Frequently Asked Questions
What about insurance?
- While NLCC services are predominantly paid "out-of-pocket," we realize some individuals have health insurance that covers a portion of therapy sessions. If you would like to utilize your insurance benefits, you are welcome to pay for your session at the time of service; and your therapist will provide you with a receipt. You may then file this receipt with your insurance company and request that they send reimbursement directly to you. To learn more about your possible benefits, the following information may be helpful.
To verify your mental health benefits:
- 1. Consult your insurance card to find the number for “customer service,” “benefits,” “eligibility,” etc., or your card may be a specific number for “behavioral health” or “mental health” benefits.
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- 2. When you dial this number, be sure to inquire about “behavioral health” or “mental health” benefits, which may be different than your medical benefits.
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- 3. Inform the person verifying your benefits that you are NOT inquiring about inpatient or outpatient benefits (which is related to hospitalization for mental health issues); you are only inquiring about office visit benefits.
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- 4. And in the event that you have a future dispute with your insurance company, be sure to keep a record of the information that you gather, including
- A. the name of the customer service
- representative, who is helping you, and
- B. the date and time that you gathered the
- information.
Information necessary for your insurance customer service representative to verify your mental health benefits:
- 1. Your name, date of birth, address, & phone #.
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- 2. Your identification #, which you can find on your insurance card. If you have trouble locating your ID #, the customer service representative can likely locate this for you if you provide him/her the insured’s social security number.
If your insurance customer service representative identifies that you have applicable benefits, and you would like to learn more about how to use said benefits, you may ask the service representative the following questions:
- 1. Is my mental health plan an HMO or a PPO?
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- 2. If it is a PPO, what are my benefits for an "out-of-network" provider?
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- 3. Do I have a deductible (the deductible may be different for "in-network" and "out-of-network" benefits)?
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- 4. Has my deductible been satisfied? –If you have called a “behavioral health” or “mental health” number on your card, he/she may tell you that you must phone the main insurance company number to obtain this information.
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- 5. Does this "deductible year" run from Jan.—Dec.? If not, where am I in the cycle?
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- 6. What will be my co-pay?
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- 7. How many visits am I allowed per calendar year?
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- 8. Is pre-authorization required before I see a therapist? If so, ask your customer service representative for this phone number, as you will need this to pursue authorization.
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- 9. Is there a “pre-existing” clause?
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- 10. What diagnoses qualify for reimbursement?
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- 11. What types of licenses are accepted (i.e., Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, etc.)
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What about scheduling of sessions, duration of treatment, and possible referrals?
- All therapy is done in private sessions, individually, as a couple, or as a family. Therapy sessions are usually 45 minutes, once per week. If you prefer to see your therapist twice/week, please negotiate this with your individual therapist. The duration of therapy depends entirely on you, the issues that brought you into treatment, and the resolution that you experience while in treatment. In addition, a NLCC therapist may periodically see that another therapist may be better suited for you; and your therapist will invite a conversation in the first session about the possibility of referring you to another qualified, competent professional. Other times your therapist may see you may also be served by additional help, such as ruling out medical issues, and may refer you to your primary care physician, or to a psychiatrist if you may be served in this capacity, or group counseling, support groups, etc. In each case your therapist will evaluate what is best for you or your family, and discuss this with you.
Payment
NLCC accepts cash, personal check, and credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover).
Initial Consultation/”Mutual Interview”
- At NLCC, we are interested in trying to connect you with the therapist best suited for your needs. Thus, even from the first phone call, we believe that a good investment of time for both you and your therapist is to spend approximately five minutes on the phone to gather an idea of what issue(s) may invite you to seek counseling. And based on this information, your therapist may offer you a referral to another therapist, who may specialize in something that you seek, or offer to set an appointment.
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What shall I do with emergencies that occur outside of office hours?
- For severe or life-threatening psychiatric situations, immediately call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room. For non-life-threatening issues, you are welcome to phone your therapist and leave a message. Calls left before 5:30pm will be returned that business day; calls left after 5:30pm will be returned the following day. And therapeutic care/consultation telephone calls beyond five (5) minutes are charged at the session rate on a pro-rated basis. You are also welcome to communicate with your therapist via e-mail for such issues as scheduling, etc. However, because the internet is not a secure form of communication, we strongly recommend that you not pursue therapeutic issues in this format.
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