FAQ
Pragmatic Questions
Where is your office located?
Do you provide online/virtual therapy or telehealth?
Yes, Virtual Therapy is available for anyone located in the state of Georgia. If you work with Dr. Sims, you may be able to meet with her if you are in another state. Please see below or check out her bio for more details.
Virtual Therapy takes place via a HIPAA-compliant, secure video platform, Simple Practice, or a HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom. Not all insurance plans will reimburse for Virtual Therapy. You will need to verify your benefits if you plan to submit superbills.
Due to the pandemic, we are currently exclusively offering virtual sessions.
If I am not in the state of Georgia, can we meet virtually?
It depends on which provider you see. Most of our providers are licensed in Georgia and cannot provide services across state lines. If you are meeting with one of these providers, you must be physically located in the state of Georgia at the time of services to receive Virtual Therapy.
Dr. Sims has licenses for Georgia, Arizona, Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, DC, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. If you are working with Dr. Sims, you must be physically located in one of these states at the time of service to receive Virtual Therapy.
When will you be going back into the office?
We’re not 100% sure. We thought it would be this year, but the way this pandemic is going…..who knows!
What are your hours?
Our regular business hours are 9:00 am-5:00 pm; however, several of our clinicians see clients outside of these hours, including evenings.
Do you all work on the weekends?
No, we enjoy our time off as much as you do. We do not work on the weekends and most federal holidays.
Our office generally operates Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm. Although some of our providers do see clients in the evenings.
If you reach out outside of these hours, we will respond to you the next business day. However, if you are a current client and you need to reschedule your appointment the best way to do that is via your CLIENT PORTAL which you can access at any time!
What is my financial investment in therapy?
We believe that by engaging in our services you are investing in your well-being, mental health, and improving your ability to seek out what you need to be your best self. The effects of therapy are life changing and can significantly improve several facets of your life long term. Therapy is a unique experience. It is grounded in a relationship where you sit with a professional who has years of training, as well as professional and life experiences that have equipped them to meet your specific needs.
Rates range from $140-205 for intake appointments and $100-165 for individual sessions. Please visit your preferred provider’s bio page to learn more about their rate per session.
Also, please ask about our NEW CLIENT SPECIAL PACKAGE!!
If you are a new client to our practice, you are eligible for a new client special package where you can receive 10% off your first 5 sessions of treatment including your initial 60 minute intake session, and your first 4 individual sessions. This allows you to really assess goodness of fit with your provider.
Do you offer a sliding fee scale?
Our clinicians offer a few reduced rate slots for certain financial situations. We consider reduced rates on a case-by-case basis.
Please keep in mind that these sessions are time-specific and based on caseload availability.
You can discuss this further with the provider of your choice during your intake appointment.
Do these rates change for virtual sessions?
These rates apply to in-person (face-to-face) and virtual appointments.
How and when is payment collected?
Payment is collected the day of services via credit card, which you must have on file for services. NO checks will be accepted.
Do you all accept insurance?
We are not In-network with any insurance company, so we do not accept insurance in the way you normally use it.
As an out-of-network provider, we can help our clients take advantage of their out-of-network benefits. We are happy to provide you with the necessary documentation, a “Superbill,” that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement for services.
However, we cannot guarantee that you will receive reimbursement. That is solely at the discretion of your insurance company.
As a completely out of network practice, we are transparent with our fees so our patients know and can plan for the cost of services. This transparency has been required by the ethical standards by which we have abided for the entirety of our careers, and because we believe it is the only way for us as clinicians to bring trust and integrity into our working relationship.
You may know that many people have been harmed by surprise medical bills, often incurred during emergency or surgical care where there may be out of network providers involved in a patient’s care without their knowledge. The Federal No Surprises Act went into effect on January 1, 2022 to protect patients from surprise medical bills. As a result, all licensed health providers who offer out of network services are required to post a notice of YOUR RIGHTS AND PROTECTION AGAINST SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLING_2023“your rights and protections against surprise medical bills” on our websites or in our physical offices. Again, the nature of mental health services are different and we do not engage in surprise or balance billing. Further, in accordance with the Act, we will gladly provide a Good Faith Estimate of the costs of services prior to a first session and in the course of treatment.
How do I find out if I have out-of-network coverage?
We highly encourage you to call your insurance provider and ask about your eligibility and out-of-network benefits for Behavioral Health. You can also sign up at TheSuperbill and let them check the coverage for you!
Additionally, ask if they cover telehealth services and if you have a deductible. Ask them what the process is for reimbursement. You are financially responsible for services regardless of your coverage.
Under no circumstances do we go into contract or agreement with the insurance company, so please ensure you understand their expectations if you plan to utilize out-of-network benefits.
Additionally, please note that most insurance companies require a diagnosis that they deem a medical necessity for receiving reimbursement. As we do not always consider your concerns to be diagnosable, this may impact your ability to be reimbursed.
Why don't you accept insurance?
Well, that is a question with several layers of answers. But the primary one is that insurance companies often restrict the kind of therapeutic work we can do, and we don’t want those kinds of restrictions on your healing.
We want to do the work with love without having to worry about time constraints, whether or not insurance will cover certain services or diagnoses, or whether insurance will reimburse at all for mental health treatment.
Insurance is like the angry teacher who breathes over your neck while you’re trying to take an exam. No thank you.
Can I use my HSA/FSA?
Yes! Health Savings Accounts (HSA)and Federal Savings Accounts (FSA) are excellent ways to cover your services. Please be sure to verify with your HSA/FSA provider that therapy services are covered and what documentation is required.
Do you accept Loveland Vouchers?
We do! Loveland Vouchers are a great way to offset the cost of services with several of our clinicians. You would just need to provide us with your voucher codes prior to starting and we will submit the vouchers for reimbursement for a portion of the costs of services. You would just be responsible for paying the difference, as applicable, between your provider’s rate and the reimbursement rate.
Please give our office a call before scheduling your intake appointment to discuss this further. We need the Loveland Vouchers prior to you starting services.
What if I need to reschedule an appointment?
New Policy Effective March 1, 2022
For our existing clients, you can easily reschedule and manage your appointments via YOUR CLIENT PORTAL or contact our office.
If you need to reschedule your appointment, you can do so up to 48 hours before your appointment without penalty.
Any appointment that is not canceled at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time or any appointment that is not attended without previous notification will be charged the full fee of the missed appointment. If you try to reschedule via the portal after the 48 hour window has elapsed, you will be prompted to call our office.
As an example, if your appointment is on Monday at 1:00 pm, you will need to reschedule your appointment no later than the Saturday before by 12:59pm. If you try to reschedule at 1:05 pm, this would be considered a late cancelation and you will be charged the full fee of your missed appointment.
This fee can be applied to any session rescheduled within the same week of the late canceled appointment (i.e. between Monday and Friday of the same week) as your provider’s schedule permits. If there is not any mutual availability, you are still responsible for the late cancellation fee.
In the event of an unexpected emergency, illness, crisis, etc, you may reschedule as your provider’s schedule permits.
Treatment-Related Questions
How do I know if I need therapy?
If you’re on this website and asking that question, then the answer is probably – it’s likely. Often, we have internal wisdom that knows we need something before we are willing to admit it. So if that inner knowing has brought you to this site, then there is something you’re seeking, and therapy might be it.
How do I know if you will be a good fit?
The only way to know this for sure is to have a session. While the phone consultation can give you much information, it does not provide a complete picture of our work together.
We also encourage people to give it a minimum of four sessions before deciding on fit. Rapport often builds over a few sessions. We also encourage people to be as honest as possible; if something doesn’t seem to be working or you feel like it’s not a good fit, let’s talk about it and figure out if there’s a way to change something.
However, it is okay to decide that the first clinician you meet with is not a good fit. What’s most important is that you get the services you need, even if that’s with another clinician.
Do you only work with Black women?
We created this space because the Black woman experience is often erased or only considered an afterthought. As such, we center those experiences on who we are and the work that we do.
However, we are well equipped and trained to work with anyone who seeks our services and falls within our areas of clinical expertise.
If you believe that we would be a good fit for you but you do not identify as a Black woman, we invite you to still consider scheduling an intake appointment. We would be happy to speak further with you about this. If you find that we are not a good fit after this, we would be glad to support you in getting connected with someone who is.
Is all of your treatment faith-based?
We offer faith-based services as a specialty for those who request it and would like to work with a provider who holds this as a part of their identity and can incorporate spirituality and faith into the clinical work to honor this part of their (the client’s) identity.
With that said, faith is not a component of all our services unless requested. We work with individuals across a broad spectrum of beliefs and practices in a way that acknowledges, honors, and respects individual differences and belief systems.
What happens in therapy?
Therapy is a unique process for each individual based on the relationship between client and therapist. Depending on the clinician’s approach to treatment, therapy might look different.
Generally, you primarily guide therapy at The Worth, Wisdom, and Wellness Center. Often in our daily lives, w give over our power to others and let them dictate and control our lives. People don’t take time for themselves or take up the space they need. We are very intentional about changing that for our clients.
We want our clients to have therapy as a time for themselves. Now, we are not just passive onlookers in the therapy process, but we are a passenger on the journey with you – sometimes becoming more of a guide but never taking the driver’s seat.
In therapy, we spend a lot of time talking, processing, uncovering, and exploring. We also find appropriate solutions and seek to incorporate new or enhanced ways of being in the world. Therefore, we tailor our approach to each person who walks into our office. While you may be having similar experiences as those of past clients, you are still a unique individual. We want to treat you as such.
Are there some other things I need to know about therapy?
Sometimes, you start to feel worse before you feel better. This feeling is common and often associated with us uncovering some aspects of your life that you often try to push down or don’t want to share with anyone.
Sharing those feelings is often scary and unsettling, but please know that it is a part of the process. We will work together to ensure you are safe and have methods in place to handle this as it comes up.
As you start to change, your environment will react. Sometimes, this causes conflicts with friends, family members, and loved ones because the way you show up in their lives may start to change. However, this is also something that we can work through in therapy.
What can I expect during my first session?
Our first session together will include: Going over the informed consent and orientation to services, information gathering and assessment, goal setting for ongoing treatment.
First sessions are typically more about the logistical aspects of therapy that create the foundation for our therapeutic relationship and your treatment over time. We must start on a firm foundation to ensure the stability of your growth and healing. In this session, you are also assessing whether your clinician and therapy will be a good fit for you.
What is my time investment in therapy?
Because we believe that weekly therapy sets the framework for deep, impactful therapeutic growth, we ask for a commitment of meeting once per week at the beginning of treatment. After we have assessed and developed a treatment plan, we can discuss treatment progress and reduce the frequency when it appears to be clinically appropriate.
Why do you ask for weekly sessions? Other therapists don't ask for weekly sessions.
That is true because each therapist approaches the work differently. We have found that engaging in therapy weekly, especially at the beginning of treatment, is most effective for our work (i.e., trauma work). The foundation of therapy is built on trust and safety. Meeting infrequently for therapy limits the ability to build safety and trust, which in turn limits the effectiveness of treatment.
Please inquire more about this with your provider if you still have questions. We’re happy to discuss further the benefits of weekly time to prioritize YOU and YOUR well-being. We can also discuss if there’s a more appropriate frequency for your needs.
What if I still have questions?
Please click below to request an intake appointment with your preferred therapist, and we would be happy to answer other questions you may have. You can also email us at info@worthwisdomwellness.com, call us at (770) 835-5669, or submit a contact form.
What if I want to know more about my preferred provider before I schedule my intake?
Head over to Meet Our Team to learn more! You’ll even find some fun facts listed there!