Frequently Asked Questions
When deciding to start therapy, it might feel difficult to know where to start. Check out this page to learn more about IRR and the therapeutic process.
If your questions aren't answered or you just prefer to talk to a live person, you can contact us at the link at the bottom of this page. We will do our very best to respond as quickly as possible. If you reach out in the evening or over the weekend, we will get back to you as soon as we are back in the office.
What are your hours?
Check with your individual therapist for their hours.
How do I make an appointment?
Making the decision to make your first appointment may have been a difficult one, and we want to make it as easy as possible for you. Please contact us for a brief phone consultation to make sure it is the right fit for you. After that, you can schedule online, email, or call any of our therapists to set your first appointment.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards, HSA and FSA cards, as well as cash and check. Payments will generally be made in the morning on the day of your scheduled appointment.
Do you accept insurance?
We are not on any insurance panels, however, we can provide you with a superbill that you may file with your insurance company if you have out-of-network coverage for mental health counseling. You would need to pay the therapist's full rate at time of service. For group therapy, you will be billed at the beginning of the month for the entire month.
Do you provide distance counseling?
Most therapists in the practice offer telehealth to Texas residents. At this time, we are only licensed to offer mental health counseling services to Texas residents. Some therapists offer brief coaching and consultation services for specific current issues, which would require a different consent form than counseling.
Is my therapy confidential?
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and therapist. No information is disclosed without prior written permission from the client. However, there are some exceptions required by law to this rule. These exceptions include:
Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person. The therapist is required to notify the police.
If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make every effort to work with the individual to ensure their safety. However, if an individual does not cooperate, additional measures may need to be taken.
By using insurance, the client allows their insurance company to access confidential information. This is the only way insurance will pay for sessions.
What is your cancellation policy?
There is a 48-hour cancellation policy. Clients will be charged in full for late cancellations or missed appointments. Clients are responsible for all fees at the time of the session and a credit card will need to be kept on file. Group counseling fees will be charged for the full month at the beginning of the month. There will be no refunds for missed group sessions.
What are your fees?
Check with your individual or group therapist for their rate(s). You will be provided a good faith estimate by your individual therapist prior to your first session. Rates for therapy at IRR range from $150-$225 for a 50-minute individual therapy session. The initial session and couple’s sessions will typically be more than the standard individual session rate. All rates are listed on the good faith estimate provided by each therapist before you begin counseling. The price difference is generally related to training, credentials, and experience. However, our clinical supervisors work to ensure that even our therapists with less experience are providing therapeutically sound therapy for you. We know that finding a therapist that meets your budgetary needs and your treatment goals can be difficult and we want to help you find the right match within our practice or help refer you in the right direction.
What if I can't afford it?
If the above rates do not work for your budget, we also offer therapy with counseling interns in their last year of graduate studies. Our counseling interns will always be supervised by a licensed counselor and an academic supervisor from their University. Our interns bring a fresh perspective, the latest research, and enthusiasm to our group practice. You can schedule with one of our counseling interns for $75-$100 for a 50-minute session.
How often will we meet for counseling?
Typically clients will come weekly or bi-weekly in the early stages of therapy. How frequently you come and how long your sessions last are decisions you will make together with your therapist at the end of your first session and revisit throughout your work together as needed. Our standard therapy sessions are 50-minutes long, but sometimes a longer session is recommended (especially for couples therapy and EMDR). Your initial session will typically be 60-75 minutes, as we are gathering a lot of information and getting to know one another. We factor in your goals, level of distress, resources, and availability when making recommendations about frequency of sessions.
Will I have homework between therapy sessions?
From time to time, your therapist may recommend videos or literature to read related to the issues you want to work on in therapy. Your therapist may also recommend journaling between sessions if it benefits your recovery process.
What is a good faith estimate?
Under Section 2799-6 of the Public Health Service Act, healthcare providers and healthcare facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of expected charges. *
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. If the agency reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on this Good Faith Estimate.
Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.
What is the difference between an LPC, LMFT, Associate, and Intern? Is my therapist qualified?
All our counselors are required to complete a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. After completion of their degree, therapists are required to complete post-graduate supervised hours in order to qualify for full licensure in their respective licenses. During this post-graduate working period they are called Associates. Our LPC Associates are supervised by Erin Wysong, who is licensed by the State of Texas as an LPC Supervisor. Our LMFT Associates also obtain supervision from an LMFT supervisor in the community.
While there are some differences in Professional Counselor (LPC) and Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT) licensure, everyone who works in our Practice specializes in working with individuals and couples who are seeking therapy for relationship concerns. Fully licensed therapists hold the credentials of LPC or LMFT and do not require formal clinical supervision, although regular consultation is encouraged and offered weekly in our collaborative team meeting.
We also have pre-graduate interns who work in our Practice. Interns have completed their master's level coursework but cannot graduate without completing three semesters of supervised therapy work. Our interns are eager to learn, enthusiastic, knowledgeable in the latest mental health research, and have a lot of guidance from a fully licensed supervisor within our practice as well as at their respective universities, which include SMU and UNT.
Our therapists are highly qualified with advanced academic training, supervised counseling work, and ongoing continuing education. Our therapists also specialize in certain issues and have obtained post-graduate advanced training and certifications in those areas. Most of our clinicians are also trained in at least one trauma modality.