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Frequently Asked Questions 

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FAQs
Payments

What forms of payment are accepted? As a private-pay telehealth service, Ear To Hear Counseling accepts all major Debit and Credit cards. We also accept both Flexible Savings Account (FSA) & Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) in the form of a VISA card. Unfortunately, the following forms of payment are not accepted: a) Cash b) Check c) Money Order d) Health Insurance

Do you accept insurance? Ear To Hear Consulting and Counseling, PLLC is a private pay only counseling service, as health insurance is not accepted. To understand why, below are five (5) important reasons it may be in the best interest of clients to pay for services directly, rather than use insurance: Privacy – One of our values is to protect the information you share with our staff as we understands it to be private. Thus, Ear To Hear Counseling has chosen not to accept insurance to ensure your privacy is kept 100% confidential, especially from health insurance companies. There are some exceptions to confidentiality, in which our staff will explain during your initial session and are listed within the service consent forms. Control – When using insurance, they dictate what you can get approved for, how much they are willing to pay, and how often you can receive these services. As the insurance member, the quality of care is limited to what or whom the insurances can offer. When you choose to pay privately, you have control over which services you need, plus the amount of sessions you want for the week at a price point that fits in your budget. Limited – Sometimes you may need a provider with specific knowledge, skills or experience as it pertains to helping you with the problem/issue you are dealing with. As Marriage & Family Therapists, we offer expertise around helping those with relationships issues and the impact that it has on one’s mental health. When using insurance, you are limited to working with only generalist providers who are contracted with them, which hinders your ability to work with specialists such as ourselves. Frequency – Even with a top-tier insurance coverage, many services covered under insurance have a cap on how often services can be rendered and received. Many people who need therapy support may want to have more than just one (1) session per week. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to have two, three, or more weekly sessions when you begin services as this may help keep you accountable towards making life long changes. Ear To Hear Counseling has established flexibility in our practice so that clients can participate in services based on their needs, only subject to available openings in our schedule and clients ability to maintain their financial responsibility to pay for each session. Diagnosis – It is mandatory for therapist to provide a mental health diagnosis when using insurance as payment for services. Without a diagnosis, the therapist will not be able to submit a bill for insurance payment reimbursement. However, we found that this practice of diagnosing, from the initial intake, is unfair and unjust to the person seeking out help. We do acknowledge that for many people, having a diagnosis is helpful to be able to provide a label to what they are struggling with. At the same time, we would rather focus our energy on helping people around the struggles they face instead of focusing on figuring out the symptoms of a diagnosis to justify why the person needs therapy.

When are payments processed? Session payments are processed following your scheduled appointment.

How much does each session cost? Ear To Hear Counseling offers a simple, straight forward price for services rendered. Please visit the Fees page to review counseling service fees.

Fees
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How much does each session cost? Ear To Hear Counseling offers a simple, straight forward price for his services. Please visit the Fees page to review counseling service fees.

Do you offer sliding scale fees? If you are unable to afford paying for weekly services, out-of-pocket, here are some alternative options:  a) Bi-monthly or Monthly sessions – Counseling services can be provided bi-monthly or once a month, depending on the severity of your needs. This allows for clients to spread out services in a way that creates more financial balance instead of attending to weekly sessions. b) FSA/HSA Visa Cards – If your insurance has provided you with the option of putting aside pre-taxed funds into a Flexible Spending or Healthcare Savings Account, in the form of a Visa Card, you can use either of these accounts to pay for services as counseling is known as a medical expense.

What happens if I log on to my appointment late, will I be charged a late fee? No, Ear To Hear Counseling does not charge late fees. You are still held responsible for paying the fee for the scheduled service as the day & time you scheduled was booked exclusively for you, and only you. Ear To Hear Counseling provides all clients with a grace period, where we are willing to render a partial session if you arrive no more than 15-minutes late. Please note, you will still be charged a full session rate and no added time will be added to this session.

Is there a policy around cancellation/rescheduling a session? If so, is there a fee? Everyone is entitled to cancel/reschedule their session for whatever reason. All clients must contact Ear To Hear Counseling (phone call/email) to put in such request within 24 hours of their scheduled appointment. If this request is received before 24 hours, there is no fee. However, if request is received after this timeframe, you will be charged a cancellation fee that is equal to the cost of a full session.

Services

What is the recommended amount of therapy sessions you need? Everyone’s therapeutic journey is different. Some find it useful while others struggle through the process of it. Because of this, Ear To Hear Counseling recommends trying one sessions to see whether our series are a good fit for you. The key to success in therapy is not just about the techniques or strategies you learn, but also the relationship you have with your therapist. If you trust in their skills, knowledge and experience, then it will be easier for you to move through reflective conversations that may be hard to talk about. Therefore, Ear To Hear Counseling suggest you try one (1) session first to see if we are someone that you are willing to work with. From there, we recommend attending to four (4) back-to-back sessions, so that you can build a momentum of progress in your treatment. After the 4th session, you get to decide if you want to continue weekly or biweekly sessions.

What can you expect during the initial intake session? Prior to your session, Ear To Hear Counseling will email you our confidentiality & policy documents to review and sign. During the first few minutes of your initial session, your therapist will go over some of the main points presented within the initial paperwork. After that, the rest of the session will be yours to use to discuss your hopes for services. At the end of the session, you will be given the option to either  a) Schedule a follow up  b) Take the week to think about whether you want to schedule a follow up or be referred to a different provider. c) Decide that you no longer are interested in services altogether.

I am interested in online therapy. How does this work? Keep in mind that Ear To Hear Consulting and Counseling PLLC at this time only offers online therapy services, also known as Telehealth. We use an online video conferencing platform that is both encrypted and secured to provide protection towards your confidentiality. You have the flexibility to be provided professional Telehealth services from the comforts of your own environment.

What are the circumstances by which confidentiality can be broken? Therapy is about having a safe space to share, reflect and discuss the different issues that people go through. Unfortunately, there are times when information that is shared may be connected to issues pertaining to risk &/or safety. Texas licensed therapists are bound to state laws and professional ethical codes that govern them to take necessary steps when they receive reports of abuse, neglect, self-harm or harm to others. Due to these regulations, Ear To Hear Consulting and Counseling are considered mandated reporters. As such, if we become privy to information pertaining to risk &/or safety, we are mandated to report these statements to either state department agencies, emergency providers &/or local law enforcement. This must be done in an effort to enhance you and your loved ones safety, while minimizing potential future risk.

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