis’s ethical practice include but not limited to informed consent, confidentiality, multiple relationships, conflicts of interest, and competence. While these core themes are essential to our ethical practice, we believe the most important practice is to maintain currency and relevancy to the evolution of the society.
Professional Practice - Service Fees
The fees of Meta-Oasis’s services and programmes are calculated according a “sliding fee scale” which is based on our client’s affordability. In other words, we reduce our fees for those who have lower income or disposable income after the necessary expenses. The service or program fee will be discussed and agreed upon prior to the first appointment with us.
The calculation of the service fees based on a sliding fee scale is our desire to be affordable to those with less financial ability.
Professional Practice - Payment Arrangement
For psychotherapies and counselling services, the first, or the screening, session provides the opportunities to ensure a mutually comfortable client-therapist/counsellor relationship before new client embark into any treatment process. Therefore, for the first session, cash payment is the most convenience payment arrangement.
With our clients feeling comfortable to work with us after the first session, then the subsequent sessions' payment is based on an advanced payment of five sessions. Once the advanced payment has drawn down to the second last session, we will inform our client to top up for another five sessions of advanced payment, so on and so forth. At the end of the treatment process, any remaining advanced payment will be refunded to the client. This payment arrangement is applicable to psychotherapies and counselling services only, all program fees are not refundable.
Our staff will provide the details of payment options when needed.
Professional Practice - Appointment Scheduling
Appointment of services and programs are handled by the designated staff of Meta-Oasis and will then be consolidated for overall schedule planning and resources allocation.
Typically, we send out gentle reminder of scheduled services and programs TWO DAYS prior to the appointments for confirmation/acknowledgement. If we do not receive the confirmation/acknowledgement from you 24 hours before the services and programs, we may release the scheduled time slot to other client(s).
When we schedule an appointment with our client, we reserve that time especially for the client. With that in mind, we have a strict “24-HOUR Cancellation Policy”. Any appointment cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in the full cost of the services. Cancellation policy does not apply to programs and group services.
For no show to a confirmed appointment, our “No Show Policy” stipulates the full cost of the services will be applied.
Our services and programs are by appointment only, late arrival to the confirmed appointments throw off our schedule and disrupt our staff from providing the services effectively. However, we understand the circumstantial causes of late arrival, we will try to accommodate the best we can, but late arrival client may need to reschedule (based on the “Late Arrival Policy” upon the discretion of the Meta-Oasis Centre Administrator). If we need to reschedule due to lateness, the original appointment will be considered as “No Show”.
The normal duration of psychotherapeutic and counselling services is 50 minutes. The designated therapist or counsellor should manage their services within the normal duration. Sometimes due to the psychological and emotional states of the client or for the benefits of the therapeutic well-being of the client, the psychotherapeutic and counselling services may inevitably exceed the normal duration. In the event the psychotherapeutic and counselling services exceed the normal duration by 30 minutes, additional pro rata services fees may apply (based on the “Normal Duration Policy” upon the discretion of the Meta-Oasis Centre Administrator).
"Ethics is knowing
the difference
between
what you have a right to do
and
what is right to do."
- Potter Stewart
