FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

> I'M NEW TO COUNSELING OR LIFE COACHING, WHERE DO I START?

First step is easy! Simply register (one time) and you will receive an email with a link to fill out an intake. It takes about 3-5 minutes to complete the intake.

You will be asked to decide if you are seeking Counseling (related to mental healthcare. will have a diagnosis, probably covered by insurance) or Life Coaching services (not mental health and not covered by insurance).

If you run into any difficulties, contact our office staff at 210-970-1511 (during office hours) for assistance to guide you through the registration process.

Mr. Fuller reads your intake ahead of your session, asking questions during the initial session if he needs to gather additional information or to clarify a question. Before that intial session, from your intake, he will know reasons you are seeking counseling or life coaching. He then will work with you to create a plan of action to move forward during the initial session.

He may question some of your perceptions in order to provide insights, find ‘root emotional causes’ or reactions, help you identify blocks to see the process of what’s going on…not just what you ‘think’ is going on.

For counseling clients, Mr. Fuller is an experienced therapist who also helps mis-diagnosed clients identify an accurate diagnosis, and explain exactly why he is doing so.

> HOW DO I REGISTER FOR AN INITIAL SESSION?

Click HERE to being the registration process.

Once you’ve registered from the link above, an email will be sent to you with a secure initial log-in and temporary password to complete a confidential "Intake". (You can change your password and user-name during registration).

You will be asked if you are filling out an intake to seek Counseling services or filling out an intake for life-coaching services.

As you complete each section of the intake, sign it (electronically by typing in your name), click 'save' and system will automatically take you to the next section. Our registration site is secure & HIPAA-compliant. Information you submit during the intake is confidential to Mr. Fuller. A current credit card must be on-file for payment of sessions. (Client credit cards are not given to therapists, but are stored in HIPAA compliant secure, encrypted processing site for use in payment of the session. Only the last 4 digits of card & expiration date are visible to our office, in case client needs to know what credit card was processed for a particular session's date)

Once the intake documents are completed, you will be able to schedule online sessions 24/7. Please complete all intake forms online, 24 hrs. prior to initial session (allow 5-7 minutes to complete forms). EACH person attending a session must complete a separate intake due to privacy and confidentiality laws.

> AM I REQUIRED TO FILL OUT AN INTAKE?

Yes. Each person who will be involved in any session must fill out a separate intake (including children).

This allows Mr. Fuller to review your (& others who may be attending the session with you) secure intake information prior to the initial session. That review makes the initial session more effective, as actual client concerns are addressed. Initial session is a ‘working session’ (not just a ‘get-to-know-you session’). Mr. Fuller knows to address the concerns listed on your intake.

Be honest on your intake! The more honest you are, even from the initial appointment, the faster you're able to address issues and move forward positively. You don't need to try to impress Mr. Fuller. He has been a counselor and coach for many years and has dealt with many issues with his clients. Be honest about your needs so Mr. Fuller can help you find long-term solutions as quickly as possible.

If you do not feel comfortable sharing a specific detail while filling out the intake online prior to the initial session, that is ok, too. Just write in "I will discuss directly with Mr. Fuller." It will make the process a little longer, but Mr. Fuller is an experienced counselor and life coach and will guide you through the process.

> CAN I SCHEDULE MULTIPLE SESSIONS AFTER THE INITIAL SESSION?

Yes. Some of our clients face situations where they may only need one session, while others may have more complex situations to address and may need multiple, or recurring, "Dedicated" sessions. Registered clients can contact our offices, or log-in and see available appointment times to schedule appointments. If they find a specific time available that coordinates with their (or their family's) schedules, they can schedule appointments as 'dedicated appointments', held specifically for them. (The 24-hour cancellation policy applies and if a dedicated appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, it must be done 24 hours prior to the appointment).

This feature allows busy individuals and families to find times that work in their schedule(s) or to set a regular weekly or bi-weekly appointment(s), which are highly advantageous for those who only have certain times available in their busy schedules, or may need evening or late hours. Please contact our offices if you have any questions regarding 'dedicated or recurring appointments'.

> DO YOU COORDINATE COUNSELING CARE WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS?

Yes, if you are a counseling client. Mr. Fuller frequently coordinates with medical doctors or other professionals.

Before he does so, however, a client (or their guardian if a child) must complete & sign a “Medical Release form” (found in their client portal under 'forms'). This form indicates exactly what information is to be shared, who the information will be shared with, and reason for sharing that information.

Additional fees may apply for consultations or reports. Reports are only released to appropriate professionals (per HIPAA laws)

> WHY IS ONLINE SCHEDULING IMPORTANT?

Our HIPAA-compliant and secure online scheduling allows clients to schedule anytime, 24/7, even if our offices are closed.

After a client has completed their initial intake online (takes 5-10 minutes), clients have access to log-in with their username and password 24/7 (anytime) to see and schedule appointments. Mr. Fuller is notified of each client’s appointment. (24 hr. cancellation policy applies)

Payment is collected the day of the session, again through the secure portal, with the credit card on file in the client's secure portal. No more fumbling for a credit card during a session. Instead clients use that valuable additional 5-10 minutes in the counseling session for actual counseling.

Client invoices are available the day after the session, and available for years if you need to download for insurance, health or tax purposes. Simply use your secure log-in (username and password) and click on ‘billing’. After downloading the invoice, you will receive an encrypted email requesting an additional password. Contact our offices for this unique encrypted-email password (as it's different than your account log-in password). Client confidentiality is of paramount importance, even with email downloads from our offices.

> HOW DO EXISTING CLIENTS SCHEDULE MORE SESSIONS?

If you’ve already registered and had an initial session with Clifton Fuller, simply visit the client portal and log-in with your user-name and password to schedule an appointment. You can schedule a single appointment or a 'dedicated' appointment (recurring appointments reserved by clients at times that work in their weekly schedules).

You can also call our offices, during regular office hours, at 210-404-9001 to schedule a session or set up “recurring appointments” most convenient for you in your schedule.

> ARE NON-BUSINESS-HOUR APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE?

Sessions can be scheduled ahead of time, based upon availability of therapist for non-office-time appointments. However, fees double for non-office-hour scheduling and a minimum 2-hr block is required.

It is important that our therapists have time for their own families, to relax & renew mentally & physically themselves, in order to be able to offer the best quality of care to clients.

> DO I RECEIVE APPOINTMENT REMINDERS?

Yes! Reminders are sent 36-48 hours ahead of scheduled appointments. (Allows time to log-in and reschedule if necessary, to prevent late fee charges).

Am automated phone call, text to cell phone and email reminders are sent each time an appointment is made (from information client has provided in their client portal). Clients have option to limit type of notification (i.e. such as text only, phone and text notifications, etc.)

> CAN I CHANGE REMINDER METHODS?

Yes. Simply call our offices to let us know if you want to receive only texts, only phone calls, or only emails…or a combination of any of those (such as text/phone call only, etc.)

> WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?

We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. Full-fee is charged if appointments are not cancelled prior to 24 hours of the appointment.

When a client schedules an appointment, it prevents other clients access to that time slot. It is a courtesy to both therapist, as well as other clients, to reschedule at least 24 hours in advance if you have a conflict with a scheduled appointment.

> WHY IS TELE-COUNSELING IMPORTANT?

Our offices provide Tele-Counseling technology through a registered HIPAA-compliant platform. This provides a secure telehealth video counseling platform, unlike Skype, Facetime, or other non-HIPAA compliant venues. It allows Clifton Fuller to have the ability to interact with clients from virtually anywhere.

Even if an existing client is traveling for a business meeting, moves to another Texas city, is feeling under-the-weather with a cold or other illness that prevents them from traveling to our offices, safety from CV-19, or when it is difficult or time-consuming, for a client to travel to our offices. The initial client intake is filled out ahead of time and signed online with e-signatures. (No more wasted time filling out forms in the office). Only Clifton reads the intake, so info is confidential. It makes the first initial session a ‘working session’ (rather than a get-to-know-you type of session). Issues are actively addressed even during that initial session, saving valuable time & money. It also saves environmental resources in accordance with the Paperwork-reduction Act. Start your registration process here.

> FIRST VIDEO SESSION? BEGIN HERE...

Tele-health video sessions are easy to schedule and participate. Have questions? Contact our office staff during office hours & request assistance. Clients need a computer or iPhone for telehealth video sessions.

Telephone sessions can be scheduled (after the initial video session, if approved by Mr. Fuller) in future sessions. See more about preparing for your virtual session here.

> DO YOU ACCEPT INSURANCE?

Clifton Fuller is an out-of-network provider for all insurance plans. Most insurance plans cover his counseling due to his multiple licenses. By being out-of-network, clients have greater confidentiality as they have more control over reports and details released that an in-network therapist would be required to release.
We do not file insurance claims. Clients file their invoices directly to their insurance company. We do provide an invoice after each session, so clients can file claims for direct reimbursement. Invoices can be found in your ‘patient portal billing’ section.

We recommend that Clients download “Reimbursify” (through the App Store or Google Play). This simple App allows you file your invoice and track your insurance reimbursement. There are 4 easy steps to use Reimbursify: 1/Register yourself & your family (easy!), 2/Find your provider. Reimbursify will automatically complete your provider’s information for you, 3/File a claim in under a minute, easily file recurring claims in under 10 seconds, 4/Tracy process and Get reimbursed!

Contact your insurance carrier to obtain policies, to determine coverage and the requirements to file. Insurance carriers are changing their guidelines during CV-19, so their standard insurance policies may be different during the pandemic.

Payment is due the day of session, except for Court appearances (which must be prepaid 72 hrs. in advance of court appearance). Session are automatically paid by the credit care the client has on file on our HIPAA-compliant site.

Click Here for more information regarding steps to submit client claims.

> PAYMENTS ACCEPTED

Mastercard, Novus/Discover, Visa, American Express and HSA (Health Savings Accounts), Debit Cards. For questions about coverage, please contact your insurance carrier regarding your plan's requirements and allowances.

> SECURE EMAILS

To meet HIPAA laws, and to protect confidentiality of all clients, any emails our offices send to you, or any invoices you download, are encrypted. You will need log-in info to access and invoices will need an office password to open (call our offices for that password).

We do not have a public email. Only registered clients have access to the HIPAA-compliant encrypted email system we use.

If you are a provider's office and need to send records, please either have the client upload the records to their patient portal or mail those to: Clifton Fuller, 12951 Huebner Rd, Ste 781455, San Antonio, TX 78230-9998 with note "Confidential".