Getting Started
Taking the first step, together.
Starting therapy can feel like the hardest part - so we’ve made it simple, unhurried, and human. Here’s exactly what to expect, from your first message to your first session.
Getting Started
Starting therapy can feel like the hardest part - so we’ve made it simple, unhurried, and human. Here’s exactly what to expect, from your first message to your first session.
Three simple steps
You don’t need to have the right words or a clear plan. You just need to begin - and we’ll gently take it from there.
Call us, send a message, or book a free 15-minute phone consultation online. There’s no intake paperwork to fill out first and nothing to prepare. This first contact is simply about hearing what’s bringing you in and answering any questions you have.
Rather than handing you to whoever happens to be free, we listen for what you’re working through and match you with the clinician whose training and approach fit best - anxiety, trauma, couples work, or something you’re still putting words to. If the first fit isn’t right, we’ll happily help you find another.
The first visit is an unhurried conversation. Your therapist will ask about what brought you in, a little of your history, and what you’re hoping for. You lead as much as you’d like. By the end you’ll have a sense of whether the fit feels right and a preliminary direction for the work ahead.
The honest details
Most people arrive a little nervous - that’s completely normal, and it fades quickly. There’s no couch-and-clipboard cliché here. It’s a warm, private, 50-minute conversation in a comfortable room (or over secure video). You won’t be diagnosed on day one or pushed to share more than you’re ready to. You set the pace.
Individual sessions are $150 (50 minutes); couples and family sessions are $220 (80 minutes). We’re in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, United Healthcare, and Cigna, and we verify your exact mental-health benefit before your first appointment - no surprise bills. A sliding-scale self-pay rate and superbills for out-of-network reimbursement are available too. Ask us to check your coverage →
Sessions are available at our South Austin office or via a dedicated HIPAA-secure video platform (not a standard video call). For most concerns, research shows telehealth is just as effective as meeting in person. Many clients mix both, depending on their week. You’re never locked into one format.
When you’re ready, request a session online or call us at (512) 555-0231. New clients often have same-week openings, including evening and weekend times. We’ll confirm your appointment, verify your insurance, and send everything you need before you arrive.
Common Questions
There’s no threshold you need to cross first. People come to therapy for acute crises and for quiet, persistent struggles - and for everything in between. If something is weighing on you, that’s reason enough. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit, and you don’t have to have it all figured out before you reach out.
Nothing formal is required. If it helps, you might jot down a sentence or two about what’s bringing you in and what you’d like to feel different. But an empty page is completely fine too - your therapist will gently guide the conversation. Just arrive as you are.
Yes. Give us your plan details when you reach out and we’ll confirm your specific mental-health benefit - your copay, deductible, and session coverage - before your first appointment. We’re in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, United Healthcare, and Cigna, and we offer a self-pay sliding scale otherwise.
That’s okay, and it’s more common than people expect. Fit matters enormously in therapy. If something feels off after your first session or two, tell us - there’s no awkwardness in it. We’ll help you switch to another Haven clinician whose approach may suit you better, at no extra cost.
New clients often have same-week openings, and we hold evening and weekend times specifically for people whose schedules are full. When you reach out we’ll walk you through the soonest available appointments with the therapist who best matches your needs.
Yes. What you share in therapy is protected and confidential, with only the narrow legal exceptions every licensed clinician is bound by (such as an imminent safety risk). Our telehealth sessions run on a HIPAA-secure platform, and your records are handled accordingly. Your privacy is foundational to the work.
Start with a free 15-minute phone call - no forms to fill in first, nothing to pay, and no obligation to book. We’ll listen, answer your questions, and verify your insurance before you ever sit down with a therapist.
