Mental health therapy is talking to a trained counseling professional who helps you understand and work through the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors contributing to your struggles. At Charis, each counselor works with you collaboratively to assist you in reaching your goals, including living in line with your values. Knowing that you have certain rights and responsibilities as a client is important. Therapy is a choice made by you to find the treatment that best suits your needs. It is voluntary and can be stopped at any point. If you follow the process in your treatment plan, therapy is most often effective, especially if you have a good relationship with your therapist. 

It's important to understand how therapy works so that you can make an informed decision about if this is right for you. When finding a therapist that is the best fit for you, you will want to consider what you want to address in your life and what you hope the outcome of therapy to be. Please share these thoughts and hopes with any counselor you talk to prior to scheduling. Please ask any questions you have at this time.

You will want to consider whether you want to utilize insurance benefits to pay for counseling or pay out of pocket. If you choose to pay out of pocket and have financial need, you are welcome to apply for fee reduction or to use the Charis Scholarship Fund. Payments (by check, cash, or card) are expected at the time of service for the full balance due. This includes payment for copay, coinsurance or any cash-pay balance.

To access the Charis Scholarship Fund or a fee reduction, you must first fill out an application including proof of income. Scholarships and reduced fees are provided based on income, number in family, and any extenuating circumstances or hardships. Reduced fees and scholarships are not available if you are using insurance.

If you are on a reduced-fee plan and your payment card is declined at the time of session, you will need to pay the session fee within 1 calendar week from the time of the appointment or the balance will default to the standard full fee for that scheduled appointment time.

Before your intake is scheduled, you will need to read over and agree to the consent forms for services and the other forms submitted through the TherapyNotes portal. Any information you provide to your therapist is confidential and will not be shared without your written permission to do so. 

We want Charis to be a safe and healthy center for employees and clients. We can do that when we work together. If you attend therapy in person, you understand that you will not attend your appointment if you are physically ill.

If you are experiencing symptoms of illness, please notify your Provider before your scheduled session time and opt between switching to telehealth [video via TherapyNotes Portal] appointment or rescheduling within the calendar week based on Provider availability.  If you need to cancel the same day due to illness, and cannot switch to teletherapy or reschedule within the calendar week, you will be charged a same-day late cancellation fee of $100.

Because illness is inevitable and ongoing, your ability to meet in person could change with minimal or no notice if your provider is sick. 

48 hours notice is required to cancel or reschedule any appointment with a Provider, or the client will be responsible for a $100 late cancellation fee. Appointments on Charis’ Fee Reduction Plan, including appointments paid for in part by the Charis Scholarship Fund or third-party funding sources, will maintain the $100 late cancellation fee responsible by the client. Charis Scholarships cannot be used to pay for late cancellations.

Charis uses several secure online platforms: 

TherapyNotes for all electronic record-keeping. Anything you send your therapist is considered part of the therapy record and is confidential. 

Hushmail for all email communication with clients and all other professionals you coordinate care with. You will receive password-encrypted emails from your therapist in order to maintain confidentiality and security.

iPlum for secure texting communication with clients. 

Please note security is maintained on the side of the therapist and anything on your own computer or phone is not considered secure. You are welcome to use the iPlum app to text with your therapist in order to increase security in communication. Please talk to your counselor about how to do this.

It is your responsibility to set up and maintain privacy on the client end of the communication. Be thoughtful about the space and time of video conferencing or calls to avoid others overhearing you or interrupting the session. Please talk with your provider for ideas to help protect your privacy.

When you see a health care provider utilizing your insurance benefits, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a session fee, copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have a deductible that first must be met before your copay or coinsurance kicks in. Your coverage may be different for in-person or online counseling sessions [teletherapy]. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

Paying in full at the time of service, rather than utilizing insurance benefits provides you the greatest freedom and choice over your care, including length and duration of visits, modalities used, selection of practitioner, privacy of your protected information and medical records, and confidentiality of diagnosis and treatment plan.

Managed care plans may deny payment or reduce benefits if your care is obtained outside of their network or outside of their authorization (pre-approval).  As well, your number of sessions or treatment protocols may be limited.

Insurance companies require counselors to submit your personal information, including but not limited to: diagnosis, type of treatment, dates of service, copies of chart notes, justifications for treatment, progress reports, and financial information. Once information is released to an insurance company, Charis has no control over who is able to access that information. Therefore, if you choose to have your insurance cover a portion of your treatment cost, you will be waiving your right to confidentiality as related to the information your insurance carrier requires.

All providers at Charis can provide a superbill upon request. A superbill is an itemized list of services provided to a counseling client that acts to an insurance company as a receipt for counseling. Depending on your insurance, you might be eligible to submit superbills to your out-of-network plan(s) for monetary reimbursement.  Please contact your insurance company for further details regarding your specific plan(s) and the process to submit a superbill to your insurance provider.

A Good Faith Estimate is provided to all clients NOT utilizing their insurance to pay for counseling services.

You are entitled to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of what the anticipated charges might be for psychotherapy services provided to you. While it is not possible for a psychotherapist to know, in advance, how many psychotherapy sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person, the GFE provides an estimate of the cost of services provided. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of psychotherapy sessions you attend, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you. The GFE is not a contract and does not obligate you to obtain any services from the provider(s) listed, nor does it include any services rendered to you that are not identified here. 

A Good Faith Estimate is not intended to serve as a recommendation for treatment or a prediction that you may need to attend a specified number of psychotherapy visits. The number of visits that are appropriate in your case, and the estimated cost for those services, depends on your needs and what you agree to in consultation with your therapist.  

You are entitled to disagree with any recommendations made to you concerning your treatment and you may discontinue treatment at any time. You have a right to initiate a dispute resolution process if the actual amount charged to you substantially exceeds the estimated charges stated in your Good Faith Estimate (which means $400 or more beyond the estimated charges).

You are encouraged to speak with your provider at any time about any questions you may have regarding your treatment plan, or the information provided to you in a Good Faith Estimate.

To learn more about your rights and protections as a consumer, please visit: www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers