FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What do you mean by “holistic approach” when discussing the Whole Wellness practice?

This really means that we leave no stone unturned and we evaluate all aspects of our client’s life and health to uncover what is causing distress and sometimes illness. We are individualistic and no two clients will have the same treatment plan, and often what works for one client will need to be adjusted for another. This does not mean we refuse clients medication when they need it (in fact, we can provide it!,) use techniques that have no clinical research behind them, or that we ourselves do not have nationally and state recognized certification and credentialing (we absolutely do!) We simply want to be sure we haven’t neglected to look at all the pieces of the puzzle. We provide services that many area therapists do not, such as updated to basic labs, genetic testing, diagnosis, as well as blood testing and treatment for a variety of presenting concerns such as food sensitivities, hormonal imbalance, adrenal fatigue, medication intolerance, GI issues, and much more. Whole-person health is our number one priority, and we plan to continue to add services and experts to support our clients mentally & physically.

How does getting started in therapy or medical services work?

Starting toward a new health journey can be daunting and intimidating for someone who is new to the process. When reaching out to us, you will be greeted by one of our client care coordinators within the same day or early the follow day if you reach out after hours. We will then gather some basic information such as the best times for you to see us (we see clients 7 days per week, both am and pm,) what your needs are at this time, & we will take the time to answer any of your basic questions. Your case will be analyzed by our of our licensed therapists and you will then be matched with the expert that will best meet your needs. You will have an appointment scheduled within 3-7 days of contact if your schedule allows and we will provide you with detailed location and payment information once your time is confirmed. Same day sessions are sometimes available. You will have the option to schedule a reduced rate intake session if you would like to learn about all of the services we are currently offering and what is right for you.

Do You Offer a Free Consultation?

Due to our volume of new incoming clients weekly, along with inquiry volume and limited time slots, we are unable to offer free phone or in person consultations at this time. Because we are fielding hundreds of inquiries per week, we would need many hours dedicated to these unpaid sessions, which is not feasible at this time. However, we understand your need for thorough information before booking with us and we welcome you to ask as many questions during electronic booking as needed to make you feel comfortable. You may also consider booking a reduced rate, 65 dollar 40 minute intake session with us, where you can go over the many services we provide and ask as many questions as you like. We never require a commitment from clients when starting therapy and you are under no obligation to continue with us if we are not the best fit for you. We are happy to re-match you or provide community resources if for any reason this is the case.

Can you treat severe therapeutic situations?

When you approach us for treatment, we will determine whether or not we are the proper level of care for you. We are considered an outpatient level of intervention, which means that we typically see clients a maximum of once per week, we do not offer emergency services or 24 hour contact, and we generally treat a higher functioning population. Severe mental illness, suicidality, or other very acute concerns are sometimes not suitable for our environment and require more frequent therapy visits than what we are able to provide. We will, however, determine this upon booking, or sometimes with a thorough evaluation from our staff psychologist. We will make every effort to treat you if we are able!

Is Whole Wellness Services a clinic or a private practice?

You will find that we offer a variety of specialty services as a clinic would, however we deliberately retain the intimate and calm environment and staff size of a private practice. We are technically deemed an “organization.” No loud waiting areas, overly sterile spaces, or long drawn out wait times for sessions. Our office locations are conveniently located and up to a certain aesthetic standard that lends itself to our work. It is our goal to make this process as stress free and smooth for you as possible. We strategically place each client with the staff therapist that is best suited to meet their needs and schedule. We have hand picked each team expert scrupulously to join our staff based upon holding a holistic approach as well as a certain level of experience which lends itself to our setting.

What Is Your Cancellation Policy?

Due to each therapist having limited slots on a weekly basis and our high volumes, we require 24-48 hours notice when rescheduling or cancelling sessions. Clients are typically waiting for cancel slots to open weekly, and without proper notice, it is difficult for us to offer these times and for clients in need to take them. Additionally, our therapists cannot collect the compensation that they need and deserve when cancellations occur and we cannot fill this time.

All staff Psychologists require 48 hours cancellation notice. You will be informed if your particular therapist only requires 24 hours notice. Reschedules can be done quickly and easily via call, text, or email. If we do not receive proper notice for a rescheduled session, the cost of the session is automatically charged to the client’s provided payment method. There are no exceptions to this.

Medical appointments for medication, lab testing, or psychiatric evaluations are reserved and paid in advance. Payments are non-refundable, however, sessions can be switched to a virtual format if needed. Our medical provider must be compensated whether or not sessions occur for their position to be supported, which makes unpaid cancellations an impossibility. We want to continue to provide you with the most cutting edge services available, and to do this we must ensure that our providers are supported fairly.

If I want to bring my spouse, my child, my family, or other supports, can I?

Absolutely! Family and couples counseling only serve to strengthen the therapeutic bond and healing process for all involved. We have different session types to accommodate nearly any scenario and a full staff to service multiple family members without ethical conflict. Simply ask your therapist for more info on this and our team will get everything set up for your family.

How often will I come to therapy?

This is a personal decision based upon what you and your therapist decide is best for you. Many clients choose to start out on a more frequent basis to build a connection with their therapist, and spread sessions out from there as they feel better. There are exceptions to this, however. If you are an EMDR trauma client beginning the processing stage, or you have a chronic and dangerous condition such as a dependency or eating disorder, you will need to come on a weekly basis until you are stable. If you are a child or teen, you may also need to come more frequently as this stage of development requires a different approach than adult therapy to be successful. 

Do you treat very specific issues?

Between our staff members we have specialty training beyond base level for a wide variety of issues. At this time there aren’t many issues we cannot treat. However, we are the lowest level of intervention outpatient care, which means there are very few times we see clients more than once a week (special instances only) and if a client is very high risk or unstable and needs more care than we can reasonably provide, we help to coordinate a referral or work together with other providers to fulfill this client’s level of need (occasionally this means referring to higher level of care.)

Do you take insurance?

We take insurance as a recognized out-of-network provider, working with companies such as Cigna, Aetna, United Healthcare, EAP programs, etc., and are happy to provide assistance to secure insurance reimbursement bi-weekly or monthly from any insurance company that will do so (the vast majority do, and can’t deny the right to pick a provider of your choice if so) Confirming with them ahead of time is recommended. Due to our reduced rates, clients typically receive 100 percent of money spent back if they are able to secure reimbursement. Please see the insurance & pricing tab for greater details about this if more information is needed. For much more information, click here.

Is therapy at Whole Wellness expensive?

You will find our prices are considerably lower than many private therapists in the area. We stand by providing services that are attainable financially for as many people as possible. Rates for sessions fall between 65-85 dollars per 50 minutes depending on session type- the average falls at 75 dollars. Again, you will ultimately choose how often you will be seen and what you and your family can feasibly afford.  Please note prices differ for our NYC office.

Do you see kids?

We see children as young as 2 years old and can assess behavioral, mental health, and academic issues with the help of our child specialist and family therapists. Formal evaluations that require in depth testing are done off site.