Frequently asked questions
Questions about working together? Let us help.
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New client inquiries are encouraged to fill out our contact form or email us at hello@bluenotepsychotherapy.com for a prompt response. Inquiries may also call 512.718.3231 and leave a detailed message with your name, return phone number, reason for calling, and preferred clinician.
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Yes! In addition to teletherapy, we offer in-person sessions at our office in the Clarksville neighborhood of Central Austin.
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1502 W. 6th St. Austin, Tx 78703
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We use an EHR software called Owl Practice to provide secure video-chat teletherapy services through an encrypted link. It is confidential and HIPAA compliant, ensuring sessions are secure, reliable, and easy-to-use from any device!
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Session fees are dependent on the clinician you work with and the type of session (individual or family) and the duration of the session (50-minute, 60-minute or extended) you schedule. The clinician you work with will go over their specific fees during your initial consultation call and you may refer to the clinician bio for their fee range, including availability of sliding scale.
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Currently, our clinicians are private pay and do not accept insurance. We do however offer a superbill for clients to collect out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance provider.
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A superbill is a particular invoice that we supply to clients for them to submit to their insurance company to receive a direct reimbursement for out-of-network reimbursement. Not all insurance networks provide reimbursement, however if your policy has an out-of-network reimbursement plan then you are eligible to file a superbill. It is encouraged for clients to inquire about the percentage of reimbursement provided by your policy, and our practice will help guide the process of filing.
We cannot guarantee reimbursement and you are responsible for the full payment at the time of services. Please note that in order to use out-of-network benefits, the insurance company will require a clinical diagnosis and may require access to your records.
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There is no fee when sessions are canceled 48-hours in advance of the scheduled session.. Sessions canceled less than 48-hours before the scheduled session are subject to the full session fee. The late cancellation fee is standard for therapy sessions and is not meant to be punitive, but is to ensure your therapist is compensated for the time that they devoted to you and the slot which was held specifically for you in their schedule. Your therapist may be able to work with you in rescheduling your appointment during the week of the cancellation as their schedule allows. Frequent rescheduling may lend to a reschedule fee depending on the inconvenience to the clinician.
When scheduling with a clinician during a holiday, sessions must be canceled two weeks in advance or are subject to the full session fee. This is due to the limited number of sessions available during a holiday week.
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Before your first session you will complete intake paperwork through your Owl Practice portal account, Owl Practice, for your clinician to review. During your first session, you and your clinician will go through a thorough intake process, gathering information about your history and current status, while also answering questions you may have. This is where you are able to share things you have liked or not liked about your previous therapeutic experiences, if you have them, and where you can share why you are seeking therapy.
The intake involves your clinician asking questions designed to get to know you better, establish your motivation for therapy, and build client-therapist rapport. One way to think about the intake session is that it is the first of many rich conversations designed to create trust and a deep therapeutic connection in order to work through emotionally challenging topics. It is also when clinicians may offer feedback about their clinical lens and how they envision best approaching the issues that bring you to therapy.
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There is no one answer or “right” answer to this question, as the length and duration of psychotherapy is dependent on each client! In your first few sessions with your therapist, you will discuss your specific goals for therapy and establish how long you *may* work together. Clinicians do NOT offer guarantees on timelines for therapy, as therapy is a scientifically-informed art process. Therapeutic interventions are tailored to each case, and as the self-reflective process unfolds, the client shifts given their understanding and immediate needs resulting in a change of focus during the course of therapy.
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Your therapist is unable to guarantee that they are reachable after hours. Each clinician will review their availability to attend to crisis calls/emails outside of clinic hours and establish a safety plan, if needed. In case of an emergency, you should always call 911. If it is after-hours and you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988. Travis County residents are encouraged to contact Integral Care for 24/7 acute mental health crises at 512.472.HELP (4357)
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We maintain best practices to ensure the absolute confidentiality of session content and the privacy of our clients. All sessions, whether conducted in-person or virtually, are confidential with the exception of 4 instances where your clinician is state mandated to report: 1) when a client shares they pose an imminent threat to themselves or someone else; 2) when a minor client shares that they have been hurt or are being actively hurt, or when a client shares that a senior citizen is being harmed; 3) when a client shares that another mental health professional has acted unethically or illegally; 4) when a clinician is subpoenaed by a judge to turn over records. In all four cases, your clinician will use their discernment following the standard of care to share only what is appropriate to the report and required.
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The No Surprises Act (Good Faith Estimate) aims to increase price transparency and reduce the likelihood that clients receive a "surprise" medical bill by requiring that providers inform clients of an estimated expected charge for a service(s) before the service is provided.
Starting January 1, 2022, state-licensed or certified health care providers, including behavioral health care providers, are required by law to give uninsured and self-pay clients a good faith estimate of costs for services when scheduling care or when the client requests an estimate. The Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of items and services that are fair to market priced and curated for your health care needs for an item or service. The estimate is based on information known at the time the estimate was created.
You have the right to request a hard copy of the Good Faith Estimate, and you have a right to engage in a dispute resolution process if the actual costs of services included in your estimate significantly exceed what is in the estimate.
The Good Faith Estimate is NOT a contract.
While surprise costs are not something we generally encountered in our practice, you should know that your Good Faith Estimate will not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. However, if you are billed for significantly more than your Good Faith Estimate for the services indicated on the estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill using the following dispute resolution options:
To dispute the charges, first contact your clinician and let them know the billed charges are higher than the Good Faith Estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available. You can also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date of the original 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. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount.
To learn more and get a form to start the dispute process, go to: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call HHS at (800) 368-1019. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call HHS at (800) 368-1019.
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