Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Do you have appointments in the evening?

We have some evening appointments available. To determine if evening appointments are available, please call our office at 575-249-2561. Our support staff is always willing to help set you up appointments which meet your scheduling needs.

How do I make an appointment? Do I need a referral?

You do not need a referral to set up a counseling appointment at PBCG. All you will need to do is give us a call at (575) 249-2561, and our support staff will guide you through the process of setting up your initial intake appointment and will help you select a therapist in line with your current needs. When you contact our support staff to set up your initial appointment, you will be asked to provide the following information:

Demographic information
Insurance, name on insurance card, insurance number and group number
Secondary Insurance if applicable
We ask all callers the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, which is an assessment that screens for suicidal ideation

We will send a link to our Electronic Health Record where you can complete intake forms. Our intake packet can also be downloaded and printed by clicking here.

For minors, documentation that outlines the custody agreement is required to be received before scheduling the intake appointment.

How long will I be in therapy for and how often are my appointments?

Our therapists tailor their interventions to each client so the frequencies of appointments and length of treatment vary based upon the needs of each client. Our average number of sessions for clients is about 5 sessions. A full course of CBT will typically be 6 sessions. CPT is 12 sessions.

Most of our clients come once a week or once every two weeks. Therapy works best when it is more frequent in the beginning, then as progress is being made, it gets spaced out more. For clients dealing with suicidal thoughts and/or PTSD, we often recommend twice each week.

How much does therapy cost?

The cost of therapy will vary according to your insurance coverage. At Permian Basin Counseling & Guidance we offer a sliding scale system to accommodate clients who do not have insurance or that struggle with meeting the cost of a copay. To qualify for the sliding scale, we will need three paystubs to determine eligibility. For questions, please contact our office.

Sometimes, people are nervous about their first appointment. What should I expect at my first appointment?

When you come in for your initial appointment, which is referred to as an intake appointment, you will be asked to fill out our intake packet which will be provided to you as you check in on the day of your initial appointment. If you choose to fill out the intake packet at the office on the day of your initial intake appointment, we suggest that you plan to arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment in order for you to have plenty of time to fill out the intake packet. Additionally, when checking in for your intake appointment, you will be asked to provide your insurance card. If the client is a minor who has been named in a divorce decree or custody agreement, such documentation will be required before the initial intake appointment.

After you check in, you will meet with your counselor. During your intake appointment, you will be able to talk to your counselor about what brought you into counseling in order for you and your counselor to determine counseling goals which are relevant to you. If the client is a minor, the counselor will typically meet with the parent or guardian during the opening of the intake appointment prior to the counselor meeting with the minor. Meeting with the parent or guardian during the intake appointment is very important towards building collaboration between the counselor and the parent or guardian. Additionally, by meeting with the client’s parent or guardian during the intake appointment, the counselor will be able to gain a better understanding of the struggles faced by the client, client’s history and guarantee that the parent or guardian gain understating of the counseling process especially when it comes to confidentiality.

What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)?

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common type of mental health counseling. With cognitive behavioral therapy, you work with a trained counselor in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. By helping you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking, cognitive behavioral therapy allows you to view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can be a very helpful tool in treating mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. But, not everyone who benefits from cognitive behavioral therapy has a mental health condition. It can be a very effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.

What insurances do you take?