Frequently Asked Questions:

Can therapy help me?
How long will counseling take?
What types of counseling does your group offer?
Is what we talk about in session kept confidential?
What happens in a therapy session?
What is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychiatrist?
What is Life Coaching?
What is EMDR?
What is psychological testing and when should it be done?
Will insurance cover Mental Health services?
Will you bill my insurance?
What is your counseling fee?
Do you offer reduced fees?
What forms of payment do you accept?
Social Networking Policies
Do your counselors dispense medications?
How can I contact Epic Counseling for an appointment or other information?
Are you a religious organization?
Do you have to include religion in therapy?
Do you go to court?
Can therapy help me ?

Can therapy help me?

There are a number of benefits available from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, tools and strategies for many issues. If you do not feel that you have major issues, a therapist can simply help you with managing personal growth. They can give a fresh perspective on your relationship, work and life in general. Therapy is right for anyone who is interested in getting the most out of their life by taking responsibility, creating greater self awareness and working towards change in their lives. Therapy can help work through major disorders and life issues or it can simply give you encouragement.

How long will counseling take?

Treatment is a highly subjective experience, and as such the length of time is dependent upon the individual. Length of treatment is determined by the client's motivation, complexity of the presenting issues, and availability of resources.

What types of counseling does your group offer?

Individual Therapy, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Couples Therapy, Play Therapy, Pre-Marital Therapy, E-Therapy (Skype/Phone).

Is what we talk about in session kept confidential?

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a therapist and client. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust and confidentiality. We provide every client a "Privacy Disclosure Statement" that goes into detail about the privacy of sessions. State law requires therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations. Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children or the elderly to the authorities, including child protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming them self or has threatened to harm another person.

What happens in a therapy session?

In the initial session, your therapist will get to know you, your strengths, weakness and the reason you are seeking therapy. Your therapist will then outline a custom plan on how to proceed with your personalized treatment to reach maximum results. It is common to schedule a series of weekly sessions at the beginning of therapy. If you are going through extremely difficult challenges, you may need a 90 minute session. There may be times when you are asked to read a relevant book or to keep track of certain behaviors. It is important to integrate what has been discussed in session into your life. Therapy is most effective if you commit 100% to the process.

What is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Psychiatrist?

A Licensed Clinical Psychologist is a mental health provider licensed by the State Committee for Psychologists in the State of Missouri. A Licensed Psychologist typically has a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field, and training which includes over 100 credit hours of graduate or post-doctoral supervised training. While on a pre-doctoral and post-doctoral internship, the student provides mental health services under the supervision of a Licensed Psychologist. Once the degree is completed (post-doctoral stage), the potential psychologist must find mental health agencies and supervisor(s) who will support them in their pursuit of licensure. Once they find such sites and persons, they register their "supervisory experience" with the state committee noted above. They then complete 2,000 hours of supervised practice, after which time they apply for licensure. Once the supervised experience is completed and the license is approved, they become a Licensed Psychologist and are eligible for unsupervised independent practice as a licensed mental health provider. A Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.) is a mental health service provider licensed by the Committee for Professional Counselors in the State of Missouri.

A Licensed Professional Counselor typically has a masters degree in psychology or a related field, training which includes 30 - 45 credit hours of graduate work and a 1,000 clock-hour internship. While on internship the student provides mental health services under the supervision of a licensed provider. Once the degree is completed, the potential counselor must find mental health agencies and supervisor(s) who will support them in their pursuit of licensure. Once they find such sites and persons, they register their "supervisory experience" with the state committee noted above. They then complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice, after which time they apply for licensure. Once all work except for the 3,000 hours is complete(coursework, etc.) they can register with the state committee as a candidate for licensure. At that time, they can call themselves Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselors (P.L.P.C). Once the supervised experience is complete and the license is approved, they become a Licensed Professional Counselor, and are eligible for unsupervised independent practice as a licensed mental health provider.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (L.C.S.W.) is a mental health service provider licensed by the State Committee of Social Workers in the State of Missouri. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker typically has a masters degree in social work. Licensed Clinical Social Workers differ from Licensed Clinical Psychologists and Licensed Professional Counselors in that their training and areas of work typically involve working with larger systems(Families, Schools, etc.) rather than individuals or couples. Once the degree is completed, the potential Licensed Clinical Social Worker must find mental health agencies and supervisor(s) who will support them in their pursuit of licensure. Once they find such sites and persons, they register their "supervisory experience" with the State committee noted above. They then complete 3,000 hours of supervised practice, after which time they apply for licensure. Once all work except for the 3,000 hours is complete (coursework, etc.) they can register with the state committee as a candidate for licensure. Once the supervised experience is complete and the license is approved, they become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and are eligible for unsupervised independent practice. as a licensed mental health provider.

A Psychiatrist is a licensed physician who completed their training in medical school and treat their clients through the use of medication.

What is Life Coaching

A good life coach will assess and build on your strengths and gifts to help you move forward at a realistic pace to meet your life goals. A life coach will not focus on past life issues but will focus on the present and future. There are professional life coaching education programs through numerous Universities who train individual life coaches in multiple fields of service. There are also several national life coaching credentialing associations. Many life coaches work in a specific field of service based on past experiences.

What is EMDR?

EMDR is an acronym for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a psychotherapy approach which assists in relieving the stress of traumatic events as well as assists in helping someone fulfill their potential. EMDR uses specific, focused strategies which stimulate access to dysfunctionally-stored information, forging new associations within and between memory networks.

What is psychological testing and when should it be done?

Psychological testing is used to help a mental health professional gain a greater understanding of the presenting issues of a child or an adult. It can be used to help determine a diagnosis such as ADHD, Depression, learning disabilities, fitness-for-duty evaluations, domestic violence evaluations or other health issues. It is often used when a diagnosis is unclear. Psychological testing is NOT always needed.

Will insurance cover Mental Health services?

Epic Counseling Group is contracted with Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare. We are an "out of network" provider for other insurance companies. If you have a "PPO" policy, your insurance should cover a portion of your services. As a service to you, our support staff would be happy to call your insurance provider to check your mental health benefits. If you wish to call to see if mental health services are covered, please ask the following question.

Do I have mental health benefits?
What does my plan cover for out-patient mental health?
What is my deductible and how much has been met?
Is pre-authorization required?
How many sessions per calender year?

Will you bill my insurance?

Yes. Our support staff will send a claim to your insurance company the day after your session. Insurance normally takes between 30 to 60 days to process.

What is your counseling fee?

Our standard counseling fee is $130.00 per session.

Do you offer reduced fees?

We have a sliding scale reduced fee program that is available on a limited basis. The sliding scale fees range from $35.00 - $108.00. Call for details.

What form of payment do you accept?

You can pay your co-pay and balances with Cash, Check, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, or American Express. You can make payment in our office, on our website or by mail.

Social Networking Policies:

Websites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all social networks available for counselors to use but they all have strict protocols to follow in regards to privacy. Boundaries are a great thing when it comes to social media. Relationships between client and therapist are deep and profound, built on respect and sometimes evolving into an abiding feeling of deep connection. But as mental health professionals, we have an obligation to keep social media to a therapist / client relationship and not a friendship.

Do your counselors dispense medications?

No, our counselors are Licensed Mental Health Counselors who are not authorized by the state of Missouri to prescribe or dispense medications. You will need to contact your medical doctor or a psychiatrist for your prescription medications.

How can I contact Epic Counseling Group for an appointment or other information?

Office hours are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Monday - Thursday) and 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Friday). The business office is closed for lunch from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM. Our office is closed during all major US holidays

Therapist office hours vary per therapist. They range from 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM (Monday - Friday). Select Saturday hours may be available.

Phone - 816-622-3171
Fax - 816-622-3171
E-mail - Info@EpicCounselingGroup.com

Are you a religious organization?

We are a private nondenominational counseling center. We are not affiliated with any church or religious organization. All or our therapists are Christians and active in their respective churches.

Do you have to include religion in therapy?

Absolutely not. Approximately 65% of our clients involve their faith in their therapy. Faith and religion are included at the discretion of the client.