Do you offer weekend or evening availability?

In addition to our daytime availability, Healing First offers evening availability Monday-Friday. Please keep in mind these are our most requested time slots, so they fill up quickly. We can also provide school notes as necessary if sessions are not coordinating with after-school availability.

Do you accept insurance?

All of our therapists currently accept Aetna insurance.  We also have limited therapists who accept United Healthcare and BCBS. It is the client’s responsibility to confirm that we are in-network with your particular plan.  Please keep in mind that if couples choose to use insurance, all diagnoses made will be under the primary cardholder. Insurance does require a diagnosis for claims.

Do you offer Free Consults?

Due to the current high demand, not all of our therapists offer free consults. We know your time is precious. Before your first session, we will send you electronic paperwork to complete, including intake paperwork where you can discuss your history, concerns, or goals for counseling. Having this information before the first session helps make each session as productive and efficient as possible.

How many sessions do you recommend?

This varies by the client. Once the therapist assesses your needs, they can base recommendations on weekly or bi-weekly sessions. This recommendation could also change based on the type of client. For example, teens generally need to meet weekly until they build rapport, which may take 2-3 consistent sessions. Coming every other week may delay the rapport-building process, which may delay progress made in therapy. While we want to make sure counseling is a priority for you, we understand other factors can affect the number of times you meet, including schedule and financial concerns.

What is your cancellation policy?

Our cancellation policy states that we need a 48-hour cancellation notice. This is to ensure that we are able to provide this slot to a client who may be waiting for an opening. Appointments that are cancelled after 48 hours are subject to a $50 cancellation fee.  If you are more than 15 minutes late for a session, this will also be considered a late cancellation and will be subject to the $50 fee.

I have a teen. Do I need to attend sessions with my teen? Do I get to meet the therapist?

We love when our teens have their parents’ support; however, it is very important that your child feels safe and comfortable sharing their feelings and making a connection with the therapists. Confidentiality is key. During the first session, the therapist will allow the parent to come in for 15 minutes to help identify concerns and ask questions which maybe important. The therapist will also explain guidelines for therapy and set expectations for both the parent and the teen. The therapist and the client will discuss if parent consultation is necessary every 4-5 sessions. Parents can also request a parent consult session with the therapist at any time.  For more information on teens, visit our blog on “The Importance of Counseling for Teens”.

If we are divorced, will you need consent from both parents?

This would depend on the divorce decree that is signed and dated by the judge. By law, parents have to provide appropriate court documentation to protect the rights of all legal guardians of the adolescent/teens. Based on the decree/court order, we may need both parents to consent to treatment. We suggest you keep the other parent informed so that when we reach out for consent, they are ready. If the parents do not have any legal documentation related to the child, we will ask for consent of both parents.

Are you LBGTQ friendly?

Healing First Counseling is a safe, nonjudgmental, and supportive place. Regardless of background, ethnicity, or religion, our goal is to work together to create an environment that allows for you to be who you are, without hiding or holding back.

I feel like I need both individual and couples counseling. Where do I start?

You can request to do individual counseling with one of our therapists and couples therapy with another. We prefer that you do not see the same therapist for both individual and couples sessions to ensure that we are not developing biases. For example, if a client has already been seeing a therapist and later on starts couples therapy with the same person, the other partner may feel left out and “ganged up against.”

I don’t feel a connection with my current therapist. What should I do?

Let our administrative assistant know by texting (817) 506-3422. We can switch you to another therapist that maybe a better fit. We do not take this personally since we want to ensure you get what you need out of therapy.  Read our blog on “Finding the Right Therapist” for more information.