Frequently Asked Questions

Our number one mission is the health and safety of our kids and families. We closely monitor Coronavirus updates from the CDC and the Oregon Health Authority. All of our therapists have received a COVID vaccination. We wear masks in the clinic when needed or requested. We also request families reschedule appointments when their child is ill including a fever, digestive distress, and productive cough.

We will ask you to complete paperwork prior to the evaluation, so the focus of this session will be on your child. We want to test your child’s best performance, so the therapist will start by helping your child become comfortable in a new environment. Our therapists will begin to attune to your child’s sensory and social-emotional needs during the initial introduction. The evaluation may include tabletop activities and writing in a smaller treatment room. The second portion of the evaluation will take place in one of our play gyms. The rooms are filled with swings, mats, blocks, and other toys. The therapist will observe how your child interacts with the equipment in a new environment. Parents are welcome and encouraged, especially if your child will feel more comfortable with you present. We use tests that are created to be fun and engaging for your child.

A written report that includes standardized testing results and clinical observations as well as a plan of care with therapeutic goals will be provided. As part of the evaluation process, we always schedule a parent meeting (adults only) to review evaluation findings, review and revise goals, and discuss the plan of care.

Encouraging parents to participate in therapy sessions is an essential part of our therapy process. During sessions, parents, their child, and the therapist can work together to problem solve struggles at home, school, or with peers. Our goal is to provide parents with the tools to support their children. Throughout the therapy process, your therapist will foster collaboration on treatment priorities, home programs, and updates on progress.

We believe strongly that parents should be a part of therapy sessions. However, we understand that some children prefer parents to not be present or other family responsibilities prevent a parent from attending. We ask caregivers be available to play, observe or otherwise participate during sessions. This allows the therapist to give you a better understanding of what is happening during sessions, to make recommendations for home, or provide coaching during play.

Our clinicians pull from a variety of resources during therapy sessions. Common curriculums include: • Powerfully You • Zones of Regulation • Social Thinking’s Super Flex or Incredible Flexible You • Handwriting Without Tears • SOS Approach to Feeding • DIR/Floortime • Collaborative Problem Solving • Sensory Processing Theory and Treatment

Your child will work and play in therapy spaces where other children and therapists are present. We do have several treatment spaces that can be used if your child is over-stimulated or distracted in one of our larger gyms. In many cases, we believe it is more realistic for your child to work on play, engagement, and attention in the presence of other children. It also invites opportunities for cooperation, sharing, and social communication.

We prefer to call it a priority list as we realize you are concerned about your child’s development and are searching for support. We follow an evaluation to treatment model which means we search for an evaluation appointment time that will also work for ongoing therapy if warranted. That allows us to begin therapy immediately following the evaluation. Please be aware that appointments during after school hours are in high demand; therefore, it may take some time for an appointment to be available. If you have more flexibility in your schedule, appointment times are easier to find.

Therapy should be fun! A child’s occupational is to learn and play, and children learn best when engaged and supported. So, therapy should look like play. But don’t be fooled! Therapy is hard work as your child will be asked to learn new concepts, try hard things, and remain regulated throughout the session. Our goal is to create sessions that create the “just right challenge” to help your child gain skills and confidence in a safe setting. Then they are better able to transfer those new skills to different settings such as school, playgrounds, and other community outings.

PLAY! The benefits of playing with your child is enormous! Play builds social skills, regulation, engagement, motor skills, and so much more! Therapists will also work with families to create home programming activities designed to further explore and practice skills addressed in therapy sessions. They will also help your family create a sensory lifestyle that addresses your child's needs as well as your own. Communicate with your therapist on a regular basis regarding the amount of home programming you want.

A Whole Circle staff member will call your insurance company to determine your benefits. We ask that you also call your insurance company to hear your benefits as well. We will share with you what we learn about your benefits. Helping you understand your financial responsibility is important to us.

Deductible: The amount of money that a family must pay before they will receive benefits from their insurance. Co-insurance: A percentage that must be paid by the family after the deductible has been met. This can be a different amount each week, depending on the services to be rendered. Co-Pay: A set amount to be paid by the family for each visit. Sometimes families will need to pay a co-pay for each therapy they are seen for on the same day. Sometimes a family only needs to pay one co-pay to cover all services in one day.

Whole Circle is an in-network provider for Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, MODA Health Plan, Cigna, Pacific Source, and First Choice. We are also able to bill as an out-of-network provider if your insurance plan has out-of-network benefits. We have successfully worked with Providence, Aetna, and others to date.

If your policy allows more visits to be authorized, Whole Circle will handle requesting additional visits for your child or give you the information that is needed to request additional visits if that is what is required by your insurance company. We also offer a private pay discount to ensure you can continue to watch your child be the best them they can be. At Whole Circle, we help to make understanding and maneuvering through the insurance process as easy as possible.