Frequently Asked Questions
Hope Counseling strives to give each person and group the best care, in a compassionate and supportive environment aided by experienced professionals. We understand that there are many different types and methods of treatment and counseling, and new visitors or returning patients may have questions. The FAQ page addresses many questions and concerns that individuals, families, parents, couples or other groups may have before or during their visit.
Seeking treatment for psychological, emotional or behavioral patterns that are affecting your way of life shows that you seek to better yourself, your relationships and find enjoyment in life. Each member of our team works to support this goal and give you complete care with security and discretion. The FAQ section addresses questions related to scheduling appointments, choosing therapy and psychologists, maintaining confidentiality, when to seek therapy, payment and more.
Learn more about Hope Counseling and find answers to your concerns in the section below. If you have other questions, please give us a call or send us a message and we will be happy to assist you.
- Q: Where are you located?
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| Our main office is based in Lakeland and we have secondary offices in Winter Haven, Daytona Beach, and Tampa. We also have several satellite locations that we use for various psychological testing services.
Click here to get more information about all of our locations, including directions to each office. |
- Q: What are your hours of operation?
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| Our hours vary depending on the mental health care provider, location, and services being provided. Typically, our business hours are from 8:00A.M. to 6:00P.M, though some of our counselors do take appointments as late as 7:00P.M.
When making your initial appointment, our staff will work with you to find a time and day that works best for your schedule. Please check with our front office staff and your mental health care provider for more information on times and availability. |
- Q: What services do you offer?
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| Please see our Services page to find more information on the various counseling and psychological testing services we offer. |
- Q: What do you charge for your services?
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| The cost of services varies based upon the mental health care provider, the type of services being provided, and potentially your insurance policy.
Please see our Rates and Insurance Information page to find more information on fees. |
- Q: Do you take insurance? If so, what type(s) of insurance do you accept?
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| We do accept insurance.
Please visit our Rates and Insurance Information page to find more information on the insurance policies we accept. |
- Q: Do you offer reduced-rates for services?
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| Depending on the service and the provider, we can make certain financial accommodations for those in need. If you visit the Resources page, you will find the Financial Aid Request form. Fill out the form, fax or email it back to us, and we will contact you to let you know of any reduced-rates for which you may qualify.
One option for reduced-rate services is to ask for services to be provided by an intern or practicum student. Our interns and practicum students are highly-trained, but are working on getting the hours of experience needed to become licensed. Because our interns and practicum students need hours, they typically offer services at a significantly lower rate than other mental health care providers might offer.
Feel free to Contact Us to find out more about our interns/practicum students and what services they might be able to provide you. |
- Q: I am having some problems, but I don’t want to get involved in therapy because it will make me seem weak. What can I do?
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| Becoming involved in therapy is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. There is an unfortunate stigma still surrounding the field of psychology and mental health treatment that says you should be able to solve your own issues and that talking to someone about your problems means that you are “crazy” or emotionally frail. That stigma is untrue.
The truth is that becoming involved in therapy just means that you have the insight to recognize that you want to make changes in your life and that you could use a different perspective to help you figure out how to best make those changes. The same way that most people do not feel embarrassed to seek medical treatment when they develop a medical condition, people experiencing stressful life situations, depression, anxiety, or any other mental health concern should not feel embarrassed to seek mental health treatment.
Feel free to Contact Us to find out more about becoming involved in therapy. |
- Q: How do I know when I should become involved in therapy?
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| All people experience times when they are sad, worried, or generally “stressed out”. Usually, these times pass and the feelings of sadness and worry diminish if not disappear completely. Sometimes these feelings persist for a long time or begin to interfere with important activities of everyday life such as relationships, work, or school. If your feelings, worries, or stresses are at the point that they are negatively impacting your ability to function in any important area of your life, you might benefit from therapy.
If you find yourself engaging in behaviors that are distressing to yourself or damaging to your relationships, those may be other situations in which therapy may be beneficial. Please feel free to look at the Resources page for important Links, specifically the mental health checklists. These resources may help you determine whether or not you would benefit from treatment.
If you are still unsure, feel free to Contact Us and describe your problems or symptoms to see if we can help you make the decision. |
- Q: If I become involved in therapy, how often will I have sessions? How long is each session? How many sessions does therapy last?
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| Sessions typically last between 45 and 60 minutes, but can vary depending on the service being provided and the mental health care provider. The number of sessions and frequency of sessions will depend upon your presenting issues, the availability of you and the mental health care provider, and potentially your insurance plan.
Please feel free to Contact Us to find out more. |
- Q: I have tried therapy before and it didn’t work, why should I try again?
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| Sometimes the relationship between the therapist and the client or the treatment modality chosen by the therapist is not a good fit. Not all therapy and not all therapists are the same, so it is important to remain positive if your first experience with therapy was less satisfying than you had hoped. While there are no guarantees in therapy, you may have a more successful outcome with a different therapist. The same way most people would continue shopping for clothes after the first item didn’t fit them, it may be beneficial to “try on” another therapist or treatment modality to see if it is a better fit.
Feel free to Contact Us so we can try to find you a “better fit”. |
- Q: Is there paperwork to fill out?
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| Yes. There is some minimal paperwork that needs to be completed by the day of the first appointment. Each provider has his/her own preferences as to what information they gather, but Hope Counseling Centers has a basic set of forms for everyone that must be completed. These forms include basic identifying information, payment information, and a signed copy of our HIPAA Privacy Practices form.
If you visit the Resources page, you’ll find the Client Paperwork section that will show you all of the paperwork that we have available online. Please note that not all paperwork is available online. There may be different or additional paperwork to complete at your initial session. |
- Q: What should I bring to my first appointment?
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| Please bring any paperwork that you’ve completed from our website (or arrive earlier to complete paperwork at our office). We require a photo ID, so please have your driver’s license with you. If you are using an insurance policy, please have the insurance card as well. If you are taking any medications, please bring the medications or a detailed list of the medications with you. If you have had previous mental health treatment, please feel free to bring those records. If you do not have any records with you, your mental health care provider may ask you to sign a release of information so that he/she can talk with previous providers regarding your past treatment (only with your permission). If you have any hearing or vision aids, please bring them with you, especially if you are expecting to attempt any psychological testing.In summary, bring the following to your first appointment:
1. Paperwork that you’ve already completed from this website (or arrive early to complete paperwork at the office).
2. Photo ID.
3. Insurance Card (if using insurance).
4. Medications (or a detailed list).
5. Previous mental health records (if you wish).
6. Hearing or vision aids (if needed). |
- Q: How does payment work? When and how do I pay?
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| Typically, payment is accepted prior to your session. We accept cash, check, and credit card. If you wish to make another appointment, you can speak with our front office staff either face-to-face after your appointment or via phone. |
- Q: What happens if I have to cancel my appointment?
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| We understand that situations arise that prevent people from always being able to make their appointments or arriving on time. In cases where you know you are going to be late, please call the front office as soon as possible so that they can notify your mental health care provider. If you know that you cannot make your appointment, please call the front office within 24 hours of the appointment so that they can notify the provider and potentially fill the empty appointment slot with another client. Our official cancellation policy states that there is a fee of $50 for missing an appointment without notification.
Please visit our Rates and Insurance Information page for more information on fees. |
- Q: Do you accept walk-ins?
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| Unfortunately, no. Many of our mental health care providers have schedules that are filled up months in advance. While we are usually able to schedule new clients quickly, the scheduling depends on the days of availability for the client and provider, the location of service, type of service, and insurance policy. We require appointments to be made in advance so that we can make the best accommodations for you and ensure that you receive services.
Please feel free to visit our Services, Rates and Insurance Information, and Contact Us pages to find out more or to schedule an appointment. |
- Q: How do I know which providers are available for me to choose?
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| The availability of our mental health care providers varies from person to person and depends on their overall caseload, location of service, type of service needed, and insurance policy. When you contact us, we will find the best fit for you based on your schedule, provider availability, the presenting issue(s), the type of service needed, and insurance.
Please visit our Biographies page to find out more about our providers. |
- Q: Some of your providers are not listed on the Biographies page. Why is that?
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| The Biographies page currently consists of our full-time psychologists and counselors. Due to the variable (and often limited) availability and staff turnover associated with the positions, our interns, practicum students, and part-time contract workers (psychologists and counselors that only provide psychological assessments for third-party referral sources such as Social Security Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation) are not listed on the Biographies page.
Please feel free to Contact Us in order to find out more about the availability of our mental health care providers. |
- Q: How can I get services for my child?
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| Hope Counseling Centers does have mental health care providers that offer counseling and psychological assessment to individuals under the age of 18 (including family counseling). Parents or legal guardians can Contact Us to make an appointment for their child as long as the child is under the age of 18. Individuals over the age of 18 who serve as their own guardian must make their own appointment.
Please feel free to Contact Us to find out more about our child and adolescent Services. |
- Q: I am concerned about privacy. Are sessions confidential?
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| Yes, with some exceptions. For the most part, information discussed between you and the mental health care provider is considered confidential. There are some situations where we are permitted (and sometimes required) by law to disclose information about you.
Please see our Privacy Policy page to find out more about confidentiality and permitted/required disclosures. |
- Q: I don’t want my insurance provider to know about my mental health care or potential diagnoses. What can I do to prevent that information from being shared?
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| Keeping mental health care private has been a concern for a lot of people, including mental health care providers. Most people who want to keep insurance providers from knowing about their mental health care elect to pay for services out-of-pocket. By paying out-of-pocket, no mental health care information is sent to your insurance provider. Many mental health care providers elect to not accept insurance in order to protect client privacy and in order to avoid restrictions that can be placed on treatment by insurance providers.
Please see our Rates and Insurance Information page to find out more about your options for payment and the utilization of insurance. |
- Q: I don’t want my family/house members to know about my mental health care. What can I do to prevent them from finding out about my treatment?
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| Hope Counseling Centers respects the privacy of our clients. Many clients elect to receive correspondence at alternative addresses (e.g. P.O. boxes), at alternative phone numbers, or not at all. Please inform the front office staff member of your specific needs upon making your initial appointment and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Please visit our Privacy Policy page to read more about your privacy rights and our responsibilities. |
- Q: Do you prescribe medication?
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| Please see our Services page to find more information on the various counseling and psychological testing services we offer. |
- Q: What techniques do you use in therapy?
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| The techniques employed by our mental health care providers varies. The techniques used will depend on the mental health care provider and the client. Each client is different and may require vastly different techniques, even for the same issue. When you meet with one of our mental health care providers, feel free to ask what his/her theoretical orientation is and/or what techniques he/she typically employs for individuals with issues similar to yours.
Please see our Services page for more information about the types of counseling services we offer. |
- Q: What can I do if I am not comfortable with (or don’t like) my therapist?
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| Research indicates that one of the most important factors in treatment outcomes is the relationship between the therapist and client. If you are not happy with your therapist or if things just do not “feel right” with him/her, feel free to talk about it with your therapist. If you and your therapist are unable to find a way to become comfortable in your working relationship, your therapist can refer you to another therapist within Hope Counseling Centers. If there are no other mental health care providers within Hope Counseling Centers that are available or that can meet your mental health care needs, your therapist can make a referral to another agency or provider. |
- Q: I have an appointment for a psychological evaluation. How long will the evaluation take?
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| The length of evaluations varies from client to client and from referral source to referral source. If your evaluation contains any psychological testing, the evaluation could take several hours and potentially be broken up into multiple visits. Though it is difficult to determine exactly how long testing can take, our staff can give you an approximate estimation of how long testing typically lasts, based on the type of testing you are scheduled to complete. Feel free to ask the front office staff when making or confirming the appointment. |
- Q: Why did someone call me from this number ((863) 709-8110)?
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| We typically make reminder calls to clients the day before the appointment or the Friday before a Monday appointment. We make reminder calls for all counseling and psychological services, including clients and claimants that are referred to us through third-parties such as Social Security Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation.
If you believe that you have received a call from us in error, please inform our front office of the issue. |
- Q: I have an appointment with Hope Counseling Centers that was set up by Social Security Disability/Vocational Rehabilitation. Does Hope Counseling Centers make the determinations on my case?
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| No. Social Security Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation ask that we perform evaluations and provide them with diagnostic impressions and/or recommendations. We do not make any determinations on an individual’s case. Social Security Disability/Vocational Rehabilitation take into consideration all information that they have, including (but not limited to) documented medical/mental health history (including diagnoses and treatment), reported symptomology, reported and/or documented day-to-day abilities, educational history, occupational history, etc., etc. The information we provide to Social Security Disability/Vocational Rehabilitation is only one piece of the determination process.
If you have any specific questions regarding the determination process for Social Security Disability or Vocational Rehabilitation, please contact your Social Security Disability Adjudicator or Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. Their contact information is provided on each piece of correspondence that they send you. |
- Q: I have an appointment with Hope Counseling Centers that was set up by Social Security Disability/Vocational Rehabilitation. How do I get a copy of the report you generate?
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| Unfortunately, we are unable to provide copies of reports that are sent to Social Security Disability/Vocational Rehabilitation. If you want to inquire about receiving a copy of any report or records that are available, please contact your Social Security Disability Adjudicator or Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. |
- Q: I am interested in working for Hope Counseling Centers as a psychologist/therapist/post-doctoral student/practicum student/intern/etc., do you have any openings, and if so, how do I apply?
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| We are always looking for competent and compassionate mental health care providers, though our need for staff members fluctuates frequently. We cannot guarantee a position, but we would love to see your résumé or vita.
Please feel free to Contact Us via the Employment Opportunities page or Practicum & Internship Opportunities page to send us your information. Please review the requirements on the aforementioned pages before submitting your information. We will review our openings and inform you of any opportunities that are available. |
- Q: I have a question that was not addressed on the FAQ page, how can I get an answer to my question?
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| If you still have a question that has not been answered here, please feel free to Contact Us and we will be glad to answer any inquiries. |
