FAQ

How much does it cost?

Ron Deage, the Clinical Director, has been a counselor for over 27 years and his fee is $195.00 per session.  Sometimes, arrangements can be made due to financial issues to make a reduction in order to help clients get services if they are committed to the counseling process.

We also provide low cost counseling options as a teaching facility with Interns who are graduate students in counseling, or newer counselors, and their fee range is from $35.00 — $85.00.  For your convenience, we accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Our first priority is to provide services that are helpful to your situation.

How long does it take to see improvement?

We believe you will feel better after the first session. That does not mean all of your concerns will be resolved, but clients usually report they experience relief and get a hopeful sense about the possibilities for the future. Great improvements are usually possible after 4-8 sessions of individual and family counseling. Hypnosis usually lasts 3-5 sessions. Our Adult Addictions Outpatient Program and the Teen Program goes for 8 weeks. Of course, individual progress is up to the person and is usually determined by readiness, commitment, and willingness to improve.

Where are you located?

Our address is 3201 Cherry Ridge, #B206-1, San Antonio, 78230. We are near IH 10 and IH 410, just North of 410 on Cherry Ridge, which is one major street West of Vance Jackson.  Our other location, for one day each week, is in Boerne at Johns Road Business Center (Celebrity Care), 37131 Interstate 10 W #101, Boerne, TX, 78006.

What are your staff’s credentials?

All of our counselors are LPCs (Licensed Professional Counselors) or LCDCs (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselors). That means the LPCs all have graduate degrees in counseling and a minimum of 3000 hours of supervised experience. They have also passed an extensive licensing exam and maintain continuing education requirements. LCDCs have extensive experience treating all types of addictions. Most of our staff have many years of experience and also possess additional sub-specialty credentials. We do not provide or prescribe medication. However, we do work closely with a network of psychiatrists and are available to make referrals.

Why should I come to Turning Point?

Just so you’ll know, we think there are big differences among therapists and their effectiveness. We are a small, private agency. All of our counselors have many years of experience and are licensed and credentialed by the state of Texas. We take the extra time to personalize your experience and offer caring connections with expert input to help you with your situation.

The clinical director, Ron Deage, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 25+ years of experience. He added Clinical Hypnotherapy to his abilities because he believes it is important to employ the strongest part of your mind to expedite your desired goals. The difference from a regular therapist/psychologist is that he will also incorporate the added techniques of clinical hypnotherapy for your benefit. He will go at your pace and always be aware of your needs.

What is your approach with hypnotherapy?

Briefly, hypnotherapy sessions are conducted personally and individually and are 45 minutes long. It is designated as a counseling session so that there may be insurance benefits available for you. We are available to check your insurance benefits for you if you desire. Just call with your insurance card available. The duration of the course of treatment is usually short-term, lasting approximately 3-5 sessions, beginning weekly, then with longer periods of time between sessions as you become more and more successful at implementing the desirable behaviors and thought processes. The approach is designed so that the process is quite informal and relaxed. You will always be aware of all that happens and there is not a particular concern about perceptual depth of the trance state. In using hypnosis for more than 18 years, we know that the message gets through effectively and the goal is for you to understand and use the concepts on your own when you are away from the office, not only in the area of your concern but in other ways that may help you throughout your life. The key in the clinical use of hypnotherapy is getting clear with your subconscious mind so that benefits occur for you automatically and without effort.

How can hypnotherapy help me?

Hypnotherapy has been used effectively to lessen fears and traumas, relieve phobias, clear anxiety and hurts from past abuse, stop smoking, lose weight, improve sports performance, and generally improve self-esteem. Negative behavior patterns or mistaken perspectives or beliefs usually arise from the influence of past events or misunderstandings between our conscious and subconscious minds. Hypnotherapy helps to clear those errors, or at least to neutralize them so that you are able to move forward more easily.

How can group counseling help me?

When you participate in one of our addiction recovery groups, many powerful and positive things happen. You can begin to understand that you are not alone in what you are going through. The feedback and encouragement from others can give you new options and strength to improve. In addition, what you say to others from your experiences benefits them. In groups, members have the opportunity to role-play real life scenarios and practice interpersonal skills in a safe, supportive environment. By the very nature of groups, participants learn to value and trust others as well as increase their self-esteem. Family groups offer an opportunity to involve the entire family of each client by addressing each person’s concerns, working on family system issues such as communication, trust, and conflict resolution skills, and receiving feedback from other families who are working through similar issues with a loved one experiencing substance abuse problems.

What are the goals and structure of your outpatient programs?

We have outpatient programs for drug, alcohol and other addictions for adolescents or adults. The intensive outpatient program meets for eight weeks with a progress review at that time. The program includes peer and family groups plus an individual or family session weekly. An evaluation of a client’s status will be conducted near the end of the initial time period in order to make clinical recommendations as to continuing treatment options. We also offer no-cost continuing aftercare one night per week once the program is successfully completed (provided that level of care is appropriate). These programs help people to stay sober from alcohol, drugs, or addictive habits. It is intensive and helps those who could benefit from a greater degree of structure and support or have not had success with normal one-on-one counseling formats. We are licensed by the state and meet requirements for court or probation. Our groups are small, usually 3-6 people, and we give individualized attention to each client. The main goal is to enhance recovery skills for living free from addiction and explore family relationships toward rebuilding trust and restoring harmony. We use a combination of 12-step principles and a variety of perception and thought-shifting techniques designed to increase accomplishment of your desired goals. We also look at resolving underlying issues connected to the addictive behavior, as well as identifying co-existing dependencies and relapse triggers. Our hope is for you to develop an effective relapse prevention plan and eliminate the cycle of shame and guilt by developing self-acceptance and self-empowerment.

Are you providers under any insurance plans?

We used to accept insurance and were on several insurance panels, but over the years, there have continued to be multiple problems with paperwork and denials of payment for services rendered. Managed care often seeks to delay or deny claims and we have decided not to accept insurance anymore. However, we are willing to work with monetary hardship cases to offer reasonably negotiated fees and scholarships to help people who are committed to the process of counseling, but have difficulty financially. If you find yourself in this spot, don’t hesitate to call. We can always work something out. In addition, we have interns on staff gaining experience as counselors. Their fees are quite reasonable and they are personally supervised so that you get experienced input from a treatment team.

What about confidentiality?

The counseling relationship is kept strictly confidential according to HIPAA guidelines. Maintenance of confidentiality of communications between yourself and staff and all information recorded in your records is protected by federal law. Your records will not be used or disclosed without your explicit written permission unless required by law.

What is your philosophy about counseling?

We believe counseling is an interactive process and are solution-oriented.  We will use ANY AND ALL APPROACHES for your benefit.  It is helpful to talk about concerns in an atmosphere of support and positive regard.  New thinking and different perspectives develop as we explore fresh options.  We are trained to expedite this process.  Also, an objective third party can usually bring a fresh outlook to the situation.  We do not work from a strictly Christian basis, but we are flexible in utilizing faith and spiritual beliefs as a resource for you.