FAQs for Therapy in Greenwood, IN

So you’ve decided to start therapy or counseling in Greenwood, IN. Many times when people decide to start therapy, they realize that things have been slowly declining over many months or even years. Typically, if people could have handled their problems on their own, they would be fixed by now. I believe counseling is a good place to start when trying to get things back in balance and to find more peace in your life. I believe you have the tools to heal, you just need someone objective to come alongside you in your healing. Although I offer Christian counseling, this is not the right fit for everyone. Therefore, I honor your choice to have spirituality as part of your treatment or not. It’s hard to know what to expect from counseling. So below is a list of some of the most common questions I get about counseling.

 

Why start therapy now?

Often times, when I finally talk to someone who is ready to start counseling, they have been thinking about it for several months or years. The thought of finding a complete stranger to tell all your problems to seems daunting to say the least! There are many reasons it takes people awhile to get up the courage to finally get outside help. But we don’t think twice on getting opinions from doctors or financial advisors when we have questions about our health or money, so why should your emotional health be any different? Counseling might be able to help you:

• Attain more clarity on your life goals, ambitions or values

• Develop a deeper understanding for how you view and process your world

• Find resolution to past hurts or traumas

• Improve your relationship with others by communicating your wants and needs more clearly

• Learn new coping skills to help manage your symptoms of anxiety, depression, grief or other emotional stressors

• Change ineffective behavior patterns and develop more effective ones

• Discover new and healthier ways to have good communication with your spouse, family or friends

• Improve your self-esteem and self-confidence using your new found skills

 

How to make an appointment?

I have several easy ways to schedule appointments. If you are a new or returning client you can request future appointments at lisa-franklin.clientsecure.me. You may also call, text or email my assistant Anne at 317.730.1446 or amsj1@comcast.net. If you need an evening or after school appointment, I recommend you set up your initial 6 weekly appointments as soon as you can since these appointment times fill up rather quickly.

 

How long is each session?

Each therapy session is 50-minutes. I find this is the right amount of time to reflect on things that have changed over the last week and address treatment goals. It is my job to notify you when our session time is nearing the end and I appreciate your understanding in adhering to the 50-minute time limit. This allows me to ensure that I am on time for the next appointment. The electronic medical record system I use only allows me to choose from the following billing times: 30-minute (90832), 45-minute (90834) or 60 minute (90837). If your appointment time was longer than 50 minutes, I will switch it to the 60 minute time to more accurately reflect the amount of time spent in therapy.

 

Do you accept my insurance company?

I am an out of network provider (OON) and do not accept insurance at this time. This has been a difficult decision, as I know how expensive monthly insurance premiums are, and I do understand you want to be able to use them for counseling. Since I believe therapy is a short-term commitment with long-term benefits, it is a financial investment in yourself and your future.

 

Here are 5 freedoms that paying out of pocket for therapy provides:

 

1. Freedom from the hassles of insurance companies. Most insurance companies have many “hoops” to jump through in order for you to use your benefits such as: using an in network provider, pre-authorization letters and numbers, figuring our copays, calling the insurance company and waiting, sometimes for hours…and the list goes on. Paying out-of-pocket allows you to skip the hassles of getting “permission” from your insurance company to start counseling.  

2. Freedom to find a therapist who is right for you and your needs without being dictated by the rules and regulations of your insurance company. Often times, insurance companies have a list of in-network providers. But what if you have a friend who knows a great therapist but they aren’t on the provider list from your insurance company? Once you decide to start therapy, you want to go with someone you trust and who is a great fit to help you find peace and healing. Some great therapists might not be in-network with your insurance company. Choosing to pay out-of-pocket allows you to find the therapist who is right for you and your needs.

3. Freedom from insurance related restrictions. Many insurance companies may restrict the session time, the number of sessions you can attend per week or year, phone sessions or teletherapy, whether they will pay for group, couples, family sessions, workshops and other types of treatment that might be helpful in your healing journey. Choosing to pay out-of-pocket means you and your therapist can determine what other types of treatment might be suitable to meet your needs.

4. Freedom to stay in therapy until you find healing, which may be longer than your benefits allow. Many insurance companies allow a certain number of sessions per year, which may not give you enough time to address the concerns that originally brought you to treatment. Insurance companies reserve the right to manage how often and how long you can use your benefits and may also decide you cannot use your full number of sessions for certain issues. When paying out-of-pocket for treatment, this decision is up to you and your therapist to decide

5. Freedom to choose what is shared with your insurance company. I am committed to confidentiality and insurance companies require a diagnosis in order to reimburse for services. Once a diagnosis is given, it does stay with your medical records. While I do my best to give you a benign diagnosis, such as an adjustment disorder, sometimes it is necessary to change that to a more specific diagnosis the longer you are in treatment. When paying out-of-pocket for treatment, the diagnosis does not have to be shared with your insurance company or become part of your medical records.   

 

I have also found that with certain insurance plans, the deductive is very high. When this is the case, I typically recommend paying out-of-pocket since most people usually spend between $1,000-$2,000 total for counseling in their lifetime.

 

I am unable to take Medicare or Medicaid since they require therapists to be in-network providers.

 

I’ve decide to use my insurance, how do I submit the claims?

I do my best to try and submit electronic claims to the insurance company on your behalf. There is a different billing rate for submitting insurance claims, since the insurance companies require I submit my full fee. When this is the case, I try and submit the first claim, if it goes through, I will submit the rest electronically. If the claims are rejected, I can either switch you over to the self-pay rate or I can give you a monthly Superbill via email that you can fax or mail to your insurance company for reimbursement. I do not accept assignment of benefits (meaning the insurance company sends me a check) for tax reasons. When insurance companies do issue a check to me on your behalf, I void the check and return it to the insurance company with instructions on reissuing the check to the primary insured.

 

How can I pay?

I am a fee-for-service provider, meaning you will be billed and personally responsible for payment at the time of service. I try to make paying as easy as possible. With the medical records system I use, Simple Practice I am able to take Health Saving Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), cash, check and major credit cards. I do my best to do billing daily (but sometimes life happens-and it’s the next day!), you will receive an invoice within 15 minutes of billing being completed via email. If you are using your insurance benefits and you are planning to file the claims on your own, you will receive a monthly Superbill for the services received via email.

 

What can I expect at my first session?

You will be sent the intake paperwork after the initial phone call and once an appointment day and time has been set. Please complete the paperwork a day in advance as this allows me time to review your paperwork and the concerns that are bringing you to treatment. During the first session, I will get a more complete picture of things that have and haven’t worked for you in the past, as well as your goals for counseling. This session lays the groundwork for future sessions and I want you to feel confident by the end of this session that I have a clear understanding of what you need from counseling in order to find healing and peace.

 

What is the process for counseling?

Treatment times will vary based on the reason you are seeking counseling in the first place. I typically recommend people commit to 6-weeks of weekly sessions. I find that this gives people enough time to start making progress and feel like they are gaining traction on the original issue that brought them in. There are some exceptions to this, such as a history of trauma. It is my opinion that the job of a therapist is to work themselves out of a job with you! Counseling should be a safe place for you to get back a sense of control in your life and bring you healing, not a lifelong commitment. I also recommend people phase out of treatment rather than stopping abruptly. So, after that initial 6-weeks of weekly sessions, I move people to ever other week, then every 3 weeks then once a month. And I have some clients who like to come see me once a month as part of their own self-care, just as they would for a massage or haircut.

 

Will other people know?

Confidentiality is my number one commitment to you. People will not know you are in counseling with me unless you tell them. Occasionally you may see people you know in the waiting room. Don’t feel obligated to explain why you are treatment. Be confident about your decision to heal and get outside help!

 

Will you prescribe medication?

I am unable to prescribe medication. In the state of Indiana, only licensed medical professionals can prescribe and mange prescription medications. Usually this is your family doctor, a psychiatrist or a nurse practitioner.

 

I hope this helps you find the answer to questions you may have about counseling in Greenwood, IN. If you are still feeling uneasy about this process, please feel free to contact me at 317.496.0456 or email lisa@peacefamilycounseling.com. I’d be happy to hear what is happening and help you find the right fit for counseling. If you are looking for help with depression, anxiety, trauma or behavioral concerns, you can read more about how I can help at my website peacefamilycounseling.