New Client Info

Will what I share be held in confidence?

Yes, what you tell the therapist will be held in confidence. There are only four situations where a therapist is legally mandated to break confidentially. The first is if you are seriously suicidal and have a detailed plan on how you are going to kill yourself. The second is if you are homicidal, which means you are planning to kill someone else. The third is if you are abusing a child or if you are a child, and someone is abusing you. And lastly, if you are abusing a handicapped or elderly person – this also includes financial abuse.

Preparing for your first appointment

Once you have had your telephone assessment and decided to start therapy at Valley Center Counseling, how do you prepare for your first session?

The first step: Print out the "New Client" package.(Get it Here)

After downloading and printing the forms, please take the time to fill them out so you can bring them with you when you come for your first appointment. We request information relevant to your therapy, including contact and family data, your medical history, a list of any medications you might be taking, health insurance coverage and history of prior psychotherapy including therapists name, address and phone number. Also included are our policies and privacy commitment. Filling out the forms ahead of time will streamline our first session.

The second step: Decide how will you pay for your therapy?

Detailed information about whether to use your insurance and how to determine how much your insurance will covered is found in the Fees section of this website. This section lists the pluses and minuses of using insurance and detailed information on how to interact with your insurance company so you will know exactly how much they will pay before you start therapy – no surprises! To keep the cost of sessions down we ask you to interface with your insurance company. We will provide you with an insurance ready invoice which you need to submit to your insurance company. If you need help please feel free to contact us at 760-685-3403.

What to expect during your first appointment?

If you have not had a chance to fill out the "New Client" package it is important to arrive 5-10 minutes before your scheduled session to fill out this paperwork. That way you will have more time with the therapist.

During your first session, you will be asked a lot of questions about your family, your employment, education, health care and goals for therapy -- to mention just a few items. This is what we call the data collection phase of therapy. We may not be able to complete the full assessment in one session and may need to continue it at the next session. It is also important that you ask the therapist any questions you may have.