Frequently Asked Questions

Post- Roe v Wade Reproductive Health & Justice: Our Role as Licensed Social Workers in the State of Ohio

We have an ethical responsibility to provide informed consent to clients regarding their rights, privacy, and access to appropriate and essential healthcare services. Our role as licensed social workers is rooted in each clients’ self-determination regardless our own beliefs. See our informed consent statement below:

Dear Client or Potential Client,

As a social worker licensed in Ohio, I am required to provide you with the opportunity to understand the risks, benefits, and limitations of our work together. With ethics, care, and respect in mind, I also want to address how current laws and policies around reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare may impact our sessions.

You may know that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, and access to abortion in Ohio is now heavily restricted. I am actively monitoring legislation to ensure I can provide you with the best possible care, including understanding how policies may affect your bodily autonomy and access to gender-affirming care.

Your safety and comfort in sharing are my priority. I understand that there may be topics you choose to withhold, and that’s okay. You are always welcome to ask questions about what will happen with any information you share in therapy, and I will answer openly.

Some questions clients often ask include:

Can I share if I have had, or am considering, abortion care or have experienced a miscarriage?
How will discussions about pregnancy or pregnancy outcomes be documented?
Can you provide referrals or information about abortion access?
Can you provide referrals or information about pregnancy prevention?
Are you comfortable talking about abortion?
What is your stance on abortion access?

I am committed to providing care that respects your autonomy. If my answers raise concerns or you feel a different provider might be a better fit, I will work with you to find a safe and supportive source of care.

Sincerely,

Psychotherapist & Sole Proprietor of Guidance & Growth

Kelsi Amerine, MSSW, LISW

Services Offered

What to Know Before Your First Appointment

No we do not. Our practice is self-pay because we feel that insurance companies place many different barriers/restrictions on our clients’ holistic mental health and wellness journeys. G & G is not in-network with any insurances at this time. Accepting insurances does not align with our mission, vision, and professional/business values. Many insurance plans provide coverage for out-of-network mental health services. Please contact your insurance company to see what deductible or percentage of reimbursement is allow. Your therapist can also provide you with a superbill document after each session . This is not a bill as each session is paid for at the time of service. This is an invoice containing information required by insurance companies such as session date, diagnosis codes, other personal information, and details about your provider’s practice. You can submit these documents to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
Questions to ask your insurance
- Do I have out-of-network benefits with my policy?
- Do I have a mental or behavioral health policy that covers out-of-network benefits?
- How do I use my out-of-network benefits?
- Do I have an out-of-network deductible? If so, how much is it and how do I meet it?
- How do I submit a superbill document?
- What is the timeframe and percentage of reimbursement?
Unfortunately, no. You MUST be physically located in the state of Ohio during each session due to your therapist's specific licensing laws and regulations set by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist Board. Your therapist will obtain your physical location/address at the start of each telehealth session.
If you will be located outside of the state of Ohio during a scheduled appointment, it is your responsibility to communicate this to your therapist and cancel the appointment within 24 hours of said appointment. If you do not cancel within 24 hours due to being out of state, you understand that you will be responsible for paying the full fee for that session per your therapist's cancellation policy.
Beginning October 2020, G&G opened a brick and mortar office location at 105 South Paint Street, Chillicothe, OH 45601. We offer all of our services in-person as well as via telehealth. We are also offering our Mindfulness Ecotherapy Services in person at pre-determined appropriate locations.
We are now offering our traditional psychotherapy services both in-person and via telehealth. We promise your peace of mind when it comes to the confidentiality of your services and health information. Our communication and electronic health record platforms are secure and HIPAA compliant.
We value your continuity of care and will make the telehealth service delivery option available for all clients even after social distancing mandates are lifted for Ohio! This option is not for everyone so please reach out to your therapist with any questions to determine if it is a good fit for you.
Don’t worry as we offer multiple options that increase the accessibility and affordability of our services. Here at G&G it is our perspective that we all have mental health. You deserve to be able to invest in care for mental wellness just like many commonly do for physical health!
- Alternative payment options: Sliding fee scale based on gross household income. Please contact us at (740) 245-3821 or complete our “Contact Us” form to inquire about the details of our sliding fee scale. If you request this reduced rate option, please be prepared to submit a minimum of one month of pay-stubs as proof of income at your first appointment.
*Superbill: This form can be provided to you by your therapist at the end of each session if requested. You can submit this form to your insurance company for POSSIBLE reimbursement. Reimbursement is not guaranteed.
After your free consultation to determine goodness of fit, your therapist will send you two electronic invites. One to register yourself in our client portal and complete your intake paperwork. Please know that your intake paperwork is required to be completed within 24 hours of your initial intake appointment. The other invite will be for you to download and create a simple account for the HIPAA compliant communication platform app. If you are doing your appointment via telehealth, your therapist will video call you through this app at the time of each appointment. Please be aware that you must be physically located within the state of Ohio during each telehealth session.
If you are not, your therapist will be required to terminate and charge for the session. If you are doing your appointment in person, please arrive 10 minutes early, park in front of the Postmark building, and send your therapist a message via your Spruce app letting them know you have arrived. The doors of the building are locked for health and safety reasons. The Spruce app is also used for all other communications in between sessions for both telehealth and in-person service delivery. Your therapist must follow strict legal and ethical guidelines in order to provide the best quality telehealth treatment.
We are currently offering individual services only at this time. Stay tuned for our growth and new service offerings! Our current hourly rates are as follows:
- Initial 60 Minute Assessment: $115/hr
- All Other Consecutive 60 Minute Psychotherapy Sessions: $115/hr
- 60 Minute Mindful Ecotherapy Sessions: $115/hr
*As of January 1st, 2022, under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Services Act, health care providers and facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan/coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items/services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) of expected charges.
Under the law that includes a “No Surprises” Ace, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items/services. Here at G & G we are completely transparent about our self-pay rates and each session is paid for at the time the service is provided (unless otherwise negotiated directly with your therapist). All clients are required to keep an updated credit/debit card on file. Please note:
- You have the right to receive a GFE for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items/services. This included related costs like medical tests, prescriptions, equipment, and hospital fees.
- Make sure your health care provider gives you a GFE in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service/item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a GFE before you schedule.
- If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your GFE, you can dispute the bill. Due to the nature of mental health treatment, duration and frequency of treatment is often difficult to determine and can change based on factors including your preferences, growth, and life events. It also does not account for any other services that may be required outside of in-office or walk-and-talk psychotherapy sessions.
- The GFE is a general estimate of cost of treatment in a calendar year and NOT a contract between client and therapist. Client can choose to alter or terminate treatment at any time.
- Make sure to save a copy or picture of your GFE. For questions and more information about your right to a GFE, visit www.cms.gove/nosurprises.

Answers About Our Approach and Offerings

Once a full initial assessment is completed, you and your therapist can then discuss multiple factors to determine if Mindful Ecotherapy is appropriate for you. Prior to scheduling an ecotherapy session, you and your therapist will also discuss important informed consent information like risks, limitations, and confidentiality, in detail together.
Below you will find some general helpful info but please Contact Us if you have any other questions!
- This service is different from telehealth and traditional office-based therapy because you and your therapist will be wearing tennis shoes and weather appropriate clothing while walking in a natural, outdoor setting side-by-side! You will set the pace and your therapist will follow your lead.
- This is not a service focused exclusively on physical health/fitness but for unplugging, guided mindfulness practice, and de-centering yourself from overwhelming thoughts, emotions, and body sensations.
- The fee you pay for your individual psychotherapy sessions is what you will pay Mindful Ecotherapy sessions! These unique sessions are also 60 minutes long. The same no-show and cancellation policies apply to these sessions.
- Locations currently offered for these sessions: Yoctangee Park (10 min walk from your therapist’s office!) & two Hocking Hills state parks; Ash Cave, and Old Man’s Cave. Meeting at the state parks will be pre-arranged between you and your therapist.
- Please come dressed for the day’s weather and wearing comfortable and functional walking shoes. Feel free to bring water or snacks with you as well.
- If you have any physical health conditions that could impact your engagement in ecotherapy sessions, please disclose these to your therapist. We recommend consulting with your physician prior to scheduling a session.
- In the case of inclement weather, you and your therapist will discuss if continuing with the scheduled Mindful Ecotherapy session will be safe and therapeutic. If it is determined to not be such, you will have the option to move your session to your therapist’s office instead. *Please note that if you completely cancel your session with less than 24-hour notice AND decline to move the session to your therapist’s office, you will be responsible for paying for the session at the full rate per the fee policy.
It is important to note that “intake” and “diagnostic assessment” are terms that are used interchangeably. They refer to your initial assessment with your licensed therapist. Since this is intended to “paint a big picture” of you as a whole person and your needs, you can expect to answer questions on the following general topics: sexual orientation and gender expression, current concerns/symptoms impacting daily life, duration and frequency of these symptoms, your own history of mental health symptoms and past treatment episodes, physical health history, family history of mental health and/or substance use, your own history and relationship with substances, past and present traumatic experiences, support systems, and overall relationships.
Once a full initial assessment is completed, you and your therapist can then discuss multiple factors to determine if Immersive Experiential therapy sessions are appropriate for you. Prior to scheduling an experiential session, you and your therapist will also discuss important informed consent information like risks, limitations, and confidentiality, in detail together.
Below you will find some general helpful info but please Contact Us if you have any other questions!
·       This service is different from telehealth and traditional office-based therapy because you and your therapist will be wearing environment specific and appropriate clothing while interacting in an often public, skills- building setting side-by-side. You will set the intention, goals, and pace and your therapist will follow your lead.
·       The fee you pay for your individual psychotherapy sessions is what you will pay Immersive Experiential sessions. These unique sessions are also 60 minutes long unless time and duration changes are pre-planned for and agreed upon. The same no-show and cancellation policies apply to these sessions.
·       Locations currently offered for these sessions are not preset and are determined based off of your unique treatment plan goals and objectives. Meetings will be pre-arranged between you and your therapist.
·       Please come dressed comfortable and appropriately for the environment and activity.
·       If you have any physical health conditions that could impact your engagement in experiential sessions, please disclose these to your therapist. We recommend consulting with your physician prior to scheduling a session.
·       In the case of inclement weather or issues outside of our control, you and your therapist will discuss if continuing with the scheduled Immersive Experiential session will be safe and therapeutic. If it is determined to not be such, you will have the option to move your session to your therapist’s office instead or coordinate with your therapist if they are able to reschedule the full experiential session to another close date and time. *Please note that if you completely cancel your session with less than 24-hour notice AND decline to move the session to your therapist’s office at minimum, you will be responsible for paying for the session at the full rate per the fee policy.
The purpose of the phone consultation is to provide you the opportunity to communicate your needs and determine if this therapist is a good therapeutic fit for you. Psychotherapy is an investment in many ways, so this quick phone call helps ensure maximum long-term success for you on your mental health and wellness journey. We will require a phone consultation prior to you being placed on our wait list (if we are operating on one) to ensure your time waiting isn’t wasted if we are not a good clinical fit.
1. You and your therapist have agreed that telehealth is a good fit for you. First, ensure that you have access to a quiet, well lit, and private space to meet virtually with your therapist. Sessions cannot be held in unsafe or public areas. If this is not arranged ahead of time, your therapist will be required to cancel the session and charge the agreed upon late cancellation fee. Maintaining your safety and confidentiality is our top priority!
2. Check the functionality of your technology and devices prior to your session. Make sure your wifi connection is strong, speakers and video cameras work appropriately, devices are charged, and cell phone data (if not using a wifi connection) is sufficient.
3. Treat your telehealth appointment as you would a traditional in-person appointment. Dress appropriately and position the camera to have your upper body and face in full, centered view. This helps with maintaining eye contact thus creating a more engaging and therapeutic session!
You will provide a trusted emergency contact as part of your intake process. Be prepared to authenticate your identity and provide your exact location at each telehealth session.