Initial Appointment: Evaluation and Treatment Plan Services

There are three types of out-patient evaluation and treatment plan services. The one you select could be determined by whether you are paying by cash or insurance, by how far you have to drive or by your schedule. The one most preferred is detailed first.

Type I: Complete Evaluation and Treatment Plan
This is a 4-hour initial appointment which requires a 4-day notice of cancellation or postponement. It consists of complete evaluation, prognosis, diagnosis and treatment planning. Follow-up treatment sessions are optional. A pro-bono evaluatory 3-4 page report is included. This Type I Evaluation and Treatment Plan is not available for clients who want to use their health insurance as health insurance will not pay for 4 hours a day of services for one client. See below for a sample structure of this type of evaluation and treatment plan:
a. 10 a.m. to Noon: Evaluation
b. Lunch: Noon to 2 p.m.
c. 2-4 p.m.: Presentation of results

Type II: Two-Part Evaluation and Treatment Plan
This is a 2-hour initial appointment for evaluation purposes. The family returns on another day for a presentation of results. A pro-bono evaluatoy 3-4 page report is included. Follow-up therapy is optional. This type of evaluation and treatment plan service requires a 2-day notice of cancellation or postponement. It is recommended for clients who wish to use their insurance to pay for services.

Type III: Multi-Day Stay (Intensive)
This type of evaluation and treatment service is preferred for clients who are coming from many miles away and need to stay in local lodging to receive services. It includes a complete evaluation and treatment plan, pro-bono report, presentation of results and follow-up therapy sessions. Private insurance will only pay for 2 hours a day, per client, TMHP Medicaid and Superior/Cenpatico Medicaid may pay up to 3 hours a day, per client. There is no limit to the number of hours cash-paying clients can receive. The cancellation policy depends on the number of total anticipated hours of service.

Questions and Answers:

1. Our child has Medicaid and we are driving quite a distance for services. Do you know of any organization that could help us pay for gas and perhaps even lodging?
Please contact Texas Medicaid Health and Human Services Commission at 877-633-8747 before your visit to see if they would help you with the cost of transportation and perhaps even lodging.

2. Do we come back to see you for therapy after we have had our initial evaluation?
Most people make an initial appointment at In-Family Services because they have reviewed the website and feel that they can find help here post evaluation. So, certainly evaluation and then treatment is the preferred client option. There are, however, some families who come for services from far away and bring their children’s therapists with them, so their therapists can receive hands-on training at In-Family Services in the interventions that will be brought back home and continued. As well, some families are able to continue the interventions themselves that they have learned at In-Family Services to help their child progress and only need to check back in with the clinician to update their child’s program.

3. I’ve just gotten an evaluation for my child from a psychologist. Why do I need to get another evaluation?
The evaluation you receive at In-Family Services is to actually put into place a custom- designed treatment program to help your child progress neuro-behaviorally, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, academically and socially according to the clinician’s expertise in developing the right program at the right time for the level of needs that your child has. For example, another’s evaluation may recommend cognitive- behavioral therapy as a component of what your child needs. This therapist might agree that cognitive-behavioral therapy would be ideal for your child after your child develops the self-awareness and impulse control skills necessary for that strategy to be effective. The In-Family Services clinician would then teach the parents and the child the various techniques, strategies and interventions to help the child develop the brain maturity (or attitude adjustment) that is the prerequisite for cognitive-behavioral therapy to be successful. Then the style of cognitive-behavioral therapy that would be taught would be the particular style that the clinician at In-Family Services has professionally developed.

4. Do we come back and see you weekly for therapy?

We will arrange, as best we can, follow-up therapy services to fit your therapy needs, your physical distance limitations, and your school and work schedules. Certainly if you live in Austin, you can’t come every week. It also wouldn’t make sense for someone to drive 2 hours one way to a therapy session and only spend 45 minutes in therapy. So, please don’t think in terms of a traditional 45 minute therapy schedule one day a week. That may not work for your family. Each client and family are different and have different needs. We will work to make the therapy duration and frequency work for you. In-Family Services is open for business 6 days a week, even on Saturdays.

5. What exactly happens in an evaluation?
The evaluation includes observation, interview, interpersonal interaction and a gathering of history. Some assessment instruments may be utilized to help the clinician identify potential root causes of presenting problems that must be treated before the presenting problems will dissipate. A written beginning plan (evaluatory report) is then prepared to help caregivers help their child. The report may include referrals to other professionals for adjunct therapies or examinations. For example, it may be suspected that the child may need an evaluation to rule out sensory processing disorder or it may be suspected that the child’s immune system is compromised to the point that a trip to The Neuro-Sensory Centers of America might be a great idea if it is financially feasible. Please click to read the following Initial evaluatory report for a child who lives many miles from Conroe, Texas.     Johnny Lightning 1      Johnny Lightning 2

6. For how long will we need to continue therapy with you?
You are free to determine the length of treatment. From In-Family Services’ point of view, the faster the home caregivers can integrate the interventions that their child needs determines the length and intensity of treatment. However, the severity of symptoms and depth of the root causes of the child’s behaviors are also factors that influence length and intensity of professional intervention.

7. Can anyone accompany the family to any of your sessions?
Any caregiver, case manager or hometown therapist is welcome to accompany a family to the evaluation and therapy services. CEU credit, at a cost of $10 per hour, is available as well to professional attendees. CEU training hours are available to foster/adopt parents at no cost because services at In-Family Services are so parent-training oriented. Check with your foster or adoptive agency to see if they will allow you to receive credit for training, in-session, with the child in your care.

8. Does my husband need to come?
It would be great if your husband could accompany you to at least the initial evaluatory session. If it is not possible for your husband to attend with you, and that is certainly understandable, we can DVD the sessions for him if he would like.

9. Can we bring our other children?
Yes, as long as you have arranged for someone to watch them if they need to be supervised. We have a waiting room with cable TV and toys.

10. Can we bring a child who is violent, unpredictable and aggressive?
In-Family Services cannot serve violent, unpredictable and aggressive clients whom the caregivers are unable to physically restrain themselves if necessary.

11. Can my husband, a friend or the nanny be the only person who accompanies our child to your services?
The primary caregiver must be present at every session because the primary caregiver is the one who knows the child best, the one who can give the best reporting on the child’s needs and behaviors and the one who can best carry out the interventions necessary, making sure that all involved in the caregiving environment are on board.