FAQ
Get answers to the most commonly asked questionsIntake & Referrals (New & Returning Patients)
The Children’s Program is not a clinic for patients with urgent care needs, or patients who have recently been discharged from in-patient mental health treatment centers. We require a completed online intake inquiry for all patients seeking services to determine if we are the appropriate providers for your family at this time.
Appointment availability for first-time clients varies seasonally from clinician to clinician. During your intake phone conversation, we will always offer you the soonest available appointment times. We do not maintain a cancellation list for new clients.Please do not fill out the intake form for more than one child at a time.
If you are new to the Children's Program, our policy is to begin service for one child in your family at a time. We are happy to provide more information about this policy on your intake phone call.
After that child's relationship with a provider in our clinic has been established, you may begin the intake process for another child within your household.
Yes.
Due to the volume of inquiries and referrals we receive, we operate on a passive referral system.
ALL first-time or inactive clients (clients who have not attended any appointments in our clinic within the last six months) must fill out an online intake inquiry.
Please note that the Children's Program does NOT require a referral in order to schedule; however, your insurance company may require one in order to cover our services. Please contact your insurance company directly with any questions about this.
Yes, you need to fill out the online intake form if any of the following apply to the child for whom you are seeking an appointment:
- This child has never received services at our clinic before (this includes siblings of children who are current patients);
- This child’s last appointment in our clinic was more than 6 months ago;
- You would like to schedule this child with a new provider within our clinic;
- This child’s last appointment with the requested provider was more than 6 months ago.
No, you do not need to fill out the intake form if the child for whom you are seeking an appointment:
- Has attended an appointment at the Children’s Program within the last 6 months (please call the front desk at (503) 452-8002 during business hours and press 2 to schedule).
- Has received a referral from a clinician within our practice for further services (your clinician will submit the referral to clinic staff, we will determine if your insurance requires preauthorization for this service and request it if necessary, and we will reach out when your referral is ready for scheduling).
Yes. Even if you have a referral from a healthcare provider, we still want to speak with you in order to ensure that we can provide the best and most appropriate service for you.
Please note that health insurance companies do NOT cover any costs for testing related to strictly academic or learning concerns (e.g., dyslexia, dysgraphia, other learning disabilities). If you are seeking this type of evaluation for your child, please still fill out an online intake inquiry, and we will provide you with cost estimates during your intake phone call.
All of our clinicians begin the treatment or evaluation process with a face-to-face parents-only initial consultation. This adults-only appointment is crucial because it allows you to candidly discuss issues related to your child’s mental health or behavior, and to meet the clinician before they are introduced to your child.
Please be aware that returning clients whose last appointment was more than months ago must schedule another parents-only consultation to resume services at the clinic, even when seeing the same clinician.
Yes.
If your child has any visitation with a parent who is no longer a member of your household, the Children’s Program requires said parent to attend an initial consultation. Both parents are also required to attend the first appointment any time you see a new provider within our clinic. Please note that this policy applies even if one parent has full legal custody of the child. The online intake inquiry form provides you with the opportunity to disclose further information about your individual situation to help us determine if this policy applies to you.
We do not begin services for families who are currently engaged in legal proceedings (e.g., divorce, custody arrangements, parenting plans, application for guardianship, open DHS case). We are happy to work with your family after all pending legal proceedings have been finalized.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Questions
The way we are supporting families has changed in the current context of the global pandemic. Here at the Children’s Program, we have reviewed the most recent position paper written by the Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder and the recommendations they put forth. At this time, we are able to evaluate children under 5 on a case-by-case basis. We believe that young children with autism are especially vulnerable and children and families often need support, and we are here to help. We have consulted with organizations and providers around the state and country in order to develop a diagnostic battery for this younger age range that is compliant with social distancing requirements. If your child is eligible for an evaluation and qualifies for an ASD diagnosis, we are willing to work with you and your insurance company to support understanding on how that diagnosis was determined As for older children (5 years and up), diagnosing autism is often more complex, and involves differentiating among various clinical diagnoses. Because of the complexity of these evaluations, highly sensitive evaluation measures are typically needed. The ADOS-2 is the gold standard measure used in autism evaluations; however, given current social distancing guidelines and required PPE, our ability to administer the ADOS-2 in a valid way is extremely limited. Prior to scheduling an evaluation for a child in any age group, providers will first meet with families for an initial consultation to discuss concerns and options for moving forward.
We would be happy to schedule a consultation with a psychologist or developmental/behavioral pediatrician to assess the needs of your child and your family. This may include some questionnaires and a comprehensive caregiver interview to best understand areas of difficulty. We believe it is important to help alleviate and manage the main areas of stress.
Billing Questions
Please consult our insurance carriers list. If an insurance carrier is not listed, we are out-of-network and do not bill that insurance.
Please call your insurance carrier to ask about your plan’s mental health benefits and coverage. Although we collect your insurance information at the time of intake, we do not check your benefits until a few business days before your appointment.
You may cancel a scheduled therapy or consultation appointment at no charge with as little as 2 business days’ notice. If you cancel with less than two business days’ notice, you will be assessed a fee of up to 100% of the appointment cost. Cancellations left on voicemail or emailed after business hours will be considered received as of the next business day.
Our cancellation policy reflects an increasing trend of appointment cancellations on short notice. While we realize emergencies and other scheduling conflicts are sometimes unavoidable, our cancellation policy is designed to respect both your clinician’s time and the scheduling needs of other families.
