How do I schedule an appointment?
To schedule an initial counseling appointment, contact us at (760) 607-6429 during business hours (7 days a week, 8:30 am – 8:30 pm). The front staff will ask for your name, contact information and if you require emergency assistance. You will come for a 75- 90 minute appointment to first complete some background information and then meet with an intake counselor.
What happens at the initial appointment?
When you first arrive for your appointment, you will fill out paperwork. This paperwork will tells us more about your background and what your needs or concerns might be. If you need assistance with this process, please don’t hesitate to ask for help at the front desk.
Next you will meet with a counselor/clinician for an intake appointment. You will have an opportunity to talk confidentially with a counselor about your immediate concerns. He/she will talk with you about some of the reasons you scheduled the appointment and will evaluate what resources will be most helpful for you. Some clients find that talking with a clinician once resolves their immediate concern.
If additional services would be helpful, these will be discussed during your session. These additional services may involve group, individual, or couples counseling, referral to another resource, referral to a physician, or, perhaps, referral to a clinician outside the agency (if you require specialized or more intensive services).
If you are referred for individual counseling with a one of our clinician you will be contacted with an appointment time and date. This designated counselor will in most instances be your ongoing counselor and may or may not be the same person you saw on intake.
If you are referred to a group therapy you may be provided with information regarding the first group meeting time and contact information for the group counselor.
If you are referred to a counselor outside of our practice for longer-term or more specialized care, you will be provided with information regarding available options.
For more information about what to expect from your visit, as well as about our policies and procedures, please see our Orientation to Services page.
What if I am returning for services?
If you are returning to our center for short-term counseling services, you should let the front desk staff know this when you call to schedule an appointment (760) 607-6429 Depending on a how long it has been since your last appointment and the availability of appointments they will do one of the following:
- Ask you to come to the center for a brief triage/update appointment
- Schedule an appointment with the clinician you are requesting (you may request to see the counselor you saw previously or someone new)
- Schedule you for the next available counseling appointment with another counselor
- Recommend that you speak with a CRISIS clinic clinician
What If I am interested in longer term counseling services (more than 10-12 sessions)?
Sometimes clients prefer or have presenting concerns that are best addressed by specialized or longer term therapy. If you are interested in these services, please call the center and schedule an appointment with the Clinical Director or Case Manager. They will be happy to talk with you about your counseling goals and potential treatment options.
Standard Psychology Appointment
Appointments with a psychologist are for 40-50 minutes, referred to a “Therapy Hour”
Please bring your documentation from previous relevant professionals, if available. For children this includes teacher reports and developmental records and/or reports from other professionals.
At times, parents or guardian may be required to attend an appointment without their child/teen.
Where appropriate and possible, both parents should attend with the child. The psychologist often meets with the child and parents separately, if needed.