Admission

If you decided to schedule an appointment, we want to congratulate you. SBHC values all of our clients and offer a high degree of professionalism. We have made it our highest priority to provide you with a confidential, warm, and friendly environment beginning with your first phone call and extending throughout the therapy process.

1st Session Check-In

For face-to-face appointments, please arrive 10-15 minutes early for your first session. Your contact information will be verified and we will ask you to upload a copy of your insurance card(s) and ID in the client portal. All of your intake paperwork should be completed which saves time and helps us move along in the process more efficiently. All fees or copays due will be collected before the start of the appointment. The credit card on file will be charged or you may choose to pay using another method. We accept cash and credit card (MC, Visa, Discover) which can be processed here on our website.

• Remember to bring your photo ID and any insurance card(s) with you to your first visit.
• All paperwork should be complete prior to scheduling your appointment to reduce wait time. 
• Please note: one legal guardian must be present for the 1st therapy session of any minor clients.

Phases of Treatment:

Diagnostic Assessment

At your first appointment, your therapist will gather detailed background information that includes who you are, your family history, medical history, and other pertinent information that may be impacting your mental health. You may also fill out some screening tools to assist in the process of clarifying your primary concerns. In some cases, with your permission, family members or significant others may attend this appointment to give additional perspectives and input. You will be given treatment options and make decisions about how to proceed. Your questions and feedback are always welcome and are a necessary part of our collaborative process.

Treatment Planning

Between your second and third appointment, you and your therapist will have completed a Treatment Plan. The plan will include your therapist’s clinical impressions, details of your therapy goals, therapy modalities to be used (i.e., cognitive-behavioral, insight-oriented, solution-focused, medication referral), and how your goals will be achieved. Your treatment plan will also include an estimated time frame for the completion of your goals. Whether your goal is to adapt to a new life transition, function more fully as an individual or embrace personal growth and healing, we will create a plan to help you achieve that goal. Once you have agreed on your Treatment Plan, you will be asked to sign it in the Client Portal. 

Treatment

The number of sessions that will make up the treatment phase will depend on the severity, complexity and medical necessity of your concerns.

Short-term therapy tends to be more solution-focused and dedicated to resolving a particular concern. Your therapist will usually give you homework assignments to work on between sessions and those assignments will be discussed at the next session. Typically short-term therapy averages between 6-12 kept appointments.

Long-term therapy is more focused on your past, or on more complex and multiple current problems. You will evaluate the patterns that have developed over your lifetime and how those are impacting your life currently. Long-term therapy is more focused on increasing insight and gaining understanding of how you think, feel and behave. Long-term therapy can extend to twenty or more appointments depending on your situation.

For both short-term and long-term therapy, initial (intake) appointments are typically 90 minutes long, while ongoing therapy appointments are 60 minutes in length with the option for an additional 30 minutes.

Wrap up

The last two to three sessions of therapy will be focused on reviewing your progress, the goals that you have achieved, and making a plan to continue this progress outside of therapy. You may be referred to a support group, church or other community supports to help you with this process.

You are always welcome to come back to therapy if the need arises and we would welcome the opportunity to serve you again.