The following information is offered up front to provide a clear explanation and understanding of our policies. We operate our counseling center on the premise of integrity and transparency. What is posted on this page is what you can expect. The fees and policies are described in detail so you can make informed decisions about your health care and avoid ‘surprises’.
The fee schedule and policies may seem overly straight forward as you first read through them. Please know that each paragraph is based on many years of experience in providing therapeutic services to our community. The purpose of these guidelines is three-fold: first, to promote professionalism and consistency on our part by maintaining affordable and flexible therapeutic opportunities for you. Secondly, to prevent a small minority of people from wasting the counselor’s time and thus preventing us from serving others in need. Thirdly, to accomplish those goals, we endeavor to ensure a few non-payers and ‘No Shows’ do not run up the cost of providing services which directly impacts all other patients. We thank you ahead of time for your understanding and willingness to trust us with your care.
Counselor Self-Pay Fee Schedule: The following self-pay fee schedule is effective as of January 1, 2024 and will affect new all clients. Updated fees for current clients will take affect withing 30 days of individual notification. Our last increase was January 1, 2022 and April 1, 2018 respectively. The schedule has built-in payment options based on credentialing / licensure status, level of expertise, training, and education – from practicum students to doctoral level therapists. A client has an array of professional counselors from which to choose. Each credentialing step is described with their corresponding fees. Regardless of credentialing, each self-pay intake is approximately 90 minutes with normal sessions being 45-50 minutes. A normal double session may be up to 120 minutes with a possible short break. Each insurance paid intake and normal session is 50 to 60 minutes as determined by the insurance company.
The credentialed levels are as follows:
Practicum Students. Having completed a bachelor’s degree, these individuals are in the last stages of their master’s degree program in marriage and family counseling, general psychology, social work, or related field. Generally, they are fulfilling the state mandated degree program that requires a minimum number of face-to-face counseling hours. Without it, they are ineligible to graduate! Practicum student interns serve the client under the auspices and close supervision of his/her psychology department chair. Here at Homestead Hope Counseling, on site supervision is provided by the Director of Clinical Care. These counselor interns are able to provide self-pay intake and regular sessions. They cannot accept insurance.
Licensed Professional Counselor Associates (LPC Associates) & Social Work Associates (SW Associates). LPC and Social Work Associates have graduated from a master’s degree program in marriage and family counseling, general psychology, social work, or related field. They have passed a National Counselor’s Exam or Social Work equivalent, Juris Prudence Exam, and have been awarded a Provincial License by the State of Texas. They are actively fulfilling the state mandated minimum number of supervised counseling hours required to receive full licensure. In the process, these associates are provided a minimum of one hour of interaction and instruction by their supervisor every week. All associates providing services at Homestead Hope Counseling are supervised by either the Director of Clinical Care or another employee licensed to supervise. These professional associates are able to provide self-pay intake and regular sessions. They cannot accept insurance. Double sessions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). These categories are licensed counselors. The LPC is a more generalized licensure qualified to assist in multiple areas from marriage and family issues to addictions. The LMFT is focused primarily on marriage and family but usually broaden their scope to many other areas of expertise. The LMSW is qualified to conduct family counseling, but is also educated in community social work. Each LPC, LMFT, and LMSW have completed the rigors of the Associate as described above and hence, are fully licensed to counsel without supervision. Though not under supervision, they are required by state law to maintain a minimum number of Continuing Education Credit hours (CEU) annually. Here at Homestead Hope, they all work under the watchful eye of the Director of Clinical Care. We meet regularly with each other and with various professional groups to maintain the sharp edge counseling requires. These counselors are able to provide self-pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case-by-case basis.
Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S). Supervisors are Licensed Professional Counselors who have been counseling for at least five years prior to subjecting themselves to additional rigors of training and specialization. Their level of expertise has been enhanced by additional state required training that enables them to teach, guide and supervise practicum student interns and licensed associates in multiple areas of theoretical models, counseling techniques, and law and ethics, to name a few topics. Some supervisors are eligible to teach undergraduate and graduate level courses in the areas of psychology and counseling. These counselors are able to provide self-pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case by case basis.
Doctoral Level Therapists. These counselors are licensed as those above. However, they have a higher level of education with clinical counseling or empirical research being the core of their doctoral dissertation. They have earned a doctorate degree and the accompanying title of ‘Doctor.’ They are not Medical Doctors (MD) and therefore, do not prescribe or manage medication. Though knowledgeable in pharmaceuticals, most are not considered experts in the field. These counselors can provide self-pay intake and regular sessions. Some may accept insurance on a case-by-case basis.
Prepare / Enrich and SYMBIS Premarital and Marital Assessments: $105
Office Resources: As a ministry, we provide helpful resources in our reception area. Most pamphlets are free; books, CDs, DVDs are not. A ‘Finder’s fee’ is as marked on the resource. The finder’s fee charged for resources is not covered by insurance. A Health Saving Account (HSA) card cannot be used for such purchases. The charge may be paid via cash, check or credit card on file.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Homestead Hope Counseling Services, LLC is not able to render services without a valid credit card on file, beginning with the very first appointment. Due to the rise of unforeseen and or unpredictable nonpayment, debit cards are NOT acceptable. Unfortunately, there can be no exceptions to this policy, so please, do not request one. Effiective May 1, 2023 each card transaction will incur an automatic three percent (3%) service fee.
Those using a HSA card may do so for insurance related services only. The HSA card cannot legally be used to pay for ANY other fees or costs. Therefore, those using a HSA card will also need to provide a non-HSA credit card to cover other costs.
Credit card and insurance payments may be accepted on a case-by-case basis depending on the company. All fees, deductibles or co-payments are due at the beginning of session, except for the first session. Payment for the first session will be accepted when the appointment is made, usually via credit card. The first appointment cannot be scheduled without the deposit. In the event that you are unable to keep an appointment, to include the first appointment, we ask that you notify us at least 48 hours in advance in order to avoid being charged a Cancellation Fee. If notification is made inside of the 48-hour window, a Cancellation Fee of $105 for the first (Intake) session or $75 for each session hour thereafter will be charged immediately to your credit card on file. Failing to present oneself or minor child at the allotted time without prior notification of cancelation is considered a No Show. Cancelling the appointment after the appointed time has passed is also considered a No-Show. The No-Show Fee is equal to the full self-pay fee as stated above and applies to ALL appointments, to include the first appointment, and to ALL clients (self-pay, EAP or insurance), and is payable immediately via your credit card on file. An invoice indicating Cancellation or No-Show fees will be provided at your request. Although there may be legitimate reasons for missing an appointment, you are never-the-less responsible for payment – not your insurance carrier and not the counseling center. For legitimate reasons beyond the client’s control, the Director of Clinical Care may opt to waive the first cancellation fee, if he believes it is warranted. After that however, there are no waivers. The office staff nor counselors are authorized to waive or change fees. In addition, all credit card typ48transactions will incur a three percent (3%) service fee.
The office number is 817-812-3021. Leaving a voice mail is NOT considered appropriate notification. You may leave a message, if necessary, but you should follow up with a phone call to ensure the notification has been received. An email to [email protected] is also helpful. That too should be followed up with a phone call. You will know your appointment is cancelled when you receive a notification via Full Slate, our scheduling service. Full Slate will not allow you to make or cancel appointments within the 48-hour window. In that case, you will need to call the office.
If the appointment is outside the 48-hour window, you can cancel by clicking on the link in your email notification message. It will take you to Full Slate. Scheduling and rescheduling, but not cancelling, can be done via our web site by clicking on the Appointment tab, or by calling the office. First time clients will need to call the office to set up their first appointment. You can also manage your appointments by going directly to your Full Slate account.
Scheduled appointment times are not adjusted according to arrival times. If you are late, you can expect the session to end at the prearranged time.
Other Fees: A fee equal to the cost of a normal session will be charged for telephone consultations and or administrative duties that are over and above normal charting. Oral or written communications with the client, family members, other practitioners, hospitals, insurance companies, employers, union representatives, courts, CPS, etc. are chargeable to the client or insurance carrier, which ever applies. The intent here is not to nickel and dime the client but to discourage and minimize out of session discussions and activities.
The non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for returned checks is $30 per incident – not per appointment. The non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for a declined credit card charge is $10 per incident – not per appointment. We will attempt to process the card once per day for a maximum of three days. Example: If we attempt to bill a card three times, and all three attempts are declined, the total fee would be $30. It is very important to ensure the card is active at the time of services. All fees are due and payable immediately via credit card on file. A HSA card cannot be used to pay for NSF fees.
Returning Clients: We attempt to maintain the self-pay price throughout the first year of the therapeutic process without cost increases. However, if a client terminates treatment for a period of six months or more, they are subject to whatever increase has taken place since their departure. New fees will apply upon their return. Those who have returned to therapy after a 12-month or more will also be asked to reinitiate the entire intake process, as a lot can happen in a year’s time.
Automatic Payments: All clients, who are uninsured, insured, or whose insurance does not cover the cost of mental health counseling services are personally responsible for all payments. Any balance not paid for by the end of the scheduled session will be automatically charged to your designated credit card on file. You may request a receipt for services to submit to your carrier for out of network reimbursement. The outcome of such an attempt is between you and the carrier, not Homestead Hope.
As a courtesy to you, we may elect to bill your health insurance carrier on your behalf and wait up to but no longer than 60 days for payment. Please remember however, that you are ultimately responsible for payment. After 60 days, if the insurance company has not paid the bill for what reason, your credit card will be charged any and all unpaid amounts without further notice. Any double payments made will be immediately refunded to you. Past due fees may be sent to a collection agency and reported to the credit bureau at our discretion.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the office. Our staff will be more than happy to serve you.
