Common Questions
Group Therapy
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We are proud to offer rolling enrollment for all of our groups, allowing families to have more flexibility with scheduling. The rolling enrollment option for the first four weeks of each session ensures that your child can join at a convenient time, allowing them to immediately begin developing skills that will benefit them both in and outside the home. Should you fall outside of the rolling enrollment period, reach out to us as soon as possible to discuss potential accommodations. We may be able to work you into our following session. In the instance that we are not able to accommodate this semester, we will work with you to get you on our waitlist for next semester.
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In our skill building groups, we follow a curriculum to help educate and normalize different aspects of everyday life that continue to pose a challenge for our participants. Such skills we work on are Social Skills, Executive Functioning Skills, and Growth Mindset, all of which help people participate in group settings with more ease and success. In these groups, we spend our time educating participants and their families about how to understand and master the skill set being offered.
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Process groups are useful in normalizing everyday experiences related to our mental health that may cause a person to feel isolated and alone in their experiences. This is an opportunity to discuss our everyday challenges in a safe environment and acquire the skills needed to manage mental health.
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Our recommended age ranges for our groups are merely a guideline, and do not take into account diagnoses, executive functioning skills, or social skills. Some of our clients will fit best with group members a bit younger or older than they are. Each recommendation our team makes for your child takes into consideration the best fit for all involved, based on each attendee’s treatment plan.
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The non-refundable deposit for our group therapy services is required to hold your registration spot. Upon successful completion of your registration, your deposit will be directly applied to your group tuition. In the event that your group does not fill, Healthy Minds will refund your deposit.
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Absolutely! You will receive weekly summary emails from your child’s clinician detailing the topics and activities that were covered for that session, as well as any helpful resources or continued activities your clinician identifies for you and your family. We are also proud to provide a full summary of our groups at the end of each semester that we will email to you within 2 weeks of your child’s group ending. If at any time you would like to ask your clinician additional questions, or discuss any concerns, we encourage you to schedule a Group Therapy Parent Session with your clinician.
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While having multiple members participating in our skill building groups may provide extra benefits, such as opportunities to practice real-life situations in a small setting and learning from other peoples' experiences, the size of the group does not impact the delivery of information that will, in turn, support the participants' success in everyday group settings. Our Process Groups, however, do depend more on group size. Even in this instance, our talented team is skilled in adapting the curriculum for that day to accommodate all attendees, and ensure everyone has a positive learning experience.
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Upon successful completion of our group registration, Healthy Minds reserves a group therapy spot for you for the entirety of the 8 week group. If you miss a session, Healthy Minds will not refund the cost of said session, as we reserve a spot for you for the full 8 weeks. In the event of an ongoing emergency, or major life change, a refund will be evaluated on a case by case basis at the discretion of Healthy Minds.
General Therapy
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Most of our therapy sessions are between 45-50 minutes long. Our team uses the 10-15 minutes between sessions to organize and sanitize, and prepare for our next session.
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Everyone is different, so it’s hard for us to predict exactly how many sessions you will need to reach all your goals. Most people notice improvement after 3-4 sessions. Your individual progress will vary depending on your goals and consistency of sessions. Sometimes, we have clients reach their current goals and then return months or years later if they experience new challenges in their life. Other clients see the value in continual sessions, and choose to simply reduce their number of sessions to once a month.
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ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) are two different therapeutic approaches that can be used to address behavioral and emotional challenges in children. ABA therapy primarily focuses on modifying behavior by using reinforcement techniques and systematic interventions to teach new skills and reduce problematic behaviors. It is often used to target specific behaviors and promote skill development, especially in children with autism spectrum disorder. CBT, on the other hand, is a talk therapy approach that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It helps children identify and change negative thought patterns and develop healthier coping strategies. CBT is commonly used to treat a range of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. When deciding between ABA therapy and CBT for their child, parents should consider the specific needs and goals of their child and consult with professionals to determine which approach is most suitable for their situation.
Assessments
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The length of time needed for an assessment depends on several factors, including the goals of the assessment, time needed to complete the assessment, and scheduling. On average, an assessment takes 6-8 weeks from start to finish. Schedule your consultation here.
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Testing sessions for your custom assessment will be scheduled during the day so your child is rested and has the energy to complete the tasks included in their assessment session. Dr. Lemke has found that testing children too late in the day yields less accurate results because they are fatigued from their other activities. This may require your child to miss some school time. We are happy to provide you with a note for school or work. Just ask at your session!
General Information
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Healthy Minds counselors are experienced clinicians who enjoy working to support adults, children, and families in their search for a supportive environment that will help them reach their goals and aspirations. Our counselors are experienced licensed mental health professionals who have completed their graduate school education and licensure requirements for the state of California. Our associates are participating in our training program. They have completed their graduate school education and are working to complete licensure requirements. Our associates have previous training and clinical experience and are supervised by Dr. Lemke or one of our experienced counselors.
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The answer to this question varies depending on your needs and we are happy to help you make the best decision. Individual therapy is a great opportunity to work one-on-one with one of our experienced therapists. Group therapy provides experience with social interactions, learning from peers, and peer support. When you call to discuss your goals for treatment, we are happy to make a treatment recommendation. Schedule your consultation here.
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In general, communication between a client and their therapist is confidential. Information will not be disclosed without written authorization. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, there are some exceptions to confidentiality. Suspected child, dependent adult, or elder abuse must be reported to the appropriate authorities immediately. If a client tells their therapist they intend to hurt themselves or someone else, steps will be taken to ensure safety for all parties.
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At Healthy Minds, we work with you to develop coping skills, behaviors, and strategies to support your emotional growth. We cannot prescribe medication. We understand taking medication can be a deeply personal decision for each family. If we feel medication would be beneficial for treatment progress, we will discuss this with you to learn about your perspective and feelings about medication. We work collaboratively with a variety of experienced psychiatrists in the area and will provide a referral at your request.
Payment
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For individual, parenting, and family therapy, payment will be due at the end of each session.
For group consultations, payment is due at the time the appointment is made.
For group therapy, your deposit will be due at the time the group registration is completed. This deposit will be applied to your group tuition upon successful completion of registration, and your remaining balance will be billed in full within two weeks of your group start date. You will be emailed an invoice for your remaining balance to the email address(es) provided in your consent form packet.
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The frequency of invoices depends on the service you are receiving.
**Therapy sessions that are unable to be billed on site are billed weekly.
**Custom assessments are invoiced after the initial parent session and again after the parent feedback session.
**Group therapy sessions are billed during the first week of each session.
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You can make a payment several different ways. We prefer payment with a check. You can mail a check to our office or bring it with you to your next session. If you would like to pay with a credit card, FSA/HSA card, or debit card, you can use the link in your invoice / at the time of scheduling to make a payment to that specific invoice / charge. For more information on billing, see here.
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Healthy Minds is out of network for insurance. We are happy to provide super bills to families upon request. A super bill can be used to request reimbursement for our services from your insurance company.
Healthy Minds cannot guarantee reimbursement by insurance for any services, as there is not always a diagnosis for the client to provide a code to insurance. Should the client be diagnosable, a diagnosis code will be available within six sessions from the start date of treatment.
At that time, you can contact your health insurance company to determine if they will require any specific details for your reimbursement, simply fill out the form here, and we will take it from there.