Counseling Information

Pastoral Counseling
The Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Inc. is a pastoral counseling service which provides pastoral psychotherapy and counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups. The Pastoral Counselors are ordained ministers who are certified by one or more of the following clinical organizations: The American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Some are licensed as Professional Counselors and Marital and Family Therapists and some certified as Clinical Pastoral Therapists by the State of Tennessee. Others are training in our Centers for certification by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. We are directed by the Code of Ethics of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, which is the certifying body for clinically trained Pastoral Counselors.

Benefits and Risks of Counseling
There are benefits and risks involved in receiving counseling. Counseling can help increase self-awareness and understanding, bolster self-esteem, reduce internal and interpersonal conflict, alter distressing moods, and improve communication. What you achieve depends primarily on your own goals and motivation. At the same time, you must know that you may experience unpleasant feelings while discussing matters that trouble you. You may also discover that some situations cannot be changed to your satisfaction; thus leaving you with difficult decisions to make. Nevertheless, your Counselor is committed and qualified to assist you in facing such feelings and circumstances. You are in full control of what you want to accomplish in counseling. Your success depends largely on your willingness to speak openly and honestly.

Confidentiality
Because you are sharing important and sensitive information about yourself, our Staff dedicates itself to provide a relationship of confidentiality. In such an environment, you may speak freely and honestly. The only circumstances when information could be shared without your written permission are when there is a clear intention to do harm to yourself or someone else and when a court subpoena is issued.

Fees
During your initial session, the charges for services will be discussed. There is a regular fee for individual, couple, and family counseling with a Pastoral Counselor. Should financial assistance be needed, the Counselor can make supplemental support available to you and set your charges based on your family’s annual gross income and the total number of dependents in your family (Sliding Scale). You are asked to complete the Financial Agreement Form and indicate your family’s gross annual income if you wish us to consider adjusting your fee. We are a Pastoral Counseling Center and seek to serve persons in every income bracket. Individual donors and supporting congregations through our Board of Directors supplement your payments to make this arrangement possible. No one will be refused services because of inability to pay, but all are expected to be accountable in the payment of charges.

The Center will apply for third-party payments for your counseling. Please bring a completed insurance form to your second session with your signature(s) authorizing release of information to process the form and authorizing payments of benefits to the Center. Fees are due upon receipt of services and all persons, including those applying for third-party payments, are expected to pay their fees as services are rendered. Should an overpayment occur, the Center will reimburse you. All fees must be paid by the end of each month, except when you have made other arrangements with your Counselor and the Center Coordinator. Checks should be made payable to PCCT.

Cancellations
A session will generally last 45 minutes. Group, family, and co-counseling sessions may run longer, and the fee will be adjusted accordingly. Please be present and on time. Whenever possible, you will be given regular times for meeting your Pastoral Counselor. When it is necessary to cancel a session, we ask that you do so at least 48 hours before the session. This gives us time to reschedule the time that we have reserved for you. Because we commit ourselves to you through our time, it is our policy to charge for appointments that we are unable to reschedule and are not canceled 48 hours before the session. Under such circumstances, however, we will reschedule a session for you during the same calendar week if time is available, and no additional fee will be charged.