Insurances vary in what coverage they offer and we cannot guarantee coverage. It is the responsibility of the policy holder to confirm coverage before an initial appointment. Our support staff will call your insurance company prior to your appointment to get your benefits and estimate what your payment would be. Insurances may limit coverage to certain diagnoses and a certain number of sessions. The policy holder is responsible for payment when insurance does not cover the diagnosis or the length of treatment recommended.
Insurance requires a diagnosis in order for them to pay for part of your treatment. On rare occasions, insurance may request a treatment plan, a progress report, or additional information. Prior to releasing any of this information, your provider will disclose what would be shared in order to allow you to continually receive coverage.
We emphasize creating a welcoming, professional and helpful atmosphere from your first contact with our support staff until the end of treatment. Prior to your first appointment, you will be sent a link to fill out paperwork. Filling out this paperwork ahead of time allows the provider to devote time to develop the therapeutic relationship while also having relevant information to assist in arriving at a diagnosis and a treatment plan. Our providers strive to create a warm and safe space so you can feel comfortable and share a clear picture of what is going on. At the end of the first session, the provider will share his/her thoughts on diagnosis and a general treatment plan of what you can expect in therapy.
By law, mental health providers and support staff are required to protect your personal health information. Under specific circumstances, mental health providers are required to disclose information without the consent of the client (i.e., risk of harm to self or others; there is suspected abuse or neglect of children, elderly, or disabled individuals; court order). Clients can sign a release allowing the provider to disclose specific information to other parties.
There are a variety of training programs dedicated to providing mental health treatment and each has their own unique title–psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor, substance use disorder counselor, and psychiatrist. While all focus on diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions, each can vary in what they emphasize or how they approach and treat a mental health problem. For example, marriage and family therapists tend to approach client problems by looking at the system that surrounds the individual/couple/family. Psychiatrists (and psychiatric nurse practitioners) are trained from a medical model perspective and they prescribe medication. Regardless of the training or emphasis, the relationship or therapeutic alliance has been found to be a common and necessary factor in making progress in mental health treatment.