FAQs

• What is the difference between a Graduate Student Intern, APC, and LPC/LMFT?

  Graduate Student Interns are currently working towards their Master’s degrees in counseling. They are under direct individual supervision and attend group supervision weekly, giving you more therapeutic oversight. They are required to follow all guidelines instilled by the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners. Our Graduate Student Interns are a great option for those who need a lower fee and/or a less complex treatment plan.
  
  Associate Professional Counselors, or APCs, are counselors who have completed their Master’s Degree and have been approved by the state licensure board to see clients as they work towards achieving professional licensure status. They are under the direct supervision by licensed supervisors, giving more therapeutic oversight and are required to follow all guidelines instilled by the Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners. Our Associate Professional Counselors are a great option for those needing a lower fee.
  
  A Licensed Professional Counselor, or LPC, is a counselor who has a Master’s degree and has completed their post graduate hours for licensure. They are recognized by the state licensing board and are required to renew their licenses every two years.
  
  A Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, or LMFT, is a therapist who has a Master’s degree and has completed their post graduate hours for licensure. They are recognized by the state licensing board and are required to renew their licenses every two years.

• How long does therapy last?

  The specific amount of time that requires varies greatly by the client, ranging anywhere from 6-8 weeks to 1-2 years. Our counselors are continually reevaluating treatment goals and plans to adjust therapy to your specific needs. You can discuss with your counselor any thoughts or concerns you have about the length of therapy, knowing that we are always focused on helping you progress toward your goals as efficiently as possible.
  
  We want you to know that we are committed to working with you as long as it takes to meet your specific goals and help you achieve holistic health and healing.
  
  We offer 50 minute sessions for individuals and 80 minute sessions for couples and families. We also offer extended sessions and intensives for a more accelerated process.
  
  Lastly, you pay per session. This means you are not tied to a certain number of sessions and can end therapy at any time.

• What is your fee for counseling?

  The following fees are based on 50 minutes sessions. If a session is longer than 50 minutes, then the fee increases based on the amount of time added.
  
  Fees for LPCs & LMFTs are $175-250 per 50 minute session.
  
  Fees for LCSW are $150-200 per 50 minute session.
  
  Fees for APCs are $125-175 per 50 minute session.
  
  Fees for Master’s Level Clinicians are $90-110 per 50 minute session.
  
  Fees for Graduate Student Interns are $60 per 50 minute session.
  
  All clients paying out of pocket are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate before the first appointment. These are available upon request and automatically given to each new client who is not using insurance.

• What is a Good Faith Estimate?

  You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have certain types of health care coverage or who are not using certain types of health care coverage an estimate of their bill for health care items and services before those items or services are provided.

  • You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any health care items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services.

  • If you schedule a health care item or service at least 3 business days in advance, make sure your health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule a health care item or service at least 10 business days in advance, make sure your health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after scheduling. You can also ask any health care provider or facility for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you do, make sure the health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after you ask.

  • If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more for any provider or facility than your Good Faith Estimate from that provider or facility, you can dispute the bill.

  • Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate and the bill.

  For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-985-3059.

  PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: CMS is authorized to collect the information on this form and any supporting documentation under section 2799B-7 of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 112 of the No Surprises Act, title I of Division BB of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260). We need the information on the form to process your request to initiate a payment dispute, verify the eligibility of your dispute for the PPDR process, and to determine whether any conflict of interest exists with the independent dispute resolution entity selected to decide your dispute. The information may also be used to: (1) support a decision on your dispute; (2) support the ongoing operation and oversight of the PPDR program; (3) evaluate selected IDR entity’s compliance with program rules. Providing the requested information is voluntary. But failing to provide it may delay or prevent processing of your dispute, or it could cause your dispute to be decided in favor of the provider or facility.

• Do you accept insurance?

  Certain Hopeology Wellness therapists are approved providers for Tri-Care Humana Military and Aetna as mental health providers. If you wish to use either of these insurances, please let the Intake Team know of this.
  

  If you are seeing a LPC or an LMFT and have another insurance company, we can provide a Super Bill. With this document, you can file your own Out-of-Network claim with your insurance company. We cannot guarantee they will pay your claim; we encourage you to call your insurance company if this is an option you wish to explore. Graduate Student Interns are not allowed to bill insurance.

• Does my insurance cover marriage counseling?

  Many insurance plans do NOT cover marriage counseling. You are strongly encouraged to contact your insurance provider to learn about which counseling options they might cover.

• What is Christian counseling & how is it different from non-Christian counseling?

  At Hopeology Wellness, we believe all truth is God’s truth. Therefore, we believe truth can be found in science, including psychological theories and models and we choose to implement these as they feel appropriate with each client. As Christian counselors, we use the Bible as the source of Truth and view the Holy Spirit as the ultimate Counselor who brings hope and healing.
  
  Christian counseling is not the same as talking with a priest or pastor. Clergy are neither trained in professional counseling models or theories nor held to the same professional standard of autonomy, which is the principle that counselors are to foster the client’s right to choose the direction of his or her own life. Our goal is to help each client make wise choices that they can feel good about. We do not choose for you, including what you believe.
  
  Clients from all religious backgrounds are welcome at Hopeology Wellness and we respect their beliefs.

• I might prefer non-Christian counseling. Should I still consider seeing a Hopeology Wellness counselor?

  Our short answer is, yes! And also, we understand that it might feel important to you for your counselor to share the same faith.
  
  Here are a few things to think about when looking for a counselor – here or anywhere:

  • Every counselor has a personal worldview. This means that every counselor has an individual answer to questions like “Why are we here?” or “What is our purpose?” At Hopeology Wellness, we want you to know that we have a Christian worldview so you don’t feel surprised later.

  • A professional counselor is trained with the client in mind. Therefore, the counselor’s personal views should not impact the professional relationship. If you do not want faith convictions to be a part of your counseling process, we will work with you to achieve your counseling goals.

  • A counselor cannot force you to believe his/her worldview is true, whether Christian or not. All religious backgrounds are welcomed and respected at Hopeology Wellness.

  • If you pray, then Hopeology Wellness encourages you to pray about who would be a good therapeutic fit for you and your specific needs.

• What type of clients do you see?

  Hopeology Wellness provides professional counseling to individuals, couples, families, children, and teens. We specialize in helping people find hope for full-bodied healing (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, relational) while living in an unrelenting world. Check out all the individual counselors’ profile pages for more information.

• What can I expect before and during my first appointment? How long should this appointment be?

  Each client’s first session will last 80 minutes. This ensures that you have enough time to go over paperwork, talk about your goals for counseling, and develop a treatment plan with your counselor.

  Before the appointment, you will be asked to complete Intake paperwork. No session will begin without a client having an active credit card on file for billing purposes.

• I have never engaged in counseling before. What else do I need to know?

  Your counselor will begin by getting to know you in order to define your current counseling needs and partner with you to develop a plan that serves you. Together you may determine that your needs are more immediate and short term, but sometimes longer term patterns and experiences are surfaced which may require longer term work. Regardless, your counselor will seek to collaborate to determine what best serves you.

• Can I schedule an appointment for someone else?

  You may schedule an appointment for a minor (<18 years of age) if you are a legal guardian. Anyone 18 years and older is legally required to schedule an appointment for themselves.