Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve pulled some of the most frequently asked questions and compiled them into one place. Should you have any other questions that we may have missed, contact us and we will do our best to help you.
FAQ Regarding Therapy
When you first contact our agency, a trained, experienced screening specialist will ask you some preliminary screening questions. The purpose is to gather basic information to begin to clarify what your unique situation is and what issues you wish to address with mental health services. Once this brief screening is done, an appointment will be set with an intake clinician to begin a more thorough evaluation of your situation to assess the problems you are facing. The information provided during this initial assessment feeds into the deeper evaluation your assigned therapist will conduct. The screening process will take 60-180 minutes and may involve up to three appointments.
Once the registration and screening assessment paperwork is finished, you will be assigned a therapist at which time you are considered admitted to Beacon Place Mental Health Center.
Prior to your first counselling session, the assigned therapist will review your screening information as a basis at your first session for conducting a deeper evaluation with you about your concerns and possible symptoms. This comprehensive evaluation facilitates us to provide a diagnosis and to work with you collaboratively to develop your treatment plan. The deeper evaluation process and treatment plan development may take 1-3 sessions. We know that finding the right therapist is important to your success in treatment. This initial time with the therapist is a time to get to know you and for you to get a sense of whether you feel the “fit” is good between you and the therapist. We will work with you to help find the therapist that you feel comfortable with and will best meet your needs.
Here are some sample questions that you may find helpful to address at your first therapy session. It is normal to feel slightly nervous approaching the first- time meeting with your therapist so we suggest you write down your questions so that you don’t forget to ask any of them.
What is the therapist’s professional background and qualifications including any relevant specializations?
What is the therapist’s experience with similar issues to those you are facing?
What approach will the therapist use?
What is their treatment philosophy?
Any other questions or concerns you may have.
Sometimes as people start talking about issues that they have been dealing with, they report a temporary feeling of relief. This is normal and the result of unburdening themselves to a therapist or group.Long-lasting results come from making positive changes over time in an effort to reach your personal goals. The treatment plan that you and your therapist work to design in your first few sessions will identify goals you want to work on.
Measurable goals and outcomes may include but are not limited to:
Creating a change in attitude, belief and behaviors (such as “I can’t” to “I can”)
Reduction in or elimination of symptoms such as depression or anxiety
Learning new coping skills to deal with relationship problems or traumatic events
How to deal with sudden changes in life that result in anxiety, loss, grief or many other possible reactions
To track progress toward those goals, you and your primary therapist will review the plan you constructed during the first appointment, adding objectives or making other changes as necessary throughout the course of your treatment. Your progress is also tracked through periodic use of assessment tools that give you information about how the changes you are making have affected your functioning.
Different goals take different lengths of time for different people. The time for you will be derived from your therapist and yourself collaboratively writing you goals and the amount of time you need to complete them. We do not practice “one size fits all” treatment. You are the driver in the process, we are the navigators (or GPS) assisting you in getting where you want to be safely and effectively.
The first step is to openly discuss the issues or concerns with your therapist. If the issues remain unresolved you may ask to communicate with the clinician’s supervisor. If discussion with the supervisor does not satisfactorily address the issue you can follow the formal Beacon Place grievance procedure. The steps and forms necessary to do so will be provided to you on admission or you may request them from the Beacon Place receptionist at any time. As part of this formal grievance process you may ultimately meet with the Executive Director to discuss your concerns.
Beacon Place has arranged for after-hours emergency coverage with the Orange County Crisis Call Center. This after-hours phone number will be given to you in your admission packet plus it is noted within the recorded answering message on the Beacon Place phone line if no one is available to personally answer our phone lines. The Crisis Call Center trained clinicians will handle emergency mental health issues during Beacon Place office closures and will follow up with communication with your primary therapist at Beacon Place to inform them of your after-hours call and how your issues were resolved. Your primary therapist will follow up with you to assure that the issues triggering the after- hours call are either resolved or will schedule time with you to further work on the issues.
Beacon Place Mental Health Center is a participating provider for most insurance plans in New York State including Medicaid and Medicare. Our intake specialist will check with your health insurance carrier to confirm that our services are covered through your insurance plan and determine what your deductible or co-payment will be. For reference for persons self-paying for services, costs differ depending on type of service-- individual counseling, family or couples counseling and psychiatry have different rates. Cost is also dependent on length of time of a session. Our intake specialist will discuss cost of services and means of payment with you during the intake process once we ascertain what type(s) of services you need.
Information about the Beacon Place sliding fee scale for private pay individuals or for clients experiencing financial hardships is available as well. You may ask your therapist or our receptionist for further guidelines related to the sliding fee scale.
FAQ About TBI Structured Day Program
A TBI Structured Day Program is a community-based group program designed to meet the needs of adults with functional impairments caused by a traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain bleed or other cerebral vascular accident. A Structured Day Program is a comprehensive program that provides a variety of social and related support services in a protective setting during any part of a day, but less than 24-hour care. It is NOT like a nursing home and it is not “baby-sitting” for adults. Participants usually attend an average of 5 to 6 hours per day with some attending 8 hours a day. Number of hours and days of attendance are decided on with the client at the time they create an initial individual plan of care with their Service Coordinator. While at the Structured Day Program, therapeutic activities are planned to support clients with maintaining or improving social skills and other identified issues. The program is also designed to keep clients engaged with other people thereby reducing the results of social isolation such as depression and anxiety.
Most clients attend the Structured Day Program 6 or more hours per scheduled days of attendance. Although some clients attend only one day per week, most attend two or more days weekly with some coming daily, Monday-Friday. Attendance is scheduled as the program is not equipped to handle drop-off attendance. Your schedule will be created with your input as you develop your initial service plan. The service plan is routinely reviewed with you to assure that your needs are still being well met. Attendance changes may also be made with prior notice to the Structured Day Program staff.
One of the greatest benefits of attending a Structured Day Program is to have an outlet for social interaction with other adults. Everyone who attends the TBI Structured Day Program has experienced a traumatic brain injury of some type so they can easily relate to the issues you may be experiencing as the result of your TBI. All activities are designed to have therapeutic outcomes which means they have a positive outcome for you in supporting your goals for better health and wellness. Activities may include but are not limited to such things as games, music, exercise, practicing skills like reading or writing, cooking, arts and crafts, using the computer, learning new things, special celebrations, community outings plus plenty of time to socialize with peers who also attend the program. Activities often can be modified to increase the ability of clients with some functional impairments to be able to participate to the fullest of their ability. Planning for activities includes direct and frequent input from clients so new types of activities happen often depending on the interests of the group members. Our clients report having a good time and making new friends while at the program.
Clients anticipating payment for Structured Day Program services through the NYS TBI Medicaid Waiver program must first apply for the TBI Waiver program through the NYS Department of Health, TBI Regional Resource Development Center (RRDC). Beacon Place TBI Structured Day Program is authorized to serve Waiver clients living in Orange, Rockland, Westchester, Sullivan, Putnam, Dutchess or Ulster counties. The RRDC for those counties is a part of Westchester Independent Living Center Inc. You may call Meghan Maldonado, 845-228-7457, ext. 1120, to receive more information about applying for services through the TBI Medicaid Waiver program. Once approved, you will choose a Service Coordinator to assist you in developing an individual service plan that notes the community-based supportive services you need to help you reach your goals for living in the community rather than a nursing home. The Service Coordinator will provide you a list of authorized TBI Medicaid Waiver providers for the services you need. You may choose from any of those providers. Beacon Place is noted on that list as an approved TBI Structured Day Program provider.
Admission for clients who anticipate private paying for services or paying through funds from a trust fund or settlement will work directly with the Beacon Place TBI Structured Day Program Director, at 845-203-1400. She will do an assessment of your needs for structured day program services and other required admission paperwork to assure that your needs and interests can be met within our program. You will be notified directly of your accepted admission to the program by the Program Director.
Many of our participants have TBI Structured Day Program costs paid for through the NYS TBI Medicaid Waiver program as noted above. Other clients private pay for services, use funds from a trust account, or use settlement funds that were received from legal actions that resulted from your original TBI incident. Private pay rates are, in part, dependent upon your level of care needs while at the program and will be discussed as part of your admission process.