As a mental health facility, we know that calling to schedule an appointment for yourself or your child can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure what information you’ll need to disclose or what the process will look like. So, today, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk you through what you can anticipate when you take the important step of seeking help.
First, you can expect to hear me, Allison Bell, on the other end of the line or the voice of a team member who, like me, is here to protect your privacy and match you with the right counselor for your needs and availability. Much of what we talk about will be standard to any other doctor’s appointment, and if you are scheduling for your child we’ll talk about custody arrangements too. For the purposes of this article, we won’t get too technical about that, but you are always welcome to call our office and ask follow-up questions.
Second, we’ll take a look at billing. We are a non-profit organization and we don’t work directly with any insurance companies. However, we can provide you with a receipt for out-of-network reimbursement if that is an option for you or discuss how you can use your HSA or Flex-Spend card if you have one. That being said, our fee-for-service is $100 for a 50 minute session or $50 for a 25-minute session. If your household income cannot afford that amount, we’ll discuss a care subsidy amount that will work for your current situation. Because this varies so much from person to person, we won’t get too bogged down in the details in this article. The most important thing to note is that, because of the generosity of our donors, we do not turn anyone away for financial reasons.
Third, I want to talk about one of the questions I encounter most, and that’s how much
information to disclose in your intake call. What I need to know is a general sense of what you, your child, or your family is looking to work on and the complexity of that answer is going to be different for everyone. If this is a hard call to make and you only want to say “I’m struggling to get out of bed and I need someone to talk to,” That’s fine. If you have had previous therapy experience that did or didn’t work for you, I’m happy to discuss what you’re looking for as well. And--as with any other part of this conversation--I’m happy to discuss and answer any questions you have.
Fourth, we’ll take a look at scheduling. Often, I’ll ask when you can consistently attend your appointment and that’s for a couple of reasons. Part of meeting you where you are is to make therapy fit with your schedule rather than the other way around; we want to find you a therapist who is available for you when you need him or her. Hours available vary by therapist, but we will do our best to find a solution that works for you.
From there, we’ll schedule your appointment and send out your intake paperwork, which can be completed online, and generally consists of privacy and security information, a questionnaire for your therapist to get to know you better, and a survey for us to help assess your progress throughout your counseling experience.
So that’s it. Four steps, ten minutes, and you’re ready to start treatment. Still, as easy as it sounds, we know this can be a vulnerable experience. For those of you who have made that call, I want to thank you for your trust in me and our team. For those of you who are planning to call, I’m looking forward to meeting you and I’m glad you know it’s okay to ask for help. Just like treatment, your call is confidential and details will only be shared with NLCC staff as necessary. All of us at NLCC are honored to be a part of your journey toward, growing, connecting, and healing.
To schedule with a member of our licensed clinical team, call 484-746-3112 today.