Click [+] to the right to see the full answer to the frequently asked questions:
Telehealth is a convenient, easy way for you to safely get the mental healthcare you need. It is ideal for clients who have schedules or medical circumstances that make it difficult to come to in-office appointments, who are located in geographical areas with less reliable access to quality mental healthcare providers, or who don’t want to spend their time commuting to an office. It also allows you to maintain continuity of care by not needing to cancel an appointment due to bad weather, physical illness, lack of childcare, or other situations that might make it difficult for you to make it to an in-office appointment. Studies have shown that Telehealth therapy delivers the same effective care as in-office visits.
We use a secure, HIPAA-compliant version of the Google Meets platform for holding your sessions via video. You do not need a Google account to access this platform. Your therapist will send you their unique Telehealth link prior to your session.
For a successful Telehealth therapy session, we recommend selecting a place where you can ensure maximum privacy, and using a private, secure internet connection. Ideally, you will use a computer or mobile device with a camera and a microphone. We recommend joining your session a few minutes early to account for any technical issues, and having your phone nearby so that your therapist can communicate with you in case of technical difficulties during your session.
Please note that therapists at the Relationship Therapy Center are only able to provide Telehealth therapy services to Minnesota residents. If you have any questions about Telehealth therapy, please contact our Client Ambassador at 612-787-2832 or relationshiptherapycenter@gmail.com.
Professional therapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the therapist and client, and the particular concerns you are experiencing. There are many different methods your therapist may use to deal with the concerns you hope to address. Therapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. It might even include other important people in your life. Therapy can be more successful as you work on goals and strategies at home that you have talked about during sessions.
Therapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy may involve discussing unpleasant experiences of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, therapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Successful therapy can lead to more satisfaction in relationships, new possibilities for addressing specific problems, and/or reductions in feelings of distress.
Sessions 1, 2, & 3
The first few sessions are the “assessment period”: a chance for you to tell your story and to make sure your therapist is a good fit for your needs. The therapist will be assessing your goals and your situation to figure out the best way of helping you and ensure a good fit for you. Our therapists have different specialties and it’s critical you’re working with an expert who is familiar with the issues you’re struggling with. Please do not expect a lot of suggestions or change to happen in the first couple of sessions. The therapist must gather enough information before beginning treatment to provide the most effective treatment.
Session 4 and after
By session 4, treatment begins. At this stage, you will see significant engagement from the therapist, a plan for moving forward, and you soon after you should start seeing progress. This stage of therapy can last anywhere from a few months to upwards of a year, depending on what your therapeutic goals are. If you’re not seeing any progress by session #6 you should talk to your therapist about this. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with your therapist, please call us at 612-787-2832.
When Treatment Goals Are Met
Once treatment goals have been met, you and your therapist will determine if there are other goals you’d like to meet, or if moving into maintenance and cutting back on the frequency of meeting would make sense at this point. Most folks are coming to therapy once or twice a month at this stage.
Completing Therapy
After you’ve been able to meet your goals and maintain your progress, therapy terminates. But you are always welcome to come back and we hope you do. Most clients think of maintaining their mental health the way they maintain their teeth– regular care at home and just coming in every 6 months or a year for a ‘check-up’. If everything is good, we’ll send you on your way again. If we need to brush up on some skills, come in for a few sessions more. It won’t take nearly as long this time since you likely already know the skills and just need some aid in utilizing them.
When you call us or request an appointment through our website, your request goes to our highly skilled Client Ambassador team, who will process your request and match you to an available provider based on your general scheduling needs, your clinic location preference, the topic(s) you are looking to address in therapy, and any requests or specifications that you may be looking for in a therapist, such as gender, age, or background. You may be as specific as you would like with any requests, but please be aware that we cannot guarantee availability of a provider that will match all of your preferences. However, our Client Ambassador team will do their best to accommodate requests as closely as they can.
We are very selective in choosing the therapists who contract with us. They are all well trained and your success is their primary concern. Each therapist has a different personality and some have different specialties. Once you have begun meeting with your therapist ask yourself these three critical questions:
- Do I feel comfortable talking with my therapist?
- Do they seem genuine and caring?
- Do they seem competent to work with the issues I’m struggling with?
Usually within the first session you’ll be able to tell if you ‘click’. If you’re thinking your therapist isn’t a good fit, please call us at 612-787-2832 to try a different therapist. We strive to match you successfully from the beginning, but we know we don’t get it right every time. If we didn’t succeed the first time – please give us another chance to find you a better fit. Within 5 sessions you should be seeing progress. If you’re not seeing any progress, please talk to your therapist and/or call us at 612-787-2832.
All therapists in the state of Minnesota need to complete a certain number of “supervised” therapy hours in order to be eligible to apply for independent licensure. This means that your therapist will meet with their supervisor (typically a more established, fully licensed therapist) outside of your sessions to discuss your progress and make sure you are getting the best care possible. Your therapist’s supervisor will not be in sessions with you, nor will your sessions be recorded in any way without your explicit permission. Additionally, your therapist’s supervisor is bound to the same ethical standards of confidentiality as your therapist, so anything discussed between your therapist and their supervisor will remain confidential.
There are many benefits to working with a therapist who is under supervision, including increased accountability for your therapist to use evidence-based interventions and uphold ethical standards. Supervised therapists also have the opportunity to hear another perspective on your case, which can lead to more creative and effective outcomes for clients. Finally, numerous studies have shown that therapists under clinical supervision have equivalent outcomes as therapists who have been licensed for extended periods of time. Please be assured that all of the therapists at the Relationship Therapy Center are well-trained and qualified to provide excellent therapy. We also utilize Feedback-Informed Treatment to provide an additional layer of accountability for your treatment.
If you have further questions about supervision, please don’t hesitate to contact our clinic owner and clinical supervisor Theresa Benoit at mncouplescounseling@gmail.com.
Come in for Couples Therapy for One! This format is designed for individual clients whose partners are resistant or hesitant about doing couples therapy. Couples Therapy for One teaches specific skills and tools to one partner that, when used, can often substantially improve the relationship and sometimes even inspires the other partner to reconsider couples counseling. Research shows that if you change the way you interact with your partner, often your partner will make changes as well. We can even get you established with a couples counselor if your partner changes their mind and decides to join you!
Reach out to get set up for Couples Therapy for One here.
Most insurance plans will cover 53-60 minute sessions for both individual and couples therapy. Ideally, couples therapy is 90-110 minutes a session, but it will depend on your therapist, your schedule, and the limitations of your insurance (if you are using insurance).
For individual therapy, the most typical answer to this question is 1 hour per week. For couples therapy, the answer is usually 1-2 hours per week (a combination of meeting together and separately) in the first couple months, and then reduced significantly as progress is made. We want to make a difference, and we know that we need you to be invested in order to change patterns in your relationship. Sometimes schedules or insurance limit options, which then will also impact results. For couples with very minor problems, or couples with very severe problems a less or more intense format will be recommended.
This is one of our most common questions and probably the hardest to answer. If you’re coming in soon after a relatively minor difficulty in your marriage – it may only take several sessions. However, research shows that most couples come into therapy 6 ½ years after the onset of severe conflict. If that’s the case for you – then this is going to be a much longer process – anywhere from 4 months and up. Your long term success is critical to us and we are very proud that for the year 2015, 75% of our clients achieved their goals. To learn more about our results, go to: Our Success Rates.
Maybe. It depends on how old they are and how they might behave in the waiting room. If you have an infant that can sleep while you’re talking to your therapist, or kids that are old enough to read or play on an electronic device very quietly in the waiting room, feel free to bring them along. If your kids require a lot of attention, finding childcare will be a better option. Please be aware that most of our waiting rooms are unattended, so your child will likely be unsupervised for the duration of your session. If you think your child may need therapy as well, you could consider having them see a Child Therapist as you attend your own session. Ask a Client Ambassador about this option at 612-787-2832.
Yes! Please bring in your insurance card if you wish to use insurance, and a driver’s license or other photo ID. Please also make sure you have completed the intake forms via the client portal link that was emailed to you along with your confirmation email. If you never received the client portal invitation, please contact the Client Ambassador at 612-787-2832 or contact@mncouplescounseling.com to request it.
Make sure you are asking about billing codes 90837 and 90847, since these are the most common codes that we use during a course of couples therapy. Often these benefits are listed as “family therapy” or “conjoint therapy” by your insurance plan. Some insurance plans do not offer family therapy benefits. Most insurance companies also require a mental health diagnosis in order to be able to bill your sessions to your insurance. You can discuss any concerns that you have about this with your therapist.
Questions about your coverage at our clinic that your insurance isn’t able to answer? Call us at 612-787-2832 and select option 3 to speak to our billing team.
All of our therapists are able to accept most plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield, HealthPartners, Cigna, Aetna, United Healthcare, Medica, and UMR. You will want to call your insurance and ask if you have outpatient mental health benefits to ensure you have the proper coverage. Be sure to ask if you have a deductible and what your copay or coinsurance is. We are also happy to check on your insurance for you. Just send your full name, phone number, date of birth, insurance provider, and policy ID to contact@mncouplescounseling.com. For more information, go to our Rates & Insurance page.
We have more therapists specializing in couples therapy than any other clinic in Minnesota. This gives you the best chance of finding the best fit for your needs. Additionally, we have a comprehensive team of individual, couples, and child therapists. We offer sex therapy, Intensive Couples Counseling, Make-it-or-Break-it Counseling, and couples therapy for one. Click on the Programs tab to learn more about these services.
Additionally – unlike any other clinic in Minnesota – we actively use the latest cutting edge methods to track your progress. We can say with confidence that our therapy works. Check out our results on our Success Rates page.
Our Intensive Program is designed for couples who want or need to make progress right now. It’s usually done in 3-4 hour blocks of time which facilitates quicker progress than we see with weekly therapy. Our intensive program is not currently covered by insurance. However, the service is reimbursed through most health savings accounts. Please see our Intensive Couples Counseling page for more details.