Reaching Me
When you need to contact me for any reason, these are the most effective ways to get in touch in a reasonable amount of time:
- By my mobile phone at (404) 590-0598. You may leave messages on the voicemail, which is confidential. I have a lock-code on my phone.
- By text message. Please reserve for scheduling and appointment information only.
- By email to powell@powellburkeLCSW.com. This email account can be configured to send and receive secure, encrypted messages. I will encrypt messages I send whenever there is the possibility of your private and confidential information being discussed. If you have never received an encrypted email from me, and need to send to send me something encrypted, just get in touch. If you are in an environment where you need or prefer that secure email be used at all times, please let me know.
- By the HIPAA-secure Contact Form found throughout the website.
If you wish to communicate with me by normal email or normal text message, please read the information below about Electronic Communication regarding the potential confidentiality risks of doing so. I will verify with you in our first correspondence that you understand the benefits, risks, and limitations of confidentiality. Your reply and use of email acknowledges that you accept these limitations.
If you need to send me a document containing private and confidential information, you may send it encrypted via email. All other documents can be sent as attachments via standard email. I do not send or receive documents via traditional fax.
I am sometimes asked to connect on social media. However, to protect your confidentiality, I usually cannot accept connections.
Please let me know about any concerns you have regarding my preferred communication methods.
Response Time
I may not be able to respond to your messages and calls immediately. For voicemails and other messages, you can expect a response within one business day (weekends and holidays excepted). I may be able to reply more quickly than that, but please be aware that this will not always be possible. Also, please be aware that there may be times when I am unable to receive or respond to messages, such as when I am out of town.
Emergency Contact
If you are ever experiencing an emergency, including a mental health crisis, please call 9-1-1 or your local hospital and then afterwards call me to let me know how you are and if I can help. If you need to contact me about an emergency, the best method is by phone. If you cannot reach me by phone, please leave a voicemail and then follow up with a text message. However, please bear in mind that SMS (normal phone text messages) are not designed for emergency contact. SMS text messages occasionally get delayed and on rare occasions may be lost. With that in mind, please avoid using SMS as your sole method of communicating with me during emergencies.
Email Communication with Third Parties
Sometimes third parties (such as partners, friends, or family) may be involved in aspects of an adult client’s care, such as being responsible for session fees. For the sake of transparency, and to preserve the therapeutic relationship, it is my policy to copy adult clients on ALL email communications with nonprofessional third parties regarding payment, scheduling, documentation, and related matters. This means clients may be able to see messages originally sent by third parties directly to me.
Please note that I will NOT copy third parties on email exchanges I have with clients, and that it is the responsibility of clients to do this if they wish.
Disclosure Regarding Electronic Communication
Please know that if we use electronic communications methods, such as email, texting, online video, and possibly others, there are various technicians and administrators who maintain these services and may have access to the content of those communications.
Of special consideration are work email addresses. If you use your work email to communicate with me, your employer could access our email communications. There may be similar issues involved in school email or other email accounts associated with organizations that you are affiliated with. Additionally, people with access to your computer, mobile phone, and/or other devices may also have access to your email and/or text messages. Please take a moment to contemplate the risks involved if any of these persons were to access the messages we exchange with each other.