FAQ'S

General Questions:
How do I schedule an appointment?
What insurance does FVC accept?
Will I be charged for a missed appointment?
What happens at the first visit?
What services are provided?
Does FVC accept Access or state aid?
Do I need a referral?
Can my therapist be reached after hours?

Common concerns regarding therapy:
My child’s teacher has told me that he is acting out in class.  Would Play Therapy benefit my child?
 
My spouse and I are in the midst of a divorce, which is causing anxiety for my child, should I bring my child to therapy?

My child was recently hospitalized with a serious illness and her developmental milestones seem to have taken a step backwards, what would Play Therapy do to help her?

My child’s father and I are divorced and have joint custody.  I would like my child to come to therapy, but my ex-husband does not know about the situation, do I need to tell him?

My child’s grandparent recently passed away.  My child was very close to his grandparent and seems to be depressed.  Is it possible for a young child to feel depression and grief? 

Answers:

Q. How do I schedule an appt?

A. When calling to set up an initial appointment you will speak to a member of our friendly staff who will conduct a brief intake on the phone.  We will work with you to set up an initial appointment with a therapist.  Your presenting issue, type of insurance coverage, and time of day requirements, as well as specific clinician expertise and availability, will determine which clinician is chosen for you.  Of course, if you have been referred to, or know of, a specific therapist, we will accommodate your preference. 

Q. What insurances does FVC accept?

A. Although FVC accepts most major insurances, not all clinicians are providers for all insurances.  You will be notified by the office staff during the initial telephone intake, or before your first scheduled appointment should we have any issues with your insurance coverage.  You may also find out your mental health benefits by calling the phone number listed on your insurance card. 

Q. Will I be charged for a missed appt?

A. FVC has a policy of requiring 24 hour notice for cancellation of an appointment. This allows us to have an opportunity to fill the appointment time with other clients waiting for prime appointment slots. If we're not notified in time you will be charged directly for your missed appointment which will need to be paid at your next scheduled visit.  Insurance will not pay for missed appointment charges.

Q. What happens at the first visit?

A. We recommend that you arrive approximately 15-20 minutes early for your first visit so that you can fill out the appropriate informational paper work and confidentiality statements that are required. Prior to your first session you should have already pre-registered with our front office staff so that there will be no problems with your insurance coverage at that time. We ask that co-payments be made at the time of check in for all appointments your first, as well as subsequent, appointments.

Q. What services are provided?

A.  We provide outpatient mental health therapy for children, teens and their families with a focus on Play Therapy.

Q. Does FVC accept Access or state aid?

A. At this time we do not accept any state assisted forms of insurance.

Q. Do I need a referral?

A. At this time insurers do not require a referral from your Primary Care Physician. New patients to our practice are often referred to us by physicians in the community, current clients patients currently in our practice, schools or guidance counselors, insurance companies or the internet. This self-referral process does not require any action by your P.C.P.

Q. Can my therapist be reached after hours?

A. Our therapists can be reached after hours if a clinical emergency exists. Current clients may access the on call therapist through the FVC emergency pager. Emergencies should be defined as crisis situations that cannot wait until the next business day. In a life-threatening emergency, please go to the nearest emergency room.

Q. My child’s teacher has told me that he is acting out in class.  Would Play Therapy benefit my child?

A.  Parents frequently seek assistance at FairView Counseling and the Play Therapy Center for children who are having behavior problems in their school, home and social lives. 

• Behavior problems have many different causes.  The process begins with an intake evaluation of your child’s family, social and emotional history, current functioning and any current stresses in his life.  The goal is to begin to identify the cause and function of your child’s behavior.

• At FairView Counseling and the Play Therapy Center we understand problem behaviors as your child’s failed attempts to feel successful in and connected to their world.

• Parents are the best observers of their children.  They are also the most important people in their children’s lives.  As a result, parents are also the greatest agents of change in their children’s behavior.  Your therapist will likely suggest a three pronged approach.  The three prongs involve:

1.   Working with you, your child and your child’s school to help identify problems and to help your child find a healthier way of getting his needs met. 

2.   Enhancing family relationships.

3.   U

4.   Sing Play Therapy to foster your child’s ability to discover creative, adaptive solutions to challenges in living.

Q. My spouse and I are in the midst of a divorce, which is causing anxiety for my child, should I bring my child to therapy?

A. Divorce is typically stressful for all family members.  There are many factors that affect the impact on your child and the ability of your child to cope with that stress.  You as the parent are the best observer of your child.  Please seek help for your child if you become aware that your child is having ongoing difficulty functioning in their everyday life.  Parents who seek help have often noticed, among other things, a decrease in their child’s ability to deal with normal frustration, an increase in irritability, changes in grades, problems with friends, increased anxiety and crying and changes in energy or activity levels. Additionally, many parents have found that involvement in therapy prior to, or at the very beginning of, major family changes can help their children successfully cope with those changes.

Q. My child was recently hospitalized with a serious illness and her developmental milestones seem to have taken a step backwards, what would Play Therapy do to help her?

A. I am so glad you asked this question.  Illness and hospitalization, whether of a parent or a child, is confusing for everyone. There are numerous stresses to cope with.

•       Illness challenges everyone’s coping and basic sense of their relationships.  Particularly in the developmental years children need to feel secure in those relationships before they can move forward.  

•       Children are much better than adults when it comes to taking care of themselves.  A serious illness, particularly when it involves hospitalization, drains developmental, emotional, and physiological energy.  So children, being the brilliant intuitive beings they are, retreat and “cocoon” emotionally and developmentally so their bodies can use the energy to heal itself.  

·     As adults we typically “deal” with experiences through our higher order brains, by talking or thinking about the events.  The experiences of children are more based in their non thinking, emotional and reactive brains.  As they heal physically the best thing children can do is to play through those hard experiences.  Play uses the same portions of the brain that are affected by the illness. 

A play therapist will use therapeutic play to offer your child a place to heal emotionally just as the hospital offered them a place to heal physically.

Q. My child’s father and I are divorced and have joint custody.  I would like my child to come to therapy, but my ex-husband does not know about the situation, do I need to tell him?

A. Pennsylvania case law requires that FVC have consent from both parents particularly if there is a custody agreement.  There is typically shared legal custody even when one parent has primary or full physical custody.  Our staff will provide you with a consent form for your child’s father (or mother).  FVC must have a signed consent prior to the second session.  If your child’s other parent refuses consent our staff will suggest you contact your attorney about legal means that may be available to you.

Q. My child’s grandparent recently passed away.  My child was very close to his grandparent and seems to be depressed.  Is it possible for a young child to feel depression and grief? 

A. Children do become depressed.  They can be strongly affected by family deaths.   Your child’s developmental level, their relationship to the deceased, and the responses of other family members all effect their understanding of and ability to cope with a death.  Please be aware that children do not typically process events in an adult manner.  They may have atypical [for them] responses to typical activities of daily living on scattered days even months after the death.

Home

Why Therapy?

Services

About Us

Play Therapy

Events

Payment

FAQ's

News Archive

Donations

Resources

Notification of Privacy