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Hardwired For Security Consultation Services, Inc
Harry G. Neff, M.Ed.
2208 West 2nd Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 939-9903
Retreat Consultation Services Agreement
Welcome to my consultation services. The services I provide as a consultant are based on my experience and education as a psychotherapist but are distinctly different from those clinical services. These services are not a part of my clinical practice and you are not a clinical patient seeking mental health counseling under these services. This allows me to provide you with help that doesn’t require a mental illness diagnosis and broadens the library of resources that can be used to help you breakthrough stuck patterns and thrive. The focus of my consultation services is education, support, and wellness, as I bring all my experience to help you understand stuck patterns and how to move forward and find improvement in your life.
Group work is a unique relationship in which a group of people come together to both give and receive help from one another, to see each other and be seen. Hardwired For Security Consultation Services Inc. attempts to create an environment where honest, interpersonal exploration will occur that will help each person grow in their life outside of the group: becoming more secure, more capacity for closeness in relationships, healthier self-esteem, higher capacity to handle the storms and challenges etc... In order to create this environment, there are certain guidelines that need to be agreed upon by each participant.
LOVING INTENTION AND SAFETY:
SAFE and SACRED
Sacred: In order to create a safe environment, everybody who joins this group is making a commitment to be a person who is deeply caring and respectful of all members in the group. This is a scared space where we are learning to find our true self and true other and get them to be more present!
Safe: No violence. Learning to express vulnerable emotions is encouraged, but obviously if anger flares to an extent that it feels unsafe, or if a person is overwhelmed with feedback, it is the responsibility of the person(s) feeling overwhelmed to ask for a pause for themself, the group, or the other person and members will remove themself as needed to calm themselves down or to support the feelings of safety within the group. This should not be seen as a failure, but in fact a win, because we are learning to do the hard work of vulnerability, of experiencing acceptance in the midst of our raw and messy self, of setting boundaries, of communicating our needs in the heat of a moment-no better place to learn. But, this loving intention and commitment to safety for all group members is essential.
This group is guided by the quote by the mystic poet Rumi: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” To truly accept and respect the person wherever they’re at, and to recognize we are all on the journey of becoming more the person that we are meant to be in word and deed.
ABOUT ME:
I worked as a clinical mental health therapist from 2008 to 2023 and despite a thriving practice, I felt pulled to broaden my work to include more variety of modalities for helping others and started Hardwired for Security Consultation Services. Some note worthy trainings have been the following: the intensive two week training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with Marsha Linehan, the EMDR Basic Training certification, and the Emotional Focused Therapy externship training. Harry is most deeply grateful for training through a weekly consultation group on Attachment and Object Relations Theory from 2006 to 2020 with attachment researcher Kent Hoffman whose seminars were also deeply formative. The name Hardwired4Security is taken from a quote by attachment researcher Daniel Siegel in which he talks about how a child is born into the world hardwired for experiences of security. We are born into the world ready to feel delighted in, empowered, protected and nurtured but when we don’t get that, it is deeply painful and it understandably creates protective patterns that end up being unhelpful in the end. Good news is that even if you are like most people out there who have some unhelpful patterns, it is never too late. You can identify those patterns and what is needed in order for you to work towards what is called “earned secure” through connecting to security as well as getting in touch with the reality of our pain. “The cure for pain, is in the pain.” -Rumi. A crucial ingredient in this process if feeling connected throughout this process and that is the other part of what consultation offers. I have learned and grown through my own journey of healing in many modalities such as psychotherapy as well as being a psychotherapist, doing men’s group work, as well as leading men’s group work, and practicing yoga and meditation as well as teaching yoga and meditation.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
I received my masters degree in counseling in 2007 and since that time I have completed a number of certificated trainings(Emotionally Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) as well as 14 years of weekly consultation with attachment researcher Kent Hoffman, (https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/the-co-originators/). My view of wellness and growth has been formed by attachment theory which is where the name of my consultation services comes from, Hardwired for Security. Quite simply, it is a human birthright to feel secure in all the ways that we desire such as: safe, worthy, secure, strong, capacity to experience emotions, able to connect with others, and the ability to receive support as well as self-support, etc. So much of my education has been related to the above, but along the way I have had a constant question, “How can we break through stuck patterns and develop new, adaptive ones, faster and more effectively?” This question while working with clients in my clinical practice for the last 16 years and of course my own journey, is what has led me to begin to offer consultation services that involve a blend of my knowledge and experience to help people break through stuck places more quickly and move into your true nature, which is hardwired for security.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Group work is effective because individuals feel safe to share openly in a confidential atmosphere. It is important that every member of the group agree to uphold the confidentiality of the therapeutic setting. Members agree to keep personal information, names and identities of group members confidential unless they have gotten their explicit permission to share that. On-Line sessions you are expected to have adequate privacy in order to respect confidentiality of members of the group.
LIMITS ON CONFIDENTIALITY/MANDATED REPORTER
The importance of confidentiality when sharing vulnerably about our lives is essential. As someone who has a clinical practice, I understand the importance of this and deeply respect the sacred responsibility of keeping confidential what people share with me under my consultation services. Although I utilize notes to track important themes and issues being worked on, the records I keep are limited to the most basic aspects such as name and date of appointments.
The limits to confidentiality include:
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If I have reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect, the law requires that I file a report with the appropriate government agency, usually the department of social and health services. Once such a report is filed, I may be required to provide additional information.
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If I have reasonable cause to believe that abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation or neglect of a vulnerable adult has occurred, the law requires that I have to file with the appropriate government agency, usually the department of social and health services. One such a report is filed I may be required to provide additional information.
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If I reasonably believe that there is an eminent danger to your health or safety or if any other individual I may be required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, seeking hospitalization for you and or contacting family members or others who can help provide protection.
If such a situation arises, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action and I will limit my disclosure to what is necessary.
While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should provide help in informing you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have now or in the future. The laws concerning confidentiality can be quite complex, and I am not an attorney. And situations where specific advice is required, formal legal advice may be needed.
Attention Health Care Providers:
As a result of state regulation adopted by the Washington state Department of health in 2008 I am required to report myself or another healthcare provider in the event of final determination of unprofessional conduct, a determination of risk to patient safety due to a mental or physical condition, or if I have actual knowledge of unprofessional conduct by another provider, regulated by the department of health, that constitutes a clear and present danger. Upon request, a copy of this law can be made available. If you have any questions or concerns about how this law might affect your consultation services, please let me know.
CONCLUSION
In this service, I do not medically diagnose or prescribe treatments. If you have a medical condition I ask that you be in the care of a licensed medical professional. I do not advise the discontinuation of any medical treatment/therapy that you are receiving at present. This work can be used as an adjunct to any medical treatments and therapy.
While this document should prove helpful in informing you about my consultation services, It is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have. I will be happy to discuss any of these issues with you
Harry G. Neff
Consultant-Client Services Agreement
Your signature below indicates that you have read this agreement and agree to abide by its terms during our professional relationship