WS New Client Intake!

Welcome!    

• We are excited to get started!  Our mission is to help you achieve your goals. We are here to help provide you with comfort, support, and encouragement throughout your change journey. We are committed to your success!  

• Change is hard. Life is tough. We believe that your journey has enough challenges, barriers, and obstacles. We aim to provide you with a smooth, organized, and coordinated experience. If you have any questions, concerns, or needs please let us know and we will be happy to assist you. 

Step 1: Complete New Client Intake Forms

• WS Appointment Request Form  -  Click on the link to the online form. A new tab will open and you can begin filling out the WS Appointment Request Form. The estimated time to complete this form is 5-7 minutes.

• WS Admin Registration Form  -  Click on the link to the online form. A new tab will open and you can begin filling out the WS Admin Registration Form. The estimated time to complete this form is 10-12 minutes

• WS Billing Registration Form  -  Click on the link to the online form. A new tab will open and you can begin filling out the WS Billing Registration Form. The estimated time to complete this form is 5-7 Minutes.

• WS Consent Registration Form  -  Click on the link to the online form. A new tab will open and you can begin filling out the WS Consent Registration Form. The estimated Time to complete this form is 5-7 Minutes. Please remember that minor clients will need 2 WS Consent Registration Forms. Minors are required to have BOTH parents/guardians complete the WS Consent Registration Form. Additionally, if the client is a minor subject to custody orders the ENTIRE custody decree will need to be uploaded into the consent form in PDF format. 

Helpful Tip: You Will Need the Following Information to Complete the Above Forms - 

•  Driver’s License or Government-Issued Photo ID (Must Be Current / Cannot Be Expired) 

• Picture of the Front and Back of the Client's Insurance Card

• Name, Address, and Basic Demographics of the Client and the Client's Parents/Guardians 

• Name, Address, and Basic Demographics of the Subscriber for Insurance (If Different From Client)

• Name, Address, and Basic Demographics of the Guarantor (If Different From Client)

• The forms cannot be saved and completed later due to privacy reasons. 

• The forms will TIME OUT if you keep the form open on your desktop or other device and the device goes to sleep or restarts. Do not start the form and keep it open on your device. 

Step 2: Scheduling Your First Appointment

• Once all intake information is received then WS staff will review your intake forms, check insurance benefits, and outreach to schedule your appointment. 

• Our staff will provide you with the results of your insurance check and let you know your patient responsibility (Copay/coinsurance/fee for service) prior to scheduling. We will also collect your credit card on file for your sessions. The schedule availability provided from the intake forms is used to offer an appointment while making every effort to honor care preferences. Please make sure that the schedule availability provided for the intake forms is all of the schedule availability for the client as this will determine the ease and quickness we can offer an appointment. 

Step 3: Attending Your Appointments

• Sessions begin at the top of the hour and are 45 minutes in duration. If you are running late give us a “heads-up” and we will ensure you can get your full session or offer alternative times that best fit your needs. We will outreach via text and email to all clients if they are more than ten minutes late for a session. We outreach because we care about our clients and want to provide support. 

• We understand that real life happens to real people. If something comes up and you are not able to make your appointment, please let us know, and we are happy to help reschedule your appointment.

• We understand that unforeseen stressful life events happen in our everyday lives. WS takes a flexible and compassionate approach to missed appointments. All clients receive what we lovingly and kindly refer to as our “3 Freebie Flake Out Policy”. We believe that providing care should demonstrate understanding of a client's struggles. All clients have a 3 broken appointment forgiveness and amnesty parachute. Clients have 3 appointments that can be missed, canceled, rescheduled, or no show/no call without the standard $100.00 fee. If we are aware that you have special circumstances, we can also extend the three freebies when needed. 

• We appreciate that attending appointments is a commitment that can be challenging in our busy and stress-filled lives. We strive to make attending your appointments an easy, convenient, and enjoyable process. No pressure. No guilt. If you need to reschedule or cancel at the last minute then we provide you with flexibility and understanding. Once a client uses all of their “3 Freebie Flake Out” appointments then the client will be charged for the missed session. 

• If you are concerned about telehealth and would like to request a “trial run” before your first appointment please let us know when you schedule your appointment. Our office staff will be happy to send you a link to an appointment so you can try out how the technology works prior to your appointment. We find that this helps reduce the nervous jitters before a first appointment. 

Super Helpful Information: 

Completing Online Forms-

• To initiate the appointment scheduling process please complete the new client intake forms. Once all of the forms are received we will check your insurance and contact you to schedule an appointment. 

• The WS New Client Intake process is 100% online, available 24/7/365, and fully automated. 

• Once the intake forms are complete the current turnaround time is 3-5 days to provide a new client appointment. 

• The online intake forms cannot be saved and returned to later. (We apologize for this inconvenience. This is for privacy and confidentiality reasons.) 

• All forms are completed online. There are no paper and pen versions of the intake forms.  
• It is recommended to complete the forms using a tablet or computer. The forms can be completed using a phone, but they can be difficult to read on some devices.

Care Requests & Preferences-

• We will make our best effort to accommodate all specific care requests. 

• We will take all requests and preferences into consideration when offering a new client appointment. We will also offer anything we have available- even if the options offered deviate from the requests and preferences we receive. It is up to the client to determine if what is available suits their needs.  We believe in providing the options available for an appointment and empowering clients with choice, autonomy, and control of their care. 

• There are many factors influencing how fast someone can obtain a new client appointment, examples include the following: Completion of all intake documents, schedule availability of the client and our clinical staff at the time we receive the request, and flexibility regarding care preferences. Additional factors we take into consideration include our clinician specialties, expertise, schedule availability, and insurance network status. All of these variables (and many others) determine the swiftness we can schedule a new client appointment. 

• We do our very best to provide care to each and every person who is in need. We are grateful for your trust in our care and look forward to assisting you in any way possible throughout your care journey.

Adult Clients-

• Adult clients must complete their own intake documents and schedule their own appointments. For privacy and confidentiality reasons, adults are required to complete their own forms and schedule their own appointments. 

Minor Clients-

• Minor clients are required to have BOTH parents or legal guardians complete the WS Consent Registration Form. We truly value the participation of members of a client’s support system like friends, step-parents, and grandparents in the treatment process. Due to State and Federal laws, we can only accept a parent's or guardian's consent for treatment. 

• If there are concerns that one parent will not complete a consent form then we recommend that you discuss this with that person in advance. If one parent completes the intake forms and the other parent refuses to complete the consent form then we will not be able to admit the client. In order to save time, avoid frustration, and prevent disappointment, please communicate as co-parents to ensure you are both willing to complete the necessary forms and participate in the care of your child. 

• If the new minor client is the subject of a custody order or custody decree then all legal documents regarding the custody of the minor are required to be provided and uploaded to the consent form. WS will not provide an appointment if any legal documents regarding custody or guardianship have not been provided and verified. Please be aware that all  custody forms should be submitted in PDF format. For security reasons we are not able to accept invitations to view information on a cloud or other similar platform. We really understand that this places a burden on the parents of minors who are trying to obtain care. This is not a WS policy. This is a requirement for Texas law. We try to make accessing care frictionless while following the law. 

Communication-

• Each time a form is completed, an automated text message is sent to confirm we received the document. 

• We send texts and emails at each step throughout the intake and care journey to provide proactive transparent communication. 

• We send emails regarding “What to Expect,” “How Telehealth Appointments Work,” and “FAQ for First Appointments” to ease your concerns and help you feel empowered. 

• Please check your inbox and junk file if you have not received any emails from us. All of the emails we send throughout the intake process will have “WS” in the subject line and they will originate from the following email address [email protected].

• Once you are scheduled for a new client appointment we will send an email invitation to our client portal. Setting up the client portal takes approximately 3-5 minutes. Setting up the client portal is optional. 

• We outreach to all clients on a regular basis via text or email to ensure that their current schedule works for them and to accommodate any upcoming changes as well. 

• For your telehealth appointments you will receive an email with a link to the appointment at the start time of the scheduled session. The email that you registered in the intake forms is the email address used to send the appointment link. The links to the appointments expire after 15 minutes. Links are not sent in advance of the session because they will expire. Links are not re-used for subsequent sessions. Our telehealth sessions do not require any special apps or software to be downloaded or purchased. 

• Our electronic health system sends automated text and email appointment reminders. This is activated by default in our system. If you prefer not to receive reminders you can opt out at any time. Please note that if you opt out of reminders you will not receive some types of communications through the portal. The WS mailing address appears in the appointment reminders even though appointments are telehealth. 

• WS will hold an appointment request open for 14 days. After 14 days passes we expire the appointment request. We will notify you of the appointment expiration by email. We only hold appointment requests open for 14 days to ensure people who need help and are struggling do not suffer from a delay of care waiting on an admission and possibly having their symptoms deteriorate. 

• All clients receive a client satisfaction survey via email after each session. We welcome feedback. If there is any way for us to improve we want to know. We are seeking your honest opinion.  

Insurance, Billing, & Credit Card Questions-

• We will collect your credit card on file information through an online form sent directly from our electronic health records system or via a live phone call. We value your privacy and your security. Once the information is entered into our system we do not have access to the card information. 

• We will charge your credit card on file AFTER we receive payment from your insurance and NOT on the day of the session. 

• Insurance companies often misquote benefits. Also, a client’s patient responsibility changes throughout the course of a year as they meet their deductibles and out-of-pocket insurance expenses. To ensure the greatest accuracy in billing WS will charge the credit card on file when a claim is processed by insurance. This process provides the greatest accuracy. This also helps to avoid confusing back and forth credit card charges and credits. 

• Clients receive an email receipt each time their credit card on file is charged. 

• Clients can access their WS patient account through the patient portal for additional details. 

• If any concerns or questions arise please let us know and we are happy to explain the insurance process and send additional receipts. 

Telehealth-

• We love how telehealth makes attending appointments so much easier! We also understand that technology can sometimes be frustrating and may solve one problem and create three others. If you are having technical difficulties or if you have any concerns about tech issues please let us know and we will be happy to assist you. 

• If you lose your privacy for any reason, especially since we understand the nature of the telehealth environment, please let us know and we can get the appointment rescheduled. We are here to help and look forward to making this a collaborative and cooperative process. We are guided to help with empathy, kindness, and compassion. If you need assistance then we are here to help you. 

• If you have any technology concerns or problems please reach out and we will do our best to accommodate and troubleshoot any IT related issues together. We understand that maintaining a stable and consistent internet signal can be a difficult and frustrating problem from time to time. If you suddenly lose your internet signal or have an unforeseen technology meltdown we can reschedule or switch the appointment over to another platform or live call in order to respect your time and provide some comfort in difficult circumstances. IT meltdowns happen to all of us from time to time. We understand. Just reach out and we will be happy to assist you. 

• If you are concerned about telehealth and would like to request a “trial run” before your first appointment please let us know when you schedule your appointment. Our office staff will be happy to send you a link to an appointment so you can try out how the technology works prior to your appointment. We find that this helps reduce the nervous jitters before a first appointment. 

Appointment Management-

• WS offers clients scheduling options to make your life easier and reduce administrative burdens. We offer the option of scheduling “Standing Appointments” or recurring appointments based on your needs and preferences. We find that clients prefer to have consistent scheduled appointments to avoid the hassle of scheduling appointments each week or every other week.

• If you need to change your standing appointment you can do so at any time. We offer Standing Appointments to make scheduling easier. If your Standing Appointment Day/Time/Frequency is not convenient then let us know and we will work together to create a plan that works best for you.  

• New clients usually begin once per week. As clients begin to experience symptom reduction, they will transition to once every other week appointments. Clients can then opt for discharge or to have “Bounce Appointments” or “As Needed” "PRN appointments". 

• Some clients are not able to commit to standing appointments so we refer to them as "Bounce Appointments" as they bounce from appointment to appointment based on their schedule needs. 

• Many of our clients will opt for "Monthly Appointments" or "As Needed Appointments" "PRN" (the healthcare acronym for 'as needed' is PRN - it's a Latin thing). We will often refer to these appointments as long term maintenance or "tune up" appointments. 

• Many clients will “bump up” or “bump down” their appointment frequency (Weekly / Every Other Week (EOW) / Monthly / As Needed (PRN) depending on how they are feeling. Also, some client’s may choose Every Other Week (EOW) Appointments due to the cost of care with insurance and make sessions more affordable. 

• Many clients are concerned that we will "get mad" or be "disappointed" in them if they cancel or miss an appointment. We absolutely do not get mad, disappointed, or hold grudges regarding missed appointments. We are people too. We get it. Sometimes that happens to us, as well. 

• Clients who discharge from care are welcome to return. Everyone needs a “tune-up” sometimes. You have not “failed” or “disappointed” anyone in counseling if you back-slide, have a relapse, or have a stress attack in your life and need a little support. If change were easy then our services would not be needed. Our clients are welcome to return and we are always excited to help you "level up" on the next phase of your journey. We will periodically outreach to clients who are “Bounce”, “Monthly”, “As Needed”, or “Discharged” to see how you are progressing and if there is anything we can do to help provide support.