FAQ

To schedule an initial appointment, please call our office at (407) 338-3568. You will speak directly with a therapist to discuss your presenting concerns and make sure Hartwell Counseling is the right fit for you.

At Hartwell Counseling, we provide child therapy, individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy. For more information on each, please see the Services page.

The fee for a 50-minute individual session is $125. Family and couples sessions are $150, and are typically 90-minutes. Sliding scale options are available for select clients who meet the financial assistance guidelines. Please call our office and visit the Rates and Payments page for more information.

We accept all major credit cards, cash, check, and health savings debit cards. All clients must have a credit card on file to hold an appointment, even if that is not the form of payment being used.

We do not accept insurance, but are happy to supply you with a super bill so that you may submit it to your insurance provider for potential reimbursement. Please be advised that submitting a claim to insurance for potential reimbursement will require the assignment of a mental health diagnosis.

During your first session, also known as an intake session, you can expect to be asked a variety of questions in order for your therapist to better understand your presenting concerns, your history, solutions that have been unsuccessful in the past, as well as your goals and commitment to the therapy process. You will also be asked to complete intake paperwork and sign forms detailing practice policies and confidentiality information. We recommend printing and completing the intake paperwork before your initial session if possible in order to make the most of your session time. Paperwork can be found and printed from the Resources page.

The practice of confidentiality is a requirement for therapists, and most healthcare professionals, to protect a client’s privacy. This means that anything you discuss in therapy, as well as your participation in therapy, is confidential and cannot be shared without the client’s consent. However, there are exceptions to confidentiality rules and it is important to be familiar with these limits before your initial session

• The client is a threat to themselves or others
• There is a suspicion or allegation of abuse of a child, older adult, or someone who is disabled
• The therapist has been court ordered by a judge to release client information due to legal proceedings

To further protect a client’s confidentiality, it is common for therapists not to acknowledge clients in public. If you see your therapist in a public setting, it is at your own discretion if you would like to initiate contact with them. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed outside of the counseling office.

Confidentiality for children and adolescents can get a bit tricky. Ultimately, parents always maintain the right to view or obtain their child’s mental health records throughout therapy, however, we have found that therapy services are much more effective for children and adolescents when they are assured by their parents that what is discussed between them and their therapist will not be disclosed to their parents. As is always the case, if anything is revealed in session that is a threat to the client’s safety, that information will be disclosed to the parents and additional resources will be discussed to keep the child safe.

Clients typically see results faster when attending regularly scheduled sessions once a week.

Therapy sessions are typically 50 minutes for a child or individual session, and 90 minutes for a family or couples session.

If you are in a state of emergency, it is always the best course of action to call 911.