Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all. For a lot of people, there is a stigma attached to needing therapy, but we want to invite you to reframe that thought to think of therapy just as it is…health care. Just like your child’s annual check-up at the doctor or the physical they need to play sports, therapy can be absolutely normal—even preventive. This means that nothing has to be wrong for your child to benefit from speaking to a professional. It can also mean that if something is wrong, we are a part of your team that is dedicated to the well-being of your child. We can help develop care plans, work with you to find resources, and attack the problem while providing support for your young person.

Your child may have been referred to Hopebound as an intervention measure by their school or another adult in their life. Knowing that there could be something going on with your child that is causing an issue can be alarming.

Please know that this is common and is not an indictment of the goodness/badness of your child or a judgment of your parenting. They often say it takes a village, and we hope you see this as your village in action.

If someone is referring your child to Hopebound, that means that someone cares about their future and believes that they deserve support. We believe that too.

We currently operate in Georgia and New Jersey. As we expand our university and community partnerships, we expect that our services will expand into additional states.
Interested in services or partnering with us in a different state? Send us a message here.

No, children and teenagers benefit most from discussing their issues independently with their counselor. This is developmentally appropriate for our target clients, who are between the ages of 10 and 17.

However, your child’s counselor will meet with you, the caregiver, monthly to discuss how your child is responding to therapy. Note that the counselor will not share private information your child has shared during the session unless he/she determines they are a threat to themselves or someone else.

As we want to meet the needs of each of our clients, we will not accept a person who is actively in crisis, but we will refer the family to community resources who can better serve their unique needs.

Hopebound mainly serves clients who are between 10 and 18 years old, or who are in 4th grade through 12th grade.

Once your child completes 12th grade, Hopebound will refer them to outside services if they would like to continue to participate in counseling.

Hopebound operates on a sliding scale policy where we provide therapy that is no or low-cost. This means that caregivers are asked and encouraged to contribute between $0-$30 a session depending on what they are comfortable with giving. Insurance is not required. Hopebound is committed to never letting the inability to pay be a barrier to families in need, and any contribution ensures that will always be the case. We operate in good faith and will not ask families to prove their financial status, but ask that if possible, you consider cost-sharing with us to the best of your ability.

Please note that if Hopebound is partnering directly with your child’s school or after-school program, you will not be asked to pay for services as they will cover the cost.

Our team of outstanding counselors who are completing their master’s degrees and are emerging clinicians go through a rigorous interview process followed by comprehensive hands-on training that extends from the beginning of their Hopebound engagement all the way through to the end. As well as regularly working alongside the full-time Hopebound team, they have at least two licensed clinical supervisors to support them throughout—so that means not only are they bringing their learnings from their graduate programs directly into sessions, but they are constantly refining it with a top-notch team of professionals almost daily. This is a win-win. These emerging clinicians, who need these clinical hours to graduate, are what we call “Near-Peers” to the students we serve. In a recent article by EdSurge, it was noted that “Several research studies have shown the efficacy of near-peer and other mentorship programs on students from underrepresented backgrounds in supporting students’ social-emotional needs, boosting their self-esteem and academic performance and leading to other positive outcomes.”

If you are interested in your child participating in the Hopebound program but do not have the necessary technology to connect to the therapy sessions, Hopebound will support your child with access to a mobile hotspot or a device, with the agreement that the device is returned when sessions conclude.

The Hopebound program lasts for the majority of the academic year, beginning in the Fall and ending in the Spring, toward the end of April.

Research shows that people can show improvement within 3-4 months of starting therapy, with some clients taking longer and others shorter.

Hopebound works with different clinicians every school year, so your child will not be able to continue with the same clinician multiple years in a row. If your child returns for a second year, Hopebound will ensure your child is matched to an equally caring and compassionate clinician to continue their mental health and wellness journey.

We work really hard to match your child with the right clinician, but sometimes there is just a disconnect. If that is the case, please get in touch with the Senior Director of Operations by emailing iansmithhello@hopebound.com to begin the process of finding a better match. Please note that a new match is subject to the availability of the counselors on the clinical roster and cannot be guaranteed, though we will try our hardest to accommodate.

Hopebound strives to provide the highest quality mental health services while attempting to accommodate each client’s schedule. While we understand emergencies may occur and that life can sometimes get in the way of plans, cancellations, tardiness, and absences reduce our ability to accommodate the scheduling needs of all our clients. As such, we request your full cooperation with the following company policy:

• Hopebound operates on a “three strikes” policy. If your child is a no-show or late cancel (cancels within 24 hours of an appointment) three times, they may be asked to leave the program so that another child can benefit.
• Hopebound requires all cancellations to be made 24 hours in advance. It is the client’s/parent’s/caregivers responsibility, when they call in to have an alternative time in mind that will ensure  the client ] recieves their weekly treatment whenever possible.
• If a client does not show up for the scheduled appointment, their Hopebound counselor will mark the client as a “no show” after 15 minutes and the missed appointment will count toward the “three strikes” policy.
• Hopebound maintains the right to administratively discharge patients that do not follow the Hopebound’s attendance policy.