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What to Expect on your first visit

If you decided to schedule an appointment, we want to congratulate you. Key Counseling values all of our clients and offers a high degree of professionalism. We have made it our highest priority to provide you with a confidential, warm, and friendly environment beginning with your first phone call and extending throughout the therapy process. We have highly trained therapists who value each of their clients and their well-being and whose goal is to listen, learn, and serve each client through the therapy process.

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1st Session Check-In

Please arrive 10-15 minutes early for your first session. When checking in at the front desk for your first visit, support staff will verify your contact information, scan a copy of your insurance card(s) and ID, and hand you an intake packet to complete some if you have not already done so. Any copays due will be collected before the start of the appointment.

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• Remember to bring your photo ID and any insurance card(s) with you to your first visit.

• We request you complete the intake paperwork prior to arriving to reduce the wait time. If you are unable to complet the paperwork prior to your appointment, please plan to arrive 15-20 minutes before your scheduled appointment.

• Please note: one legal guardian must be present for the 1st therapy session of any minor clients.

 

Phases of Treatment:

 

Diagnostic Assessment

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At your first appointment your therapist will gather detailed background information that includes who you are, your family history, medical history, and other pertinent information that may be impacting your mental health. You may also fill out some screening tools to assist in the process of clarifying your primary concerns. In some cases, with your permission, family members or significant others may attend this appointment to give additional perspectives and input. You will be given treatment options and make decisions about how to proceed. Your questions and feedback are always welcome and are a necessary part of our collaborative process.

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Treatment Planning

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Between your second and third appointment you and your therapist will have completed a Treatment Plan. The plan will include your therapist’s clinical impressions, details of your therapy goals, therapy modalities to be used (i.e., behavioral, insight-oriented, narrative, play therapy, solution-focused, medication referral), and how your goals will be achieved. Your treatment plan will also include an estimated time frame for the completion of your goals. Whether your goal is to adapt to a new life transition, function more fully as a family or embrace personal growth and healing, we will create a plan to help you achieve that goal.

 

Treatment

 

The number of sessions that will make up the treatment phase will depend on the severity, complexity and medical necessity of your concerns.

 

Short-term therapy tends to be more solution-focused and dedicated to resolving a particular concern. Your therapist will usually give you homework assignments to work on between sessions and those assignments will be discussed at the next session. Typically short-term therapy averages between 6-12 kept appointments.

 

Long-term therapy is more focused on your past, or on more complex and multiple current problems. You will evaluate the patterns that have developed over your lifetime and how those are impacting your life currently. Long-term therapy is more focused on increasing insight and gaining understanding of how you think, feel and behave. Long-term therapy can extend to twenty or more appointments depending on your situation.

 

For both short-term and long-term therapy, initial (intake) appointments are typically 60 minutes long, while ongoing therapy appointments are usually 45-50 minutes in length.

 

Wrap up

 

The last two to three sessions of therapy will be focused on reviewing your progress, the goals that you have achieved, and making a plan to continue this progress outside of therapy. You may be referred to a support group, church or other community supports to help you with this process.

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You are always welcome to come back to therapy if the need arises and we would welcome the opportunity to serve you again.

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Payments and Co-pays

 

Copays are due at time of service and may be made in the form of cash, check, or debit/credit card. Certain Flex or HSA cards may also be used, if your specific plan covers mental health therapy.

 

If you are responsible to meet a deductible or pay a certain percentage of co-insurance, you will be billed for this amount once the session has been processed by your insurance. Clients may pay through the payment page of our website, or pay in person, by mail, or by calling the front desk.

 

Cancellation Policy

 

Key Counseling requires 24 hour notice of any cancellations or appointment changes, barring unavoidable events such as sickness, emergencies, or unsafe road conditions. Any session cancelled or unattended with less than 24 hours’ notice outside of these exceptions may be charged a $60 late cancellation fee. After two late cancellations or no-shows, Key Counseling reserves the right to discontinue services with that client.

 

To request a change to an existing appointment, please call any of our office numbers and leave a message with the front desk, if necessary.