Frequently Asked Questions
Q. how do i make an initial appointment?
A. To make an appointment, call our front desk at (763) 531-0566 to speak with one of our fabulous administrative assistants, Cherie Carver and Betty Engdahl. We will ask you for your name, date of birth, address, contact information, and insurance information as well as what type of therapy you are looking for and/or a brief description of the reason you are seeking support. If we are able to, we will schedule you at the time of your call. Otherwise, we will consult with our available providers and call you back as quickly as possible, ideally within one business day. If we don’t answer, please leave a message. Rest assured, our voicemail is confidential, and your information will be protected. Again, we aim to get back to you within one business day.
Q. How much does therapy cost?
A. Our therapists accept most major insurance plans (varies by provider) including state insurance, private pay, and sliding-scale fees for families or individuals who are under-insured or uninsured. Visit our insurance & payment page for more information.
Q. What times are therapists available?
A. Each of our therapists offers different hours depending on what works best for their clients and their work-life balance. We have therapists in the office from approximately 10:00am to 8:00pm Monday through Friday and 9:00am to 5:00pm Saturday. These hours are estimates and may vary weekly. Contact a therapist directly or call our front desk at (763) 531-0566 for specific availability questions.
Q. What can i expect during my first session?
A. Please arrive 10-15 minutes before your first session to complete necessary paperwork. The content of your first session may also look a little different than sessions going forward. See Your First Session for more information.
Q. How many sessions will it take before I feel better?
A. The number of sessions varies enormously and depends on what issues you bring, and we will discuss this at your first session.
Q. How do I get there? Where do i park?
A. Our office is located in a tall, brown, brick office building called Earle Brown Tower off I-94/694 and Shingle Creek Parkway.
From Highway 100 northbound, take the John Martin Drive exit, the turn right on Earle Brown Drive. Go straight through the stop sign at Summit Drive N, and Earle Brown Tower will be the second office building on your right.
From Highway 100 southbound, take the Summit Drive N exit. Turn right at the stop sign onto Earle Brown Drive. Earle Brown Tower will be the second office building on your right.
The building has a free open parking lot on the east side of the building. From the parking lot, enter through the double glass doors on the NW side of the building. You should walk past a small sitting area, through two more double glass doors, and down a short hallway to an elevator bank on your left, across from the mailboxes. Take the elevators to the 5th floor, and turn right out of the elevator bank. Our entrance is the third door on your right, suite 520.
If you would prefer to take the stairs, enter the building through a door further south on the east side of the building. The door is labeled with a sign for stairs. When you get to the 5th floor, our office will be down the hallway on your left.
Q. What do I do when I arrive?
A. If one of our administrative assistants, Cherie or Betty, is at our front desk, please check in with them to let them know you’ve arrived, complete any necessary paperwork, and submit payment. Payment is due at the time of service. If no one is at the front desk, please have a seat. Your therapist will be with you shortly.
Q. If I am the parent or guardian of a child who is receiving therapy, what can I expect?
A. Caregivers will sign initial paperwork, review and sign treatment plan updates every 90 days, and complete assessments as needed. You are also encouraged to be in contact with your child’s therapist regularly through family therapy sessions (20 – 60 minutes), brief face-to-face consultations (5 – 10 minutes), phone, or email. Please remember that the majority of the day, therapists are in session. They may not be able to answer the phone at the time of the call. Always leave a voicemail with your name and phone number, and your child’s therapist will respond as soon as they are able. If you are the parent of a teenage client, you are welcome to stay in the waiting room during your child’s sessions, or you’re welcome to drop your child off and pick them up after.
Q. What services do therapists offer when providing “school based therapy”?
A. School-based therapists offer individual and family therapy. Individual therapy is provided in the same way it would be in an outpatient clinic; having therapy on-site at school simply offers more convenience, as it limits travel and time away from school for appointments. Family therapy can be offered on a regular or as needed basis, and it can be used to discuss your child’s therapy goals and progress, specific issues or concerns that arise, targeted interventions to support your child at home, strategies to promote healthy family relationships, etc.
Q. What is confidentiality?
A. ‘Confidentiality’ or ‘confidential’ are words you will hear a lot when talking about therapy, and we will discuss it more during our first meeting. Your trust and privacy are important to us. Please rest assured that all information you share with North Psychology clinicians and staff members will remain strictly confidential.
There are four common limitations to confidentiality.
Duty to Protect - If your therapist has reasonable belief that you are in imminent danger of killing yourself or someone else, your therapist will talk to whomever they need to in order to make sure you are safe.
Mandated Reporting - If you reveal that a child or vulnerable adult, someone who legally cannot take care of him/herself, is being abused or neglected, your therapist will report the abuse and any relevant information to county child or vulnerable adult protection.
Release of Information - If you (parent/guardian for children or vulnerable adults) sign a ‘Release of Information’ (ROI) allowing us to share your records or information with another person or agency, we will do so at your request. You can terminate an ROI at any time, and ROIs naturally terminate one year from when they were written unless otherwise specified.
Supervision - If your therapist is receiving clinical supervision for licensure or credentialing, she (or he) will share details related to your case with her supervisor in order to make sure she is providing you with the best possible care. Your therapist will inform you in your first session if this applies. The vast majority of our clinicians at North Psychology are not under supervision.
Patient medical records are confidential and are protected under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), a federal law with stiff penalties for violating patient privacy. As a federal law, HIPAA generally trumps state laws requiring compliance with court process, including a subpoena or other official request for documents. However, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has put into effect rules which do require health care professionals to disclose patient records without the patient’s consent in certain limited circumstances. For example, if there is an order by a state judge that the records be disclosed, or if one of the parties has applied for a “Qualified Protective Order,” then HIPAA does not apply, and the records must be disclosed.
For any other questions or concerns, please contact our front desk at (763) 531-0566 or info@northpsychology.com
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