faqs & policies

Riverside Counseling operates as a private practice, allowing for more personalized, integrative treatment planning and a higher standard of care individually tailored to each client’s needs and goals. Riverside Counseling is an independent clinical service provider of mental health therapy services and also serves as an independent contractor. Throughout this collaboration, clients across Minnesota while maintaining a commitment to trauma-informed, individualized care/ Riverside Counseling pays Soul Work in Champlin, MN to handle administrative tasks like insurance verification, billing, and clients' secure client portal. Soul Work is amazing and they work hard to create optimal experiences for your mental health needs on the admin side. This allows Riverside Counseling to soley focus on providing high-quality, specialized and personalized mental health therapy. Riverside Counseling remains an independently owned private practice providing psychotherapy, trauma therapy, EMDR, diagnostic assessments, and nervous system-informed approaches for individuals seeking meaningful healing and growth.

Scheduling is simple. You may call or text Riverside Counseling directly at 218-450-8400 and leave a message if you reach voicemail or complete a Contact Form.  Please include the following information to speed up the processing on getting your scheduled when you reach out:  your full name, DOB, email address and phone number when you reach out to start the process of therapy services.  A Welcome Packet and client portal instructions will be sent to your email. These forms will be from Soul Work and must be completed before scheduling your first session. Once your completed paperwork has been received, you will be contacted by phone, email, or text within 24–48 business hours to schedule your initial appointment. 

You will also receive an email from Riverside Counseling with our 10 Questions: Your Story exercise.

Please complete and return your responses by email before your first appointment is scheduled with Riverside Counseling. Your responses will be reviewed by your therapist before your intake appointment so we can begin with a better understanding of your story, your current concerns, and what you hope to accomplish through therapy. There is no additional charge for completing or reviewing the 10 Questions.

Riverside Counseling provides psychotherapy services for adolescents and adults and generally serves clients ages 12 and older. Children under the age of 12 may be considered on a case-by-case basis following an initial clinical intake to determine whether their needs are an appropriate fit for the practice. Priority consideration is given to children with a history of:

• Abuse or neglect
• Self-harm or suicidal ideation
• Child protection or social services involvement
• Juvenile justice or court system involvement

Riverside Counseling provides professional psychotherapy and behavioral health services only. The services provided at Riverside are intended to support emotional wellness, mental health treatment, and personal growth through therapeutic interventions. To maintain clear therapeutic boundaries and avoid conflicts of interest, Riverside Counseling does not provide forensic, evaluative, or court-involved services, including:

• Child custody evaluations
• Parenting time or visitation recommendations
• Disability determinations or evaluations for benefits eligibility
• Expert witness services, court testimony, or recommendations for legal proceedings

Clients requiring these services will be referred to appropriately qualified forensic or evaluative professionals. 

• Length: Typical sessions last 45–54 minutes, though some may be shorter or longer depending on your needs
• Frequency: Usually once a week for consistent support. Frequency can be adjusted, and we try to reserve the same weekly time whenever possible.

Using Insurance: If you use health insurance, claims are submitted to your insurance company and billed accord to contracted rates with your health plan and Soul Work. Your financial responsibility, including copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, or non-covered services, is determined by your individual insurance benefits and plan requirements.
 

Starting therapy can feel intimidating — but your first session at Riverside Counseling is designed to help you feel comfortable, understood, and supported from the very beginning. Your first appointment is an opportunity to:

• Start a Diagnostic Assessment if needed (typically completed over 1–3 sessions)
• Rates: Initial Diagnostic Assessment: $275/Individual Therapy sessions: $225
• Begin creating a personalized treatment plan with your therapist based on your personal goals, needs, strengths, and challenges
• Share what you want to gain from therapy and what meaningful change would look like for you
• Discuss past therapy experiences, what has or has not worked, and your hopes for the future
• Begin to explore patterns, stressors, emotions, relationships, trauma, or life transitions impacting your wellbeing with your therapist
• Discuss realistic short-term goals that you want to achieve in therapy.  

Payment is due at the time of service. We accept Venmo, Cash App, pre-approved checks, credit and debit cards. Insurance may cover a portion of your sessions. Clients are responsible for any copays, deductibles, or services not covered by insurance. Soul Work is available to assist with insurance and billing questions prior to scheduling to help clarify coverage and expected out-of-pocket costs.

As a courtesy, claims are submitted to participating insurance companies on behalf of clients through Soul Work. Insurance coverage does not guarantee payment, and clients remain financially responsible for all deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, denied claims, and non-covered services.

Clients choosing private pay understand that no claim will be submitted to insurance unless requested. Upon request, a superbill may be provided for clients seeking possible out-of-network reimbursement. Reimbursement is determined solely by the client's insurance carrier and is not guaranteed.

Clients may choose to receive services without using insurance. Private-pay services provide greater flexibility, enhanced privacy, and treatment that is guided by your clinical needs rather than insurance requirements. 

Many clients choose to pay privately for therapy because it offers greater flexibility, privacy, and greater control over their mental health. 

• Greater Privacy: When you use insurance, a mental health diagnosis is typically required and becomes part of your medical record. Paying out of pocket allows you to seek support without submitting a diagnosis to your insurance company.

• Therapy Focused on Your Goals: Insurance companies often determine what services are covered, how often you can be seen, and when treatment is considered "medically necessary." Private-pay therapy allows treatment to be guided by your needs—not insurance requirements.

• No Session Limits: You and your therapist decide the frequency and length of treatment based on your progress, rather than insurance authorizations or visit limitations.

• Personalized & Flexible Care: Private-pay sessions provide greater flexibility to tailor treatment using approaches such as EMDR, somatic therapy, trauma-informed care, and longer sessions when clinically appropriate.

Please give at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

• Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice: $100 fee
• No-show appointments (missing an appointment without notice): $150 fee
• After two no-shows, future appointments may be cancelled. Any missed appointment or late cancellation fees must be paid before new appointments can be scheduled.

Clients are expected to attend appointments regularly and communicate if they cannot make it. Repeated no-shows, late cancellations, or inconsistent attendance may result in being moved to week-to-week scheduling or discharge from services. Insurance does not cover no-show or late cancellation fees. These charges are the client’s responsibility.

If you arrive late, you may still attend your session if you are within 15 minutes of the start time. However, sessions will end at the originally scheduled time, and the full session fee will still apply.

This policy helps protect appointment availability and allows fair access to care for all clients.
 

Feel free to share this website with anyone who may benefit from Riverside Counseling.

You may request a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) for therapy services if paying out of pocket or not using insurance. It outlines expected costs based on available information.

• Unexpected costs or insurance reimbursements are not included
• If billed $400 or more above your GFE, you may dispute it
• Save a copy or photo of your GFE for your records
   

More info: www.cms.gov/nosurprises