FAQ

Yes, we offer telehealth and online counseling for individuals who prefer remote sessions or cannot attend in person. Online therapy provides the same level of care and privacy as traditional therapy, making it a convenient option for those with busy schedules or mobility challenges.

No diagnostic label is required to benefit from therapy. Many clients seek help for everyday stress, life transitions or challenges that don’t involve a specific mental health condition. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck or in need of support, therapy can provide valuable tools and resources to help you move forward.

Scheduling therapy sessions works differently than scheduling an appointment with a medical doctor’s office. Therapists typically meet with clients at the same recurring time each week (or every other week). Once a client begins meeting at a certain time, that time remains reserved for them until they decide to discontinue or change their schedule. The majority of our therapists prefer to meet with clients at a recurring appointment time, while others may choose to schedule the next session together at the end of each visit. We recommend discussing scheduling preferences directly with your therapist during your initial intake appointment.

Therapy intake sessions are scheduled as 60 minutes per appointment.

If an offered time works for you and your schedule, it is recommended to let our client coordination team know as soon as possible to secure that specific time. Any offered available times mentioned are subject to change and may become unavailable at any given time. All available opening times are shared with other new potential therapy clients who are looking to book their first appointment and are also offered to existing clients who may need to reschedule a previous appointment or move to time that better fits their schedule.

All patient portals in our electronic medical records (EMR) system can only have one email address and phone number assigned as the primary contact, and our system can only send online forms and appointment check-in notifications to this assigned primary contact information. Please keep this in mind during patient registration within our system.

For adult clients over the age of 18 years old, the primary email address and phone number provided must belong to the person receiving treatment, unless certain circumstances apply.

For clients under the age of 18 years old, the primary email address and phone number must belong to the parent/legal guardian/caretaker who has the legal medical decision making for the minor, and cannot be the minor.

If you need to contact your medical provider regarding:

Our therapists can only provide counseling and outpatient psychotherapy services, and are not licensed to prescribe medication or provide psychiatric care. Medication management and psychiatry appointments are provided exclusively by our Psychiatry medical providers (Psychiatrists, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, & Psychiatric Physician Assistants). At this time, we unfortunately don’t have a licensed psychologist on staff.

At this time, CNSL does not offer Residential, Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), & Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services. Our practice offers outpatient psychotherapy services, TMS therapy, and medication management. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or dial 911 immediately. This site is not for emergencies.

In the event of needing to cancel a scheduled appointment, please keep the following in mind:

CNSL’s 24-hour Cancellation Policy for Therapy Appointments:

If you need to cancel or reschedule a scheduled therapy appointment, please notify your therapist by email at least 24 hours in advance (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays) to avoid any fees. Although some automated messages may instruct you to call our main office, this is not necessary if you have already emailed your therapist directly.

For documentation purposes, please use email when communicating with your therapist about scheduling, canceling, or rescheduling appointments. Email communication provides our billing team with a time stamp of your request. These fees cannot be billed to insurance.

If you notify your therapist by email asking to cancel a therapy appointment within 24 hours of the scheduled time, a $70.00 late cancellation fee will apply.

If you notify your therapist by email asking to cancel a therapy appointment with less than 2 hours’ notice of the scheduled time, this will be considered a no-show and a $100.00 fee will apply.

If you miss your appointment without notifying your therapist, a $100.00 no-show fee will be charged.

Please note that your therapist may not be able to respond immediately after you send your email. CNSL’s 24-hour cancellation policy applies to all therapy appointments, regardless of response time. This policy is not applicable to medical appointments. Any issues or questions regarding this cancellation policy must be directed to our Billing Department by emailing client.billing@cnsl.com or calling (678) 384-4911 and dialing 3 for Billing.

We currently have the online scheduling feature turned off for our therapists, as we found it tricky to get the correct schedules lined up properly to where it shows what openings are actually available. At our practice, our dedicated scheduling teams assist all new clients with getting started in therapy. Their role is to help guide you through the initial scheduling process and connect you with a therapist who accepts your insurance and is a good fit for your needs and goals.

To schedule with a therapist that works at:

• Alpharetta (3400 Old Milton Pkwy, Building C, Floor 3, Suite 395, Alpharetta, GA 30005)
• Marietta (4343 Shallowford Rd, Suite 410, Marietta, GA 30062)
• Woodstock -South Cherokee Lane (3217 S Cherokee Ln, Suite 730, Woodstock, GA 30188)
• Woodstock -South Cherokee Lane – Building 1200 (3235 S Cherokee Ln, Building 1200, Woodstock, GA 30188)
• Woodstock – Churchill Court (700 Churchill Ct, Building 700, Suite 140, Woodstock, GA 30188)
• Blairsville (168 Rogers St, Suite G, Blairsville, GA 30512)

Call or Text: (678) 384-4911

Email: client.coordination@cnsl.com

Administration Hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm – Monday through Friday. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.

To schedule with a therapist that works at: Woodstock Towne Lake Parkway – Above & Beyond Counseling

(4595 Towne Lake Pkwy, Building 300, Suites 150/250, Woodstock, GA 30189)

Call: (678) 403-1120

Email: townelakeoffice@cnsl.com

Administration Hours vary. Closed on federal holidays.

To schedule with a therapist that works at: Brookhaven – Atlanta Integrative Psychiatry

(2751 Buford Hwy NE, #204, Atlanta, GA 30324 )

Call: (404) 994-8282

Email: atlanta.office@cnsl.com

Administration Hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm – Monday through Friday. Closed on federal holidays.

To schedule with a therapist that works at: Alpharetta – Sunshine Child & Family Counseling

(4080 McGinnis Ferry Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30005)

Phone: (678) 740-3990

Email: inquiry@sunshinechildcounseling.com

Administration Hours vary. Closed on federal holidays.

Our therapy & medical providers are licensed to provide services only to patients who are physically located in the state of Georgia at the time of their appointment. This applies to both in-person and virtual appointments.

If you are a new patient and are currently outside of Georgia, we will not be able to schedule an appointment for you until you are physically located in Georgia. If you have already scheduled an appointment and will be outside of Georgia at the time of your appointment, your provider will not be able to provide services during that time and will need to reschedule.

You must be physically located in Georgia for the entire duration of your appointment.

When you contact CNSL for your initial inquiry, the administrative staff will ask you for your insurance information. CNSL administrative staff will utilize our electronic health record to send you our consent packet, which can be reviewed, signed, and completed electronically. Once all of the demographic information, insurance information, and the intake questionnaire have been completed and a picture of the front and back of your insurance card has been uploaded, our billing staff will verify your insurance benefits. Please note that we do require a credit card on file for every client and patient.

Our administrative staff will make every effort to determine accurate benefits information, however, at times our resources are not able to give full details of what your portion of the payment will be. We encourage you to contact your insurance company to verify your payment as well.

Before agreeing to schedule the first appointment, it is the patient’s or representative of the patient’s responsibility to contact their insurance provider to confirm whether their specific plan requires a referral from a Primary Care Provider (PCP) or prior authorization, and to review mental health benefits, including any potential out-of-pocket costs. Referral requirements and coverage vary significantly by specific insurance policy; it is always recommended to check with the insurer.

This helps to avoid any issues such as denied claims or unexpected costs. Financial responsibility, including any copays, deductibles, coinsurance, or non-covered charges, will be determined by the specifics of your insurance plan. If your plan does require a Pre-treatment Authorization/Precertification/Prior Authorization, the patient will need to contact our billing department prior to any scheduled appointment.

For therapists credentialed as Graduate Counseling Intern, MS, LAPC, MSW, LMSW, and AMFT, their network status will show under their clinical supervisor, and appointments will be billed under supervisory billing. In order to confirm which of these therapists are in-network, it is recommended to first check if their supervisor is in-network. If the supervisor shows as in-network, then it is expected that sessions rendered by clinicians under their supervision will be considered as in-network as well. Please visit our Meet the Team page to view the therapist’s bio, which will include who they are under the clinical supervision of.

For therapists credentialed as an LPC, LCSW, and LMFT, their network status is expected to show under their own name.

Insurance acceptance and network status vary by clinician, and coverage depends on your specific plan. However, all of our therapists are typically able to accept most commercial insurance plans. Please contact our billing department to further discuss this.