Commonly Asked Questions
Below are answers to commonly asked questions covering topics such as Methods of Payment and Fees, Health Insurance and Alternatives to Health Insurance Reimbursement.
1st Session
Please plan to arrive about 15 minutes early for your 1st session so that you have adequate time to read and sign paperwork. Visit the Location page for more information regarding the location of our counseling office.
Session Length
Sessions are 50 minutes long. Please make every effort to be on time for your session. Since sessions are normally scheduled back to back with other clients it is not usually possible to run sessions over the scheduled time. Longer session lengths are available upon request (dependent on counselor availability).
Methods of Payment and Fees
We accept Cash or Check. Checks should be made out to Vienna Counseling Center (of which Transitions is a branch). We offer potential clients a trial session at half-price. Please call us for current fees.
Cancellation Policy
Please give a minimum of 24 hours notice if you need to cancel a session or you will be billed the full fee. Sometimes it is not possible to give 24 hours notice. In such cases please notify your counselor as soon as you are able and they will take your circumstances into consideration.
Inclement Weather Policy
Your physical safety is very important to us. If you do not feel safe traveling to our office due to inclement weather conditions please refrain from traveling. Your safety takes precedence over the Cancellation Policy (i.e., you will not be billed the session fee for canceling due to inclement weather). We do still ask that you notify your counselor as soon as you are able.
In Case of Emergency
Transitions does not provide 24-hour hotline services. Should you have a mental health emergency please visit your nearest hospital emergency room or call 911.
Health Insurance
We handle health insurance in the following manner:
Clients pay the full fee amount at each session.
Counselors will provide a printed monthly statement to clients wishing to collect insurance benefits. Please note that this statement must include a diagnosis formulation which, if filed with your insurance company for reimbursement, will then become a part of your medical record.
Clients submit this statement to their insurance company for reimbursement. The amount of reimbursement is subject to the terms of the client's insurance coverage (e.g., few insurance policies cover marital or family counseling at all; individual counseling is typically covered to some degree). We do not accept Medicaid or Medicare.
Checking for Insurance Coverage
All insurance claims are filed under Sean and Kristin's respective supervisors (because Sean and Kristin are both Residents). Sean Slevin's supervisor is Judith Weaver, LPC (Harrisonburg, VA). Kristin Slevin's supervisor is Carla Messenger, PhD (Fairfax, VA). Though both supervisors should be accepted providers with most insurance companies please note that some providers may consider our counseling services to be out-of-network, which may affect how much you are reimbursed by them.
If getting reimbursement from your insurance provider is important to you we recommend that you call them in advance to check your coverage. When doing so be sure to specify that services are provided by _________, under the supervision of _________ (e.g., Sean Slevin, MA, MFT, under the supervision of Judith Weaver, LPC). With some insurance companies it may also be helpful to specify that we are employees of the Vienna Counseling Center (headquarters located in Vienna, VA). Additional codes and information which are required to file for actual reimbursement are all included on monthly statements, as indicated above.
Alternatives to Health Insurance Reimbursement
Unfortunately health insurance coverage for counseling tends to be a bit lacking (regardless of whether the client or the counselor files for reimbursement). For example, very few insurance policies cover marital or family counseling at all. If due to the limitations of your health insurance coverage, or for some other reason (such as wishing to avoid adding a mental health diagnosis to your medical record), you do not intend to file for reimbursement from your health insurance you may have other options for minimizing your costs.
The federal government allows some health-related expenses to be deducted on one's tax returns. Please speak with an accountant to determine if your counseling sessions at Transitions can be deducted on your tax returns. Other methods which are similar are: Health Savings Accounts (HSA), which are available to individuals and families with certain high-deductible health insurance plans; and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA), which are both typically offered through an employer. Since giving tax and/or legal advice is beyond our qualifications we would suggest that you pursue counsel on any of the above options that interest you from an accountant and/or your employer.
If you do intend to capitalize on options such as the above we suggest that you find out before your first monthly statement what information is required to be on the statement and what is not required. We wish to protect your privacy and if a diagnosis code is not required for you to receive financial benefit we would recommend not including the diagnosis code on your statements. Your counselor can provide you with an example statement after your first session to aid in your discussions with your accountant and/or employer.
