This is No, we do not. Our center is not on insurance panels, so payment is collected at the time of service. However, many of our clients independently file for reimbursement with their insurance companies, and we will support you in that process by providing you with the documentation you will need. To learn whether your insurance covers counseling sessions, you can call them and ask whether they provide "mental health benefits for out-of-network providers." If they do, they will require specific information on your statements. Please inquire about what specific items are needed so that we can facilitate the process for you as smoothly as possible.where the description goes.

Super important question! And the answer is, it depends on the therapist you see.

Rates for LPCs, LMFTs, and LCSWs are $150, with the exception of Carolyn and Rachelle ($170), and Kerry ($200). Our LPC-Associate / LMFT-Associate rate is $105. We encourage you to investigate other options, because we believe you will find that these rates are very competitive with other therapists' rates in Austin who have the same credentials and levels of experience.

That’s a very important question. In the state of Texas, LPCs and LMFTs must have a master’s degree in counseling with specific course requirements, including a significant amount of hands-on experience in the field of counseling. They must also pass the NCE (National Counselor Exam), which is quite extensive.

Once an LPC or LMFT candidate completes their degree and passes their NCE, they apply for a provisional license from the state of Texas . Once that provisional license is granted, they become an LPC-Associate or an LMFT-Associate. At that point, they may begin professional counseling. An LPC-Associate and an LMFT-Associate must earn 3,000 hours of supervised counseling experience in order to become an LPC or LMFT, during which time they meet with their supervisor weekly (at ALCS, that supervisor is Kerry) to be mentored and consult about their cases.

At ALCS, we invest a lot into our program for Associates. Not only do we want to create ripples of change in our community from top-notch counseling, but we want to multiply these ripples through the Associate therapists’ careers and lives that we shape. Consequently, our Associates receive extensive mentoring, training, and support in order to maintain a level of care that reflects ALCS standards. We are very proud of the work our Associates do, and believe our Associates are a powerful resource for our clients and our community. Not only are they well-trained, but their fees are lower and we require that they have more convenient hours. These factors make therapy with an Associate a great value for our clients! You can feel confident about the level of care you will receive when you meet with one of these gifted clinicians!

While we encourage each of our therapists to pursue specialized training, some levels of training require much more investment of both time and financial resources. Depending on the certification, these credentials may require multiple post-graduate-level courses, as well as supervision and mentoring by specialists in their field of expertise. Kerry’s certification in sex therapy, Carolyn’s certification in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and Rachelle’s certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are all examples of advanced certifications. That doesn’t mean that others can’t do therapy for sexual issues or can’t be proficient practitioners of EMDR or EFT. However, a higher level of training and greater depth of skill should be expected at this level, and the cost for a therapist with these advanced certifications will reflect the investments they have made. Therefore, a therapist with this level of expertise may be out of reach for some.

The good news is that our staff is a team of professionals that assist one another as we strive to be the best clinicians we can be at our particular level of experience and training. Not only is ALCS very selective in who we invite to join our team, but team members often consult with one another so that those who have less training in a particular area benefit from those who have more. We are better together and serve our community more effectively because of one another!

No. You are paying for your therapist's time. The number of people in the room has no bearing on cost.

Potentially yes. That is an important issue to discuss with our office staff, so please bring that up when you are inquiring (a phone call is best for that question). Office staff can help you understand the ins and outs of credentials and what they mean and why they matter. We want you to be informed and not have any financial surprises! We know that therapy is an investment and we want to honor that.

Some therapists do have a limited amount of sliding scale slots, but it may be that your preferred therapist does not. Generally, fully licensed and advanced certification therapists do not offer sliding scale rates, since our Associate program is designed to meet the needs of those in our community with financial need.

At ALCS, it is our desire to serve those who come to us for help regardless of their financial resources. The primary way we try to accomplish that is with top-notch Associates, who can charge a lower fee. For those clients with limited financial resources, we try to offset the cost of counseling as we are able. Since we are not non-profit, we cannot accept donations, which means that we must generate all of the income necessary to keep our center financially viable. Therefore, sliding scale slots may be limited, particularly for certain therapists. To request consideration for a sliding scale rate, you can email our office directly for an application. Once you have completed the application, it will be submitted for processing to determine what percentage of a therapist's rate you should be able to pay based on your financial resources. Please note that these are combined family resources, not necessarily the resources of the client. You may be asked to submit proof of your income, or you may be asked further questions for clarification so that we can have the most accurate understanding of your financial situation possible. Once we process your information to see what you should be able to pay, the therapist(s) you are interested in look at their schedule to determine how much they are already giving away with their current caseload. It may be that you technically qualify for a lower rate, but that your desired therapist cannot offer that rate to you. Once the rate you would receive is established, our office staff will reach out to you to notify you of your rate. If you are able to pay the rate you are offered, they will help you take next steps to schedule at that time.

Great question! You are welcome to ask your therapist for input once you are a client, but for the most part, that decision is up to you. Some therapists may be unable to offer weekly sessions, so every other week, every four weeks, or "as needed" would be your only options. For other therapists, it often depends upon the severity of symptoms you are experiencing. If you would like to come weekly at first until things level out a bit you may do so, or if you prefer to come every other week, that is fine, too. Generally at first, it is good to plan on at least every other week, since it can be hard to get "traction" when sessions are more spaced out than that. Session time may be spent "catching up" since the last session instead of digging down into the deeper work that needs to be done. As you progress, your therapist will space your sessions out more and more until you no longer need to come in or just want to come in every now and then for a "check in."

Unfortunately, there is often not enough of us to go around, so please be patient with our phone system and leave messages. If no one answers right away when you call, it means we are either helping a client, on another line, away from our desk, or not open at the time of your call. (We are not scheduled to be in the office in the evenings or on weekends). When potential clients call, we want to be available to answer questions and help them make the decisions best for their needs. This can take a good bit of time, so it is likely that you will need to leave a message and we will return your call when we are able. Most of your questions can be answered on our website. It will be extremely helpful if you can educate yourself as much as possible on our website before your call. If your need is a yes / no or quick answer, an email is often the most efficient way to correspond, since phone calls often take longer and office staff plans accordingly. We want your experience with us to be as welcoming and helpful as possible and will do our best to return your inquiry in a timely manner!