What to Expect When You Reach Out to Kind Mind
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, especially if you’ve never done it before or if your last experience wasn’t great. We want to make the process as clear and straightforward as possible so you know exactly what’s coming at every stage. No surprises, no guessing.
Here’s how it works from start to finish.
Step 1: Reach Out
You can contact us by phone, email, or through the contact form on our website. However you reach us, our team will respond within one business day.
When you reach out, we’ll ask a few basic questions: what’s bringing you to therapy, what you’re looking for in a clinician (if you have preferences), and whether you have insurance you’d like to use.
That’s it. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need to know which modality you want or what your diagnosis is. You just need to tell us what’s going on, and we’ll take it from there.
Step 2: Insurance and Fees
Our team will help you verify your insurance benefits so you know what’s covered before your first session. We accept Aetna, Cigna, BCBS (NC only), Northwell Direct (NY only), and UHC (DBT group services only). HealthFirst is coming soon.
If your insurance isn’t listed, we’ll talk you through your options: out-of-network reimbursement (many clients recover 50 to 80 percent of session costs through superbills), reduced rate slots with our clinicians ($85 and up), and our Advanced Clinical Resident program (starting at $25 per session).
If cost is a concern, please say so. We work hard to get people in regardless of budget. We’d rather figure out a number that works than have you not get the help you need. For full fee details, visit our Insurance & Fees page.
Step 3: Clinician Matching
Based on what you’ve told us about your needs, preferences, and goals, we’ll recommend a clinician on our team whose training, expertise, and style align with what you’re looking for. We take this step seriously because the therapeutic relationship matters more than any single technique. The right fit makes everything else work better.
If you’re interested in a specific clinician, you can let us know. If you’re not sure what you need, that’s okay too. We’ll guide you.
You can learn about our full team, including their credentials, training, and areas of specialty, on the team page.
Step 4: Intake Paperwork
Before your first session, we’ll send you intake forms to complete online. These include background information about your mental health history, current symptoms, medical history, and goals for therapy. Filling them out ahead of time means your first session can focus on getting to know each other and setting a direction, not just collecting information.
This paperwork is confidential and HIPAA-protected.
Step 5: Your First Session
Your first session is typically 45 to 55 minutes and happens over our secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. Here’s what it usually looks like:
Your therapist will ask you questions about what brought you to therapy, your current challenges, your history, and what you’re hoping to get out of the work. Think of it as a curious, collaborative conversation, not an interrogation.
You don’t need to have a neat summary of your problems. Most people don’t. It’s your therapist’s job to help you sort through what’s going on and figure out where to start.
By the end of the first session, you and your therapist will have a preliminary sense of your goals and a general direction for treatment. Your therapist will also explain their approach and what sessions will typically look like going forward.
You will not be “fixed” after one session. The first session is a foundation. The real work builds from there.
Step 6: Ongoing Therapy
After the initial session, therapy becomes more structured and focused. Most clients start with weekly sessions. Depending on your treatment approach, a typical session might involve reviewing what happened during the week, working through specific skills or strategies, processing emotions or past experiences, and figuring out how to apply what you’re learning to your actual life.
As you progress, your therapist may recommend adjusting the frequency: stepping down to biweekly or monthly sessions as your skills strengthen and your symptoms improve. The cadence is always a conversation between you and your therapist, not a rigid schedule.
Step 7: Growth, Not Perfection
Therapy is not a straight line. Some weeks will feel like breakthroughs. Others will feel like nothing happened. Some sessions will be hard. Some will make you laugh. The goal is not to become a person who never struggles. The goal is to become a person who has the tools, the self-awareness, and the support to handle whatever comes.
We’re here for the long game.
Where We See Clients
All services are available virtually in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Group therapy is available across all PSYPACT states. Executive functioning / ADHD coaching is available nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions for New Clients
How do I know if I need therapy?
If something feels off, if you’re not functioning the way you want to be, if you’ve been stuck on the same problems for a while and can’t seem to move through them on your own, that’s enough. You don’t need a crisis or a diagnosis to start. You just need to want something to change.
How long does therapy take?
It depends on what you’re working on. Some clients make significant progress in 3 to 6 months. Others benefit from longer-term work, especially for complex trauma, personality disorders, or deeply rooted patterns. Your therapist will check in on your progress regularly and you’ll decide together what makes sense.
What if I don't click with my therapist?
That happens, and it’s okay. The therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of good outcomes, so if the fit isn’t right, we want to know. Tell your therapist directly, or contact the office and we’ll match you with someone else on our team. No hard feelings.
Is everything I say in therapy confidential?
Yes. Therapy at Kind Mind is HIPAA-protected. Nothing you share is disclosed without your written consent, except in a few limited circumstances related to safety that your therapist will review with you at intake.
Can I do therapy and coaching at the same time?
Yes. Many of our clients with ADHD do therapy for the emotional and relational dimensions and executive functioning coaching for the practical skills. Your clinician can help you figure out the right combination.
What if I've had a bad experience with therapy before?
A lot of our clients have. Maybe your last therapist didn’t understand your culture, your identity, or your relationships. Maybe the approach wasn’t right. Maybe you just didn’t feel seen. At Kind Mind, we take matching seriously, we welcome feedback, and we do things differently. A bad past experience doesn’t mean therapy doesn’t work. It means you haven’t found the right therapist yet.
Ready? Contact Kind Mind Psychology to get started. You can also call 646-918-1181 (NYC) or 704-218-9194 (Charlotte, NC), or email Hello@KindMindPsych.com.
