Assisted Fee Clinic
Assisted Fee Clinic – Bellevue, Factoria, Redmond WA
“Mental health is fundamental to a person’s overall health, indispensable to personal well-being, and instrumental to leading a balanced and productive life” as stated by US Surgeon General David Satcher, MD in the First Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, however, nearly half of all Americans with a severe mental illness do not seek treatment for a “variety of reasons”.
Keep in mind that the above report was based on diagnosable conditions – i.e. mental disorders that are recognized by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). In reality, the problem of underutilization and lack of availability would be increased if we include issues that are not diagnosable, such as
serious marital issues, family conflicts, and parent-child relationship problems, that can also result in painful and disabling impacts to an individual’s life, similar to effects of a diagnosable condition (such as ADHD).
Among the “variety of reasons” stated above, including social stigma and a defective healthcare system, financial barriers is one of the major reasons that prevent many from seeking care.
With this understanding, Tender Rock Counseling of Bellevue commits to taking action by establishing an Assisted Fee Clinic, through which people who have financial difficulties can access quality counseling and psychotherapy below the market rate.
Our Assisted Fee Clinic consists of clinic providers who are Master and Ph.D. level therapist associates who have already received their academic degree and internship training and are working toward state license. Clinical providers will receive supervision of their work with clients by experienced clinicians and will participate in TRC’s specialty-oriented, team-based and outcome-base practice, consultations and training.
Assisted Fee Program
Clients are eligible to be accepted into our Assisted Fee Clinic if their gross household income is less than $25,000 for individuals and $30,000 for couples or families, if they do not have any assets, including real-estate holdings, etc., and if they do not have medical health insurance.
With the “Tender Rock Fund” and a “Discounted Flat Fee Structure”, Tender Rock Counseling will offer quality counseling and psychotherapy services through its Assisted Low Fee Clinic to people with financial difficulty, which is described below:
-Discounted Flat Fee
The discounted flat fee is one way we will provide financial assistance. The client will be charged a flat fee of $35 for individuals or $40 for couples/families respectively, consisting of two portions: self-pay and support from the TR Fund.
-Tender Rock Fund
The Tender Rock Fund (“TR Fund”) is the other way that TRC provides fee assistance for individuals, couples and families who cannot afford to access quality mental health care at regular market rates. The source of the fund would be donations from the public, which will are kept in a designated account.
Following are examples to show, depending on the availability of the TR Fund, how the fee will be calculated:
If the TR Fund is available:
The client will be charged a discounted flat fee of $35 for individual or $40 for couples/families respectively, in which the fee is consisting of two portions:
- Self-pay: The self-pay portion calculation is based on $1 for every $1,000 of gross income. Also, two dollars will be subtracted for every additional family member. The minimum self-pay per session is $15 for individuals and $20 for couples/families.
- TR fund: The difference between the flat fee and the self-pay will be covered by the available TR Fund. It will remain the clinic director’s discretion to determine the subsidized amount.
For example, a family’s gross household income of $25,000 will result in a fee of $25 ($25,000/1000=$25). A family of four (husband, wife and two children) with an income of $25,000 will pay $19 ($25-(3x$2) = $19) as the self-pay. Since the discounted flat rate is $40 (for couple/family clients), the TR Fund will contribute up to $21 ($40-$19 = $21) depending on availability of the fund.
If the TR Fund is not available:
The client will be charged the minimum discounted fee of $35 for individuals or $40 for couples/families.