Disclaimer
This page exists because the distinction genuinely matters — legally, clinically, and for you.
Last updated: [DATE]
The short version: F.E.R.N.S. Method Coaching is coaching and education. It is not therapy, not mental-health treatment, and not a substitute for care from a licensed professional. Participating creates no clinician–patient relationship.
Coaching is skills training and structured accountability. We teach a defined method, help you apply it to your own relationship, and hold you to practicing it between sessions. That is the entire scope of what we do here.
We do not assess, diagnose, or treat mental-health conditions. We do not provide crisis services. We do not prescribe. We do not keep clinical records, and we do not bill insurance or issue superbills, because coaching is not a billable clinical service.
Brian T. Jones holds clinical licensure and operates a separate licensed therapy practice serving couples in the states where he is licensed. This coaching program is not delivered under those licenses and is a legally separate business.
His clinical background is why the method exists, and it is fair to weigh that as a credential. It does not convert coaching into therapy. If you become a coaching client here, you are not his patient, and none of the protections attached to a therapy relationship apply.
We treat what you tell us as private and we do not share it outside the practice except as described in our privacy policy. But coaching communications do not carry therapist–patient privilege, are not protected health information under HIPAA in this context, and could be subject to disclosure in circumstances where clinical records would not be. Please factor that in when deciding what to share.
We will decline to work with a couple, or will pause and refer out mid-program, when the situation calls for clinical care rather than skills training. That includes but is not limited to:
If any of these are present, please seek appropriate care. In the United States you can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. In an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
We do not promise any particular outcome. Relationships involve two adults making their own choices, and the largest single factor in whether this program works is how much practice you do between sessions. Any testimonials or examples on this site reflect individual experiences and are not a guarantee that you will get similar results.
Nothing on this site or in the program constitutes legal, medical, psychiatric, or financial advice. If a conversation in coaching touches on any of those, we will tell you to go talk to the relevant professional.
If anything here is unclear, ask before you enroll. Write to hello@fernsmethodcoaching.com.