UNDERSTANDING THE THERAPY JOURNEY AT RESOLUTION COUNSELING CENTER
Starting therapy is a commitment to yourself and your wellness, and we understand that it can feel daunting. At Resolution Counseling Center (RCC), we aim to make this journey as smooth as possible by explaining what you can expect and providing answers to your frequently asked questions.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
1
How do I book a first appointment?
Getting started with us is straightforward. Visit our Find Your Therapist Page, filter by specialty, insurance, time of day, and population to find a therapist who best meets your needs. Select a therapist and time slot that suits you, and follow the simple prompts to secure your appointment. If your preferred therapist is fully booked, the “Join Waitlist” option allows you to express interest in future openings.
2
Is therapy expensive?
Costs vary according to your insurance. Many of our clients pay $0-35 per session based on their copays, coinsurance, or deductibles. Our Client Engagement Team will verify your insurance details, check coverage, and provide a cost estimate for you to approve before your first session. We also recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to confirm your coverage.
3
Do you take my insurance?
We accept most major insurances including Aetna, Horizon/BCBS, Cigna, United, Optum, Quest Behavioral Health, Penn Care, and Medicare. We will verify your coverage and costs during our appointment booking process. We offer out-of-network claim submissions for plans like GHI and Amerihealth. Please note, we do not accept NJ Family Care, Medicaid, or Tricare Plans but can offer private pay services.
4
How do I start an additional service like couples therapy
or therapy for my child?
For existing clients seeking additional services (like adding on couples therapy or finding a counselor for your child or teen):
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Ask your current therapist for personalized recommendations and seamless coordination for your second service.
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Contact our office at 201-632-5554 for assistance in choosing a new provider and setting up appointments.
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Use our New Client Portal to see who is taking new clients and request an appointment with a new provider.
5
Are your consent forms online?
Stay informed with our latest practices and policies by reviewing our updated consent form.
Explore More FAQs
For more detailed information, click on the categories below and expand questions to find comprehensive answers designed to make your therapy experience as clear and supportive as possible.
We think psychotherapy services should be accessible to everyone. We offer appointments 7 days a week with daytime, evening, and weekend options. You can participate in sessions via telehealth or in-person. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about getting started.
We have a large team of therapists and are able to offer appointments seven days a week from 7AM to 8PM. You can see any therapist’s weekly schedule in their bio on our Team Page. Click the “Book Now” button under their name to see which weekly session times they have open now for new clients. For more detailed help, email your specific appointment time needs to office@resolutioncc.com.
Sessions are 50 minutes long. Aetna insurance plans cover extended 90 minute sessions for couples as well.
Our therapists come from a variety of backgrounds and offer many specialties. Start on our Team Page and use our filtering search tool to look for a therapist who is accepting new clients and has the specialities you need (e.g. anxiety, relationship issues, post-partum, addiction, etc). You can “meet” each therapist by watching their intro video and reading their bio. You’ll know the right therapist when you see them! If you want insider tips, contact our office team to ask our admin team which therapist they’d recommend for your specific therapy goals.
This section is important for all clients to read so you can make an informed choice about agreeing to our strict attendance policy before starting therapy at Resolution Counseling. Part of our mission is to provide affordable, in-network therapy to the communities we serve. In order for this to be sustainable in a high-cost area like northern New Jersey, we hold our clients to high standards –asking for early arrival and regular use of standing appointments. We have the following conservative policies in place to protect our ability to provide accessible, affordable care for years to come. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Our Services: At RCC, we offer 53-55 minute sessions. Clients thus need to book appointments at a time when they can arrive 5 min early and remain present and engaged for 53-55 minutes. This matters for two very important reasons.
First, your therapist sets aside a full hour for your care to leave time to write their note at the end. If you run a few minutes, your clinician will not be able to adequately complete their note and transition to their next appointment. We want to start on time with all of our clients.
Secondly, insurance reimbursement for psychotherapy services is time-based, so if you arrive late or leave early, your carrier will not pay the typical fee for your care and your provider will be negatively affected. We thus require clients to honor the full session time they have reserved with their clinician.
Expectation of Early Arrival: We ask clients to arrive 5 minutes early to their appointments. We ask clients to be present in the waiting room either in person or online 5 minutes before the start of their appointment. Your therapist will join you at your scheduled appointment start time.
Running Late: If you are not able to arrive early and be ready at the start of your session more than a couple of times, your clinician may not be able to work with you and will need to transfer you to another practice. Your therapist prepares and is ready to start on time for all of their clients and we ask the same of you. If you have not arrived within the first 5 minutes, we cannot provide a service that day and will need to charge a $75 late cancellation fee. See “Late Fee” section below for more information.
Use of Standing Appointment Times: Our standing appointment times are reserved for clients who are prepared to make use of every appointment with rare exceptions. If you have a habit of canceling your appointment and cannot reschedule, your clinician may suggest biweekly sessions or remove you from your standing time and offer ad hoc scheduling options. If a client cancels two (2) consecutive appointments (even with appropriate notice), and does not attend a session meanwhile, your therapist may remove you from your standing appointment time and offer that session time to other clients who can attend regularly.
For example, two consecutive cancellations could occur because of an extended holiday trip, or a new after-school program.
Before changes are made to your recurring appointment, your therapist will make efforts to reach you via text, phone call, email, or Simple Practice messaging to offer options & plan together.
If you move to ad hoc scheduling options, you can still continue in regular therapy. You can use our portal to request any opening in your therapist’s schedule week by week or can discuss another suitable recurring appointment with your provider if they have one available.
Regular Attendance: We require clients to attend a session at least once a month to remain active at RCC. While most clients benefit from weekly care to begin, some may drop down to biweekly or ad hoc care as treatment progresses into maintenance mode. A touchpoint at least monthly is a requirement so your therapist can remain confident that you are safe and also engaged in the work.
Cancellation should be infrequent: Therapy is similar to medical or dental services in that we are not on salary. Rather, we receive reimbursement only for services provided. Thus, while we will not charge a fee for sessions canceled before 5pm the night before, your therapist is still unlikely to fill your appointment time on short notice and thus will not receive their expected fee. Please be considerate and communicate several days ahead for planned, infrequent cancellations.
CANCELLATION POLICY AND LATE CANCELLATION FEES
Our late cancellation fee is $75. Appointments must be canceled before 5:00 p.m. of the evening before the appointment to avoid our fee.
How to cancel:
Via the text reminders that come 48 hours ahead
Notify your clinician via text or client portal message
Up to 24 before a session, cancel and reschedule here: https://resolutioncounseling.clientsecure.me/sign-in
The following situations will trigger the fee:
If you cancel your appointment after 5 p.m. the evening before your scheduled session, you will be charged the fee.
If you are not able to start your appointment within the first 5 minutes of the scheduled start time, then we cannot provide a service that day and you will be charged the fee.
If you are not able to participate in telehealth sessions from a safe, private, and therapeutically conducive space, then your clinician cannot provide a service and will charge the fee. Examples include:
Driving during a telehealth session
Arriving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Attending from a location where your session could be overheard by others
Attending while located in a state or country where your therapist is not licensed
Exceptions for Running Late: We understand that life happens so each client receives two opportunities to run a little later than 5 min. If you are running late but can attend at least a 40 min session during the scheduled time, we will provide an abbreviated session twice. After those 2 exceptions are exhausted, your clinician will charge the late fee if you have not arrived within 5 minutes of your scheduled start time.
Repeatedly Late: If you incur the late fee more than a few times, your clinician may not be able to work with you and will need to transfer you to another practice.
In all of the scenarios above, Resolution Counseling Center (RCC) will charge the late fee using the card you have placed on file.
Why Is There A Late Cancellation Fee?
Good question! We do not double or triple-book our sessions as many physicians or dental offices do, and thus when you schedule an appointment, you are reserving a specific appointment time with your therapist. Your therapist has set aside an hour for your care, has prepared in advance for the session, and is ready and waiting to work with you at your appointment time. If you cancel the night before or on the same day or simply do not attend, your therapist cannot bill your insurance for a service nor can they usually rebook the time, and thus they would be uncompensated. For this reason, nearly every therapy practice has a policy on late cancellation and charges a fee. It is common for practices to collect the entire lost fee for cancellations within 24 or even 48 hours of the appointment. We want to allow room for unexpected issues to arise for clients. We also want our therapists to earn a good living and be happy in their career for years to come. Thus we feel confident maintaining a deadline of 5pm the night before and charging a fee of $75 for late cancellations.
Our late cancellation fee is $75. Appointments must be canceled before 5:00 p.m. of the evening before the appointment to avoid our fee.
How to cancel:
Via the text reminders that come 48 hours ahead
Notify your clinician via text or client portal message
Up to 24 before a session, cancel and reschedule here: https://resolutioncounseling.clientsecure.me/sign-in
The following situations will trigger the fee:
If you cancel your appointment after 5 p.m. the evening before your scheduled session, you will be charged the fee.
If you are not able to start your appointment within the first 5 minutes of the scheduled start time, then we cannot provide a service that day and you will be charged the fee.
If you are not able to participate in telehealth sessions from a safe, private, and therapeutically conducive space, then your clinician cannot provide a service and will charge the fee. Examples include:
Driving during a telehealth session
Arriving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Attending from a location where your session could be overheard by others
Attending while located in a state or country where your therapist is not licensed
Exceptions for Running Late: We understand that life happens so each client receives two opportunities to run a little later than 5 min. If you are running late but can attend at least a 40 min session during the scheduled time, we will provide an abbreviated session twice. After those 2 exceptions are exhausted, your clinician will charge the late fee if you have not arrived within 5 minutes of your scheduled start time.
Repeatedly Late: If you incur the late fee more than a few times, your clinician may not be able to work with you and will need to transfer you to another practice.
In all of the scenarios above, Resolution Counseling Center (RCC) will charge the late fee using the card you have placed on file.
Why Is There A Late Cancellation Fee?
Good question! We do not double or triple-book our sessions as many physicians or dental offices do, and thus when you schedule an appointment, you are reserving a specific appointment time with your therapist. Your therapist has set aside an hour for your care, has prepared in advance for the session, and is ready and waiting to work with you at your appointment time. If you cancel the night before or on the same day or simply do not attend, your therapist cannot bill your insurance for a service nor can they usually rebook the time, and thus they would be uncompensated. For this reason, nearly every therapy practice has a policy on late cancellation and charges a fee. It is common for practices to collect the entire lost fee for cancellations within 24 or even 48 hours of the appointment. We want to allow room for unexpected issues to arise for clients. We also want our therapists to earn a good living and be happy in their career for years to come. Thus we feel confident maintaining a deadline of 5pm the night before and charging a fee of $75 for late cancellations.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR FEES AND CREDIT CARD TRANSACTION AGREEMENT
Clients who begin care at RCC are agreeing to be ultimately responsible for the cost of their services. If you use insurance, your coverage and benefits will be applied according to your policy, and you agree to pay the patient responsibility as determined by your insurance carrier. If your insurance coverage terminates or changes, you agree to pay our private fees (currently $150 per session and $225 per 90-minute couples sessions). You agree to keep a working credit card on file at all times and you are giving permission for RCC to charge any of the card(s) you have placed on file to resolve any balances you may accumulate, including: late cancellation fees, patient responsibility as determined by your insurance company, or any unpaid invoices resulting from the termination of insurance coverage. You understand that you may terminate this agreement in writing by emailing office@resolutioncc.com at any time but such termination will not pertain to prior fees already incurred under this agreement.
We can schedule a 10 minute consultation call if you want to meet your prospective therapist first and ask a bit about their training or background. Call our office at (201) 632-5554 to set up a time with your chosen therapist. We recommend that you also request an appointment with the therapist meanwhile, as the weekly time you wanted will likely be gone by the time you have a consultation.
No. Once you book an appointment online, it is requested and reserved, no one else can book it, but it is not confirmed. See below for the steps to get a confirmed appointment.
After we receive your appointment request, there are 2 more steps:
Complete your intake forms. Watch for an email from us within 1 business day or just log into our portal once we’ve sent the email.
Approve your cost estimate email. We will email you a cost estimate once we’ve checked your insurance coverage. You must reply all stating your approval of the estimate, then we’ll confirm your appointment.
Insider Tip: Please be prompt on your side: It usually takes 1-3 business days from appointment request to confirmation even when your steps are completed in a timely manner.
It takes 2–3 business days for us to receive your intake forms, check your insurance coverage, email you a cost estimate email, and process your response. Once onboarding is complete, you’ll receive an appointment confirmation text and email from us.
Your request may have been declined for a variety of reasons. The 2 most likely reasons are that we had nudged you a few times to finish your forms in the portal or that we did not receive your cost-estimate approval. If you’d like to request a different weekly appointment time with your therapist, please log into the portal or call or text us for assistance.
This is not the case–we almost always have some openings. What you are seeing in the new client portal is the result of a human time lag. If a clinician’s name appears in the new client portal list but their last open appointment gets requested before our admin team can update their status, then you will be able to open their calendar but there will not be any open appointments. We update our availability daily but openings go very quickly. Please go back to the Team Page and try a different therapist’s calendar–you will find available appointments. We believe you will find a therapist and appointment time that works for you.
The waitlist can vary from 1–2 weeks to 6–12 months depending on the clinician. You are welcome to email or text our office to inquire about the length of a particular clinician’s waitlist and the chance of getting in. Our strong recommendation is for you to add yourself to the waitlist but also request an appointment with a clinician who does have current openings.
We email our waitlist twice a week with updates about which clinicians have new openings. Be sure to save our email (office@resoutioncc.com) in your favorites so it doesn’t go to spam. If you don’t want to wait to see a therapist, you should also request an appointment with a clinician who does have current openings. You can also continue to check the Team Page every week to see if anyone new has “Book Now” below their name and request an appointment time if someone looks right.
Please note: the only way to get off the waitlist is to visit our Team Page and book your first appointment. Joining the waitlist just means agreeing to be notified about available therapists and appointments.