Frequently Asked Questions

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Every person experiences periods of stress, sadness, conflict, grief, and anxiety at varying times throughout their lives. However, if these uncomfortable feelings last more than a few days, it is probably a good time to reach out for help. More often than not, people do not seek help as often as they should or quickly enough, which may intensify symptoms and can lead to further psychological issues and emotional stress. If you find yourself repeating the same thoughts in relation to fears, anxiety, sadness, anger, or other issues, a therapist will help you to uncover the reasons behind the emotions as well as a pathway forward using new tools to help you process your emotions and respond in healthier ways. 

 With any therapist, you can and should expect to be treated with kindness, an open mind, nonjudgment, empathy, and a safe environment to express all your thoughts and emotions without regard as to how it will be perceived by the therapist. The therapeutic relationship, unlike friendships or family, is one-directional. You should never be concerned about how your therapist will feel about anything you might say. Instead, the therapeutic environment is one where you should feel completely at home to express your thoughts and fears and know that you will be always treated with respect and dignity, no matter what choices you may have made in the past or what brought you to counseling in the first place. 

Everything you share is completely confidential. There are only a couple legal exceptions to this; please refer to the document entitled “Confidentiality Agreement” under the Forms Tab for a full explanation of your legal and ethical rights as it pertains to confidentiality. This will also be addressed in your first session with your therapist. 

As with many questions pertaining to the therapeutic process, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It is entirely dependent on you, what you are seeking in counseling, and what you are hoping to achieve. For some clients, we are able to reach solutions in a relatively brief timeframe. Other issues require more time to fully unbundle and understand what will provide sustainable change. (Insurance companies often limit the number of sessions based on a diagnosis and generally it is far fewer than what will be helpful in the long run. Please see the question pertaining to insurance, below, for more information on using insurance and managed care restraints.) Because Nocatee Ponte Vedra Counseling & Wellness focuses on the individual and not on a diagnosis, your treatment plan will be fully customizable and determined together by you and your therapist. 

There are several stages to the counseling process, and people move through them at different paces depending on their own personalities, the severity and/or number of issues, and commitment. While there are often unexpected twists and turns that may arise, the typical experience might look like the following: initial discussion of current issues, an exploration of how and why a person is where he or she is at present, other environmental factors contributing to mental well-being, and the uncovering of other issues perhaps not known at the initialization of counseling. Once the client gains understanding and awareness, a commitment to action follows.

To achieve success in counseling there must be an agreed upon partnership and collaboration between the client and the therapist. In fact, the therapeutic relationship is extremely important – if you do not feel you connect well with a therapist, consider trying someone else. A positive therapeutic alliance is founded upon trust, respect, and unconditional empathy. Lastly, it is important to understand that it takes work to achieve sustainable change. Your therapist may ask you to do certain things outside of your session; the commitment you make to yourself includes embracing new ideas or behaviors that may be unfamiliar.

The initial intake session is $230 and generally lasts an hour (or a bit longer.) During this session, critical background information is gathered as well as a full description of current issues. While the initial session will not uncover all that may need to be addressed, it is an important time for the therapist to gather pertinent information that will guide treatment. Subsequent sessions are $200 and generally last 50 minutes. 

Our psychotherapists are available via email, phone, and text for the purposes of booking appointments. There are times that you and your therapist may correspond briefly outside of therapy, and if it is limited, this will not constitute therapy time. However, if it becomes excessive, this time will be billed in 15-minute increments based upon the $200 hourly rate.

Understanding the insurance process as it pertains to your mental health is very important and will help guide you when you are looking for a licensed, professional therapist. Many clinicians have responded to the extreme restraints of managed care by making the decision to become “out-of-network providers,” meaning that you will pay for services at the time you see your therapist, and then the therapist can provide you with what is called a “superbill” to submit to your insurance company. The amount you are reimbursed will depend on your policy. We are considered an out-of-network provider, so you may choose to request a superbill to submit to your insurer, or you may elect to self-pay.

If you do choose to use insurance, here are some things we want you to know and understand about insurance coverage and therapy:

• Your therapist MUST diagnose you to be reimbursed. Managed care has forced a “medical model” for mental well-being, meaning you must be labeled with an illness or disorder according to the DSM-5. This diagnosis will be a part of your permanent medical record, which can impact future employment or future health coverage.
• Your records are not 100% protected. Your insurer may audit your records at any time, and this may be done by a claims specialist, a human resources specialist, or others who have clearance at the company to review records. As out-of-network providers as opposed to in-network providers, we have the flexibility to submit only the diagnosis and no further information on the superbill.
• If you choose an in-network provider, your care is dictated by the insurer, not your therapist or you. Insurance companies demand a detailed treatment plan for every single client with in-network providers, and for each diagnosis, they already have a certain number of sessions they will cover. Generally, that number is far fewer than what most therapists agree are acceptable and reasonable.

If you have further questions about navigating the insurance world and mental health, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our therapists are happy to help explain the process or answer questions relating to your specific situation.