Frequently Asked Questions
How do I schedule an Appointment?
Call (512) 649 1049, email Wendy.LMFT@gmail.com, or
submit the Contact form through the website.
Covid-19? Where are you located? Office hours?
Due to Covid-19, I am currently only doing virtual therapy. TBD Return date, but normally I am centrally located just south of the river in Austin, near down town, and I virtually see clients all over Texas.
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 3:30pm and Friday 8:30am - 2pm.
Please contact me to see when I have openings.
What is the first session like?
Answers to some of the most common
questions I get regarding my therapy practice.
How will I know if you are the right therapist for me?
I want you to be heard and feel comfortable about having me as your therapist. I also want you to feel confident in my
education and abilities to help. You should be able to ask questions or address concerns you have. You will have a good
idea by the end of the first session whether I’m the right fit for you. If we determine that this is not a good fit, then I
would be more than happy to refer you to another therapist who might be a better fit.
How much do sessions cost?
Do you accept insurance?
How long are the sessions?
How many sessions will I need?
I am an out-of-network provider and do not accept insurance. Full-payment is due at each session. (I am covered as an
out of network provider on most PPO plans. I can provide a super-bill at the end of each session, which you can send to
your insurance carrier for reimbursement. Services may be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee
benefit plan. Please check your coverage carefully to verify specifics of your particular insurance coverage and ask them the
following questions: Do I have mental health benefits? What is my deductible and has it been met? How many sessions
per calendar year does my plan cover? How much does my plan cover for an out-of-network provider? What is the c
overage amount per therapy session? Is approval required from my primary care physician?)
Everyone is different and responds to therapy differently. At the intake, I might have an idea of how many sessions might
help resolve your presenting issues. It is helpful to find a consistent day/time that you can make therapy in order for us to
see some progress. Usually after 3-5 sessions we can reassess where we are in the process and how much more time you
may need.
Sessions are typically 50 minutes long (except for the initial 90 minute session). However I also offer 80 minute sessions
for more intensive work. This is encouraged for couples and family sessions.
Will I need to bring anything?
Just your authetic self as well as payment for session. I will send the forms before hand, and I like to go over the forms together to make sure we are on the same page.
Will you do therapy any place other than the office?
During covid-19, intakes and sessions will all happen virtually.
Normally, the intake session must be completed in my office (safety and confidentiality reasons). I am willing to do home
sessions and go into schools to see students as well if it would be the best fit for the situation. I also do some outdoor counseling/therapy where I take clients hiking, walking, or to a park for a session. It is important that clients understand
and note that while I do everything in my power to maintain your confidentiality, doing sessions outside the office is not
a 100% guaranteed source of security and I cannot be held liable for any information that is somehow breached by doing
sessions in a public space.
Do you include spirituality or faith as part of your practice?
While I went to graduate school at a Christian Seminary, I work with people who express their faith in a variety of ways,
Christians and non-Christians, and people who express no interest in faith or God. I integrate my faith into the counseling
process only when it is desired by the client. I will never impose my views on the client. If you have any questions or
concerns about this, please feel free to contact me.
What if my partner, spouse, adolescent, etc. refuses to come to therapy?
I adhere to systems theory which holds the belief that changing one person's behavior will create a change in the entire
system. I often tell a spouse that even if only one partner comes into therapy, it is still marital work. And the more each
individual in the marriage takes responsibility for their part, the greater chance the marriage has to thrive. While optimum
results are obtained when both spouses attend marriage or family therapy, there are times when one partner simply chooses not to participate. Also, a parent may want their teen to be in therapy, but the adolescent is not willing to attend. In cases like this
I encourage the parents to come in by themselves so that we can work on strategies that will be helpful for their parenting.
But in most of my experience, once the adolescent comes to the first therapy session they often decide that it will be
beneficial for them. Many adolescents come in by themselves and prefer to work through issues without the parent present. Only when beneficial or necessary, I will include parents in the counseling process. If you have an adolescent who isn’t sure they
want to come into counseling, or is unwilling, I recommend that you have them check out my website and social media
outlets (top right of page) so that they can have some connection to who I am. I am also willing to talk on the phone, Skype, or some other outlet with an adolescent prior to counseling so that they may feel more comfortable. (I typically work with adolescents age 13 and up).
What if I/ my partner/ my adolescent shows up to session under the influence?
While I work with people who struggle with substance abuse, I do not do therapeutic work with someone under the
influence. This is because substances often mask the negative emotions we are feeling, which makes doing true healing
work a very difficult task. If a client is under the influence, I will have to cancel the session and the client will still pay the
session since there was no cancellation in time for therapist to rechedule with another client.
Is there a fee to cancel session ?
As long as you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, no fee will be charged. If you cancel your session within 24 hours, I will charge for the session in full. One exception is if you can make up the session in a way which no normal session frequency is foregone (aka 2 sessions in one week or if you are a client who comes every other week, then you would come back to back weeks), I will not charge the fee. Also, If you no call and no show, a full session fee will be charged. I will not be able to complete another session until this is taken care of. Please ask if youhave any questions regarding this.
After the intake, individual 50 minute sessions cost $175, and couple sessions cost $200, but I do have a specific number of sliding scale spots for a client's specific circumstance. We will talk about this in our first session or initial contact. Also, I do have a
special, where if you pay in full for 6 sessions, it will cost $875 dollars, or $1000 for a couple . This is buy 5 get one free. For low cost counseling options I would recommend visiting https://www.opencounseling.com/texas/austin .
