Question 1

How do I schedule an appointment?

Accepted Answer

We are happy to hear that you are wanting to schedule an appointment with us. Please use the Contact Us page, or reach out to 219-202-8747 to schedule a free consultation call.

Question 2

What is your cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

If you cancel your appointment less than 24 hours before your session, the cancellation fee is $50. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed appointments so you will be personally responsible for this fee.

Frequent cancelations in a short time frame may also lead to discontinuing therapy so that other patients will have access to our services. Prior to discontinuing your services, the provider will reach out and discuss how to resume therapy when life is less busy and will give referrals if requested.

Question 3

How long are sessions?

Accepted Answer

All of our sessions typically last between 50 and 55 minutes. Shorter and extended session times may also be available if necessary for treatment compliance or financial need.

Question 4

Are my visits confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we follow HIPAA guidelines to ensure the privacy of our client's personal information and the content of our sessions. There are some legal and ethical limitations to confidentiality that are listed in our Informed Consent and HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices forms. These forms will be completed prior to our first session and will be briefly gone over when we meet. If you have any questions related to confidentiality or HIPAA feel free to let us know.

Question 5

Can you work with patients outside of the State of Indiana or Illinois?

Accepted Answer

It depends. Psychologist licenses only allow us to work with people who are physically within the state that we are licensed in (for me, that would be Illinois and Indiana). However, I am also a member of Psypact which allows me to see clients virtually in the majority of the country. The Psypact map has the most up-to-date information as to which states you physically need to be in for us to work together. The map can be found here (https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap).

Question 6

Do you offer in-person or online therapy?

Accepted Answer

We are able to accommodate both in-person and video telehealth appointments. Our in person office is located at 9111 Broadway, Suite LL, Merrillville, IN 46410.

Question 7

Do you see children or adolescents?

Accepted Answer

William Heard, PsyD, HSPP specializes in providing psychotherapy to adults above the age of 21. Emma Roberts, M.S. works with adolescent clients above the age of 12 while under the clinical supervision of William Heard, PsyD, HSPP and may be a good option for your child's mental health needs.

Question 8

I scheduled my first appointment, now what?

Accepted Answer

I'm glad that we seemed to be a good fit for therapy and we were able to get you booked for your initial intake. You should have received an email from our electronic health record asking you to create a client portal login. If you did not, please let us know so we can verify your email and resend it to you.

Once you are logged into the client portal you will have to fill in any missing contact information, upload a photo of your license or ID and an insurance card, and place a payment method on file. You will also have to complete the legally required forms including a credit card authorization, HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, Telehealth Treatment Consent, Insurance Release of Information, Informed Consent, and Individual Therapy Intake forms. If you have any questions about any of the material presented in these forms feel free to reach out and we can go over them together.

Once the forms are complete and you've uploaded the required documentation (ID, insurance card, and form of payment) you are all set for our first appointment.

*Note: The system will not let you into our first session if you do not have these steps completed and it is our policy to reschedule our initial session if the forms are not completed prior to the start of the session.

Question 9

What do I need in order for us to meet via video telehealth?

Accepted Answer

To participate in Telehealth appointments from your home, you will need one of the following devices:
Desktop computer with a webcam, speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM
Laptop computer with built-in webcam and speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM 
Tablet device with built-in webcam and speakers
iPad with built-in webcam and speakers
Smartphone with at least iOS 13 or Android 10
(Note: To use a smartphone, you must first download Telehealth by SimplePractice, available for iOS or Android in the app store.)
You will also need an internet connection that is at least 0.35 mbps. For optimal results, a reliable, high-speed internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 10-15 mbps will minimize connection issues and provide the best quality.

Question 10

How do I login to our appointment?

Accepted Answer

Using a desktop or laptop computer:
If you plan to use a desktop or laptop, there’s nothing to download prior to your appointment. Here are the steps to join:
About 10 minutes before your appointment, you'll receive an email or text appointment reminder with the link to join your call. If you're set up to receive text reminders, the exact time you receive your text reminder may vary based on your cell phone carrier.
Note: If you have already consented to receiving text and/or email reminders, you’ll continue to receive them for Telehealth appointments as well. If you're a new client, make sure that you've provided your email and or mobile phone number so that I can enable email or text appointment reminders for you.
Click the unique link embedded in the email or text reminder. You may have to copy and paste the link into your web browser if clicking the link doesn’t work. Your video call screen will now open in a new tab.
If I've already joined the call, you‘ll see my face on the screen. If I haven’t, you’ll see yourself.
You’ll also see the Welcome prompt.
When you’re ready, type your name where it says Enter your name to join, and click Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call.

If you plan to use a mobile device, here are the steps to join:
Download Telehealth by SimplePractice (for iOS or Android) in the app store. About 15 minutes before your appointment, you’ll receive an email or text appointment reminder. 
Open the reminder email on your device and click the unique link. This will open the Telehealth by SimplePractice app.
If you don't have the app downloaded, you’ll be prompted to download it on your tablet or mobile device.
If I‘ve already joined the call, you’ll see my face on the screen. If I haven’t, you’ll see yourself.
When you are ready, click Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call.

Frequently Asked Questions