Frequently Asked Questions
Scheduling an Appointment
New Patient Information & The Patient Portal
We cannot schedule you over messenger due to privacy laws. You can reach us to request an appointment by:
- filling out the contact form on the site
- Calling either office
- email the counselor directly using the information on their profile under Our Team
- Email us at info@newlife-counseling.com and we will contact you
The best place to start is looking at Our Team, reading each bio, and looking at the videos from each our counselors on staff. You can also look at our Counseling Services pages if you are looking for a therapist for a specific service. If you still have questions, feel free to call our office and we can be of assistance in this decision.
Please contact your counselor directly if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
We do have a policy of a $75 fee if there is a no show or a cancellation within 24 hours of your appointment time. All no show and late cancellation fees will be auto charged to your card on file. All patients get one grace late cancel/no-show.
Fees & Insurance
Please call the number on the back of your insurance card to see if you have mental health benefits. It is a good idea to ask your insurance what your out of pocket expense, co-pay and deductible is. If you are doing telehealth you will need to ask your insurance if they cover the co-pay.
Please see this step-by-step insurance guide and list of helpful terms.
We are in-network for Blue Cross Blue Shield and United healthcare. We do accept a handful of other insurance types. Please see our Insurance page for more.
$100-130 per session for most of our counselors- $160 for Dr. Don Gilbert.
You can view a full list of our self pay prices here.
No, we do not accept any of these insurances. We also cannot take most supplementary Medicaid/Medicare policies, nor can we bill a private secondary if the primary is Medicaid/Medicare.
You can call the number on your card for a list of therapists that do accept your insurance or we can schedule you with one of our Interns who operate on a sliding fee scale.
We do have a policy of a $75 fee if there is a no show or a cancellation within 24 hours of your appointment time. All no show and late cancellation fees will be auto charged to your card on file.
We can set up an automatic payment plan for past due balances. Please ask our front desk for a payment plan consent form and talk to them about your options.
We can also securely save a card on file and automatically charge your private pay or copay fees.
You can contact our billing team securely on the patient portal, or you may email our billing specialist, Brittney Fress, at brittney.newlife@gmail.com
Our medical record system is secure and HIPAA compliant. When you choose to store a card on file in our system we cannot see your card numbers or details. We can only see the expiration date and last 4 digits of the card.
You can remove, edit, or place your saved card on hold anytime by calling our office or managing your saved cards on your patient portal.
Please bring your insurance card and co-pay. When you schedule your first appointment we will email you the login information for your patient portal- this link expires after 72 hours. You must access the portal and complete the forms assigned before your first session. We cannot render counseling services without the consent forms signed.
Once you set up your portal, you can login using this link:
https://newlifeintouch.insynchcs.com/
We also ask that you complete the history form, add a photo of your insurance card, and consider adding a payment method to keep on file.
When you schedule your first appointment we will email you the login information for your patient portal- this link expires after 72 hours. If you need a new link please call the office, email us at info@newlife-counseling.com , or contact your counselor directly.
The portal invitation email comes from DoNotReply@alert.insynchcs.net with the sender listed as “Insync
Administrator from insynchcs” and the subject line “New Life Counseling, PC welcomes you to the
patient portal”. Please be sure to check your spam if you are having difficulty locating the email invitation.
For the initial setup you will need the patient's date of birth and the mobile number you gave when we scheduled the session. Once entered, you will get a second email with a 6 digit verification (OTC) code. Then it will prompt you to create a password.
Once you set up your portal, you can login using this link:
https://newlifeintouch.insynchcs.com/
For the best portal experience, we recommend you use a chrome browser.
When you log in to your patient portal you will need to first complete the items found under "forms/documents" as well as your insurance details found under "my profile". If possible, upload an image of your insurance card in the space provided. These items must be completed before your first appointment. If you are unable to complete the forms before your appointment, we have a laptop available for your use; you may be asked to complete these tasks during your allotted appointment time.
To get the most out of your first appointment with your provider we highly recommend you complete the applicable history forms found under "history" and fill in as much of your profile as possible under "my profile".
If you have any questions about specific items, or need to make changes to your mobile number or date of birth, you may send a message to your scheduled provider through your portal, or address them one on one at your first appointment.
Please be assured your right to confidentiality regarding health/mental health information will be protected in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Your provider will explain more about the counseling services you will receive and will review this and other enclosed forms in your first meeting. In the meantime, do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any immediate questions or concerns.
For the best portal experience we highly recommend you use a chrome browser.
You may also contact our medical record system admin, Nathan McCormick with questions.
Email: nathanm.newlife@gmail.com
Office Phone #: 515-225-4006
Direct Phone #: 515-423-0116
If you wish to fill out or access your portal on an apple phone or mobile device you might need to do the following:
*open the iPhone settings
*scroll all the way down to your preferred browser (chrome, safari, etc)
*toggle "allow cross-website tracking" (it should be green now)
This setting is necessary to allow our medical records system to speak to the patient portal and vise versa.
For the best portal experience we recommend you use a chrome browser.
The patient portal is optional for our in-person clients, but it is necessary for our telehealth only clients.
You must access the portal and complete the forms assigned before your first session. We cannot render counseling services without the consent forms signed. If you are unable to complete the forms before your appointment, we have a laptop available for your use; you may be asked to complete these tasks during your allotted appointment time.
Your patient portal allows you to:
- view your upcoming appointment times
- complete history forms, sign consent forms, and fill out any assessments your provider wishes to send you
- update your personal information and your insurance information
- view your account balance, statements, and billing history
- make payments, add a card on file, manage saved cards on file
- view payment history and print receipts
- communicate securely with your provider, our front desk staff, or our billing team. This is the only HIPAA compliant form of communication.
If there are multiple family members seeing a therapist in our practice, we can link minor patients to a parent's portal account. Ask our staff to set you up as a delegate on your child's portal account.
Please be assured your right to confidentiality regarding health/mental health information will be protected in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Please ensure you are using the patient's date of birth and mobile number if you are setting up the portal on behalf of the patient. If you continue to get an error message please email our office at info@newlife-counseling.com or call either office to verify that the date of birth and mobile number were typed in correctly when your account was set up.
If you are trying to setup your delegate or representative account, you may need to verify the date of birth and mobile number that was used to create the access. The patient's portal must be setup before the delegate portal can be set up. Please call or email with questions.
The patient portal setup invitation is only good for 72 hours. We can send you a new link if yours has expired.
Our front desk staff or your counselor can reset your patient portal password for you. The temporary password will be emailed to you and is only good for 24 hours.
You will receive an email notification that you have an unread message waiting on your portal.
You can access the patient portal at: https://newlifeintouch.insynchcs.com/
Please contact our front desk with your portal questions: info@newlife-counseling.com
You may also contact our billing specialist, Brittney Frees, with your billing questions.
Email: brittney.newlife@gmail.com
Office Phone #: 515-225-4006
Direct Phone #: 515-661-4129
General Therapy Questions
If you are asking that question, then the answer is yes! The therapist you choose can help you explore that question. Therapy can be working on a single issue. Therapy can be working through tough issues and decisions. It is a safe place to process anything that may be bothering you.
You can expect a safe place that is confidential and supportive with a counselor that has gone through rigorous training.
Some of our counselors offer telehealth. Please ask your counselor or chat with our front desk staff about your options. If you do choose to do telehealth you will need to call the number on the back of your insurance card to ask them if they cover telehealth and if they cover the copay.
No, everyone is welcome. We do offer biblical principals if you are interested in that.
At New Life, we are guided by our faith-based principles and values, which are essential to our treatment philosophy and ministry. While our beliefs form the foundation for our work, we serve those from all perspectives and faiths.
Each of the counselors set their own hours. While most counselors do not, we do have a couple counselors on staff that work evening hours. If you require evening times, you may be placed on a waiting list. Please call or use the contact form for more information on which providers are available in the evening.
Yes we now have a board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who does medication management. You can read more about Shelby here.
Medication can be useful under certain circumstances. All the research suggests that there is a clear benefit from psychotherapy plus medication when medication is needed. We encourage coordination of care with your primary doctor when going to your counselor.
Most sessions will be between 30 and 50 minutes long.
The length and depth of counseling will depend upon the concerns that you want to work through. Your willingness to talk openly and take feedback and input will often determine the time involved. For non-urgent issues we typically find bi-weekly appointments to be sufficient.
Yes, it is confidential. However, we are mandatory reporters, by law and ethics, for child and elder abuse, suicide, and homicide threats. We do not give out information without your signature in any other situation.