About Scheduling Your Initial

Appointments & Our Service Rates . . .

We Offer Affordable Rates, Late Evenings and Weekend Appointments

Saturdays through Wednesdays 11 am ~ 8 pm

For Our New Counseling Clients

Now that you're considering embarking on a mutual journey towards regaining a renewed sense of WellBalanced(tm) peace of mind in your life, you'll want to know about the next steps for doing so. Again, our initial process is designed to give us an opportunity to get to know enough to be able to decide if it's a "good fit".

Our first steps should become mutually aligned in our expectations and initial approach to assisting you to meet your goals. Believing that the level of mutual trust, openness and receptivity which often arises from the client counselor process, in itself, can create an ideal environment for desired growth and proactive changes.

After you feel that you've significantly reviewed any of the information we offer here on our web site, your next step would be to email us to arrange for either a complimentary session or for an initial intake session with AfraShe Asungi.

Next, we'll arrange a time for your intake session [the intake can be done in person or by phone]. During your initial intake session you'll learn about our fees for service, office practices and policies, and complete any related intake forms. We'll review and clarify the important points and answer any questions you have about them.

We affirmatively believe that you're making a wise investment in yourself by choosing to move forward now on finding someone who can assist you with finding mindful solutions for your current dilemma(s).

Please don't hesitate to contact us ~ we're here to help you have a successful, life-changing experience.

Again, Wellcome (tm) to SistahPeace (tm) . . .

We look forward to hearing from you soon . . .

Our New Client Checklist

1. Review our web site at your own leisure and pace, to get "a feel" about us and find the answers to questions you may have about our services, rates and policies.

2. Email us to arrange for a complimentary or initial intake session.

3. Download, review and complete the appropriate Intake Packet.

4. Bring the completed packet with you to your Initial Intake Session, along with any insurance information.

5. Bring along a sense of readiness for a Self-adventure!

Here's How You Can Save 30 - 40 Mins Off Your Intake Session . . .

ABOUT INTAKE PACKETS FOR OUR NEW COUNSELING CLIENTS:

If you are a new counseling client, please download and complete the appropriate Intake Packets and bring them to your Intake session.

Please print out and complete the appropriate Intake Packet. Bring the completed or uncompleted Packet to your Intake appointment. It's up to you ~ however, you can save 30-40 mins and use that additional time to discuss your problem /dilemma instead . . . by merely fill out the packet previous to our Initial Intake Session . . .

If you are unable to complete the Packet in advance, please arrive at our office 30-40 minutes earlier, to fill out a paper copy.

Please, click on the packet name or icon to open or download it.

If you are unable to open or download the packet, you may need to download a free Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking here.

Or send us an email request and we'll email the appropriate Intake Packets to you previous to our scheduled Intake session.

Adult Self-Pay Intake Packet

(All clients age 18+ complete ~ couples pls download 2 separate packets)

  

Adult Insurance-Pay Intake Packet [pls contact us for a copy]

(All clients age 18+ complete ~ couples pls download 2 separate packets)

Group Intake Packet [pls contact us for a copy]

(All group clients [must be 18+] complete)

Adolescent Intake Packet [pls contact us for a copy]

(Parents/ Guardians complete when client is age 13-17)

Child Intake Packet [pls contact us for a copy]

(Parents/ Guardians complete when client is age 3-12)



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About Our Appointment & Affordable Rates Info For Clients

We encourage you come to your intake appointment with any additional questions that you may have about how counseling may benefit you or your loved ones to return to a sense of mindful and SistahPeaceful WellBalance(tm).

We also suggest your review of Our About Our Services & Frequently Asked Questions pages, where you may find answers to your concerns. If you have any questions prior to our first meeting, please don't hesitate to call or email us. We look forward to working with you.

Payment Rates For Scheduled Appointments

ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENTS

We accept Visa/MasterCard and Paypal (which accepts Discover, American Express, Visa and MasterCard) for your convenience. We also accept check, cash, and money orders [please discuss this arrangement first].

ABOUT OUR SESSION TIME-FRAMES & AFFORDABLE SERVICE RATES

To Make Your Payments Via Paypal, Please Use The Link Option At the Bottom Of Our Page . . .

Our In-person or Phone Session Rates*

Our standard and sliding scale hourly rates are listed below. We take a number of insurance plans and we also offer Super Billing for those who have Out-Of-Network insurance and wish to use it. Most health insurance plans provide partial reimbursement for mental health services.

However, some plans may have high deductibles, restrictions on the number of sessions... and you may still need to make a co-payment.    ***[please click here to learn more about 3rd party insurance]

Our sliding scale rates are meant for those clients who are not actively using insurance.

Please be mindful that certain mental health services may not be covered by some insurance companies.          

Because our clientele are primarily wimmin and in keeping with our social work ethical guidelines, we have decided to offer affordable rates across the board to anyone w/out insurance plan [including those who are receiving "non-covered"] services from us as follows:

• [50 minutes]..... $140 [standard rate]
• [50 minutes]..... $ 75-140 [sliding scale rates] ***
  

• [25 minutes]..... $ 45 [our affordable rate for uninsured individuals] ***
  

• [90 minutes].....$175 [standard~couples & mother/daughter pairs]
• [90 minutes].....$125-175 [sliding scale rates ~couples & mother/daughter pairs] ***

For those with insurance plans ~ deductibles and co-pays will vary, depending on your plan. Please call our office or your insurance plan for more info about insurance rates, co-pay, deductibles.

Extended Hours Rates [unless stated otherwise]

Extended hours are also available upon request.

Email or call AfraShe directly to schedule an extended session.

• 3 hours ...$325

Full payment is expected from our clients at the time of service, unless a special arrangement/agreement has been made in advance.

You will be provided with receipts and related documentation (codes for service, diagnosis, and dates of service as requested by insurance company) for your reimbursement.

*couples should schedule 90 minute sessions unless previously agreed to do otherwise

** Please call for info regarding our rates and policies for out-of-office / in-home, office or studio sessions.

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ABOUT INSURANCE

AfraShe Asungi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California (LCS 27091). These BBS credentials are recognized by most insurance companies and as a result most insurance carriers will reimburse you for services provided.

AfraShe currently accepts insurance providers with PPO plans, most Medicare plans and Medi-Cal insurance providers, and Victims Of Crimes referrals; please check with us to see if we currently accept your insurance plan. 

AfraShe is also  an out-of-network provider, which means that your insurance company will most likely reimburse you for our sessions based on their out-of-network rates.

AfraShe mainly works on what is called a fee for service basis, providing a superbill should you decide to submit for reimbursement with your insurance or healthcare plans.

And as we're sure you already know ~ what we choose to spend our money on is a reflection of what we value. When we consider therapy, counseling, coaching, groups, classes as valuable investments in ourselves, our well being and essential to maintaining a positive sense of self and desirable quality of life . . . we value that which assists us to maintain and enhance our lives.

Folks are quickly learning that there are many benefits when choosing our own therapist, rather than using insurance and being limited those counselors/ therapists who have been selected for us. Here's a few benefits of choosing to self-pay:

• We can choose the best therapist for us, rather than have to use the one we're "assigned" to simply because they are contracted with our insurance provider, we have more choices about what is a "better fit".
  
• Our confidentiality is completely protected since there's no third parties to send our confidential records to.
  
• We're free to work solely with our counselor to set the pace and durationof our therapy process.
  
• We don't have to start over later with another person due to insurance limits after starting with a counselor we feel most comfortable with.

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ABOUT OUR CURRENT PAYMENT POLICY

Full payment is requested at the time of each session. If we accept your insurance plan, then you'll need to prepay for your deductible, etc. Upon your request, you will be provided a receipt of service commonly called a Supebill, which you can then submit directly to your insurance company for personal reimbursement, or to use for tax-deduction purposes.

You may make a pre-payment for any of the services you wish to have, by using your credit card or debt card. Just fill out the amount below and click Make a Donation. You'll be taken to PayPal's Website, where you can complete the payment to us safely and securely.

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*** ABOUT OUR SLIDING SCALE OPTIONS

We're committed to proactively helping clients who are uninsured or under-insured by providing a few sliding fee scale options.

We work with clients whose circumstances are that they are students, medical disability, single family earner, low-wage earners and when availability allows, we'll open to trying to offer more helpful rate adjustments.

Rate adjustments are determined and arranged on an individual basis. We have set up affordable sliding scale rates for our clients, who may be, for a variety of reasons, in need of them.

We're committed to assisting you with your mental health needs, whether you don't have insurance, are out of network, or you're a low-wage earner . . . just give us a call to discuss a workable plan.

We also offer small group counseling ~ where the rates are more affordable for some and because many people prefer group sessions, and find group counseling a valuable counseling process.

Also, here's a partial list of other places which generally offer really Low-Rates & Sliding Scale rates [& do feel free to send us info about others as well as their rates]:

• The Center Long Beach
• Family Service of Long Beach - Long Beach (562) 436-3358
• The Child Guidance Center- Long Beach (562) 485-2557
• Jewish Family Services / Children Services - Long Beach (562) 427-7916
• The Center OC
• The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center
• Jewish Family Services South Bay - Torrance (310) 373-0321
• Augustus Hawkins Mental Health Center -  Los Angeles (310) 668-4272
• South Bay Center of Counseling - El Segundo (310) 414-2090
  
  

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