Free Therapy Night » Equal Access Clinic Network » College of Medicine

Here’s everything you need to know about our Free Therapy Night:

Summary

Who to refer:

Services provided include psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and family/marriage counseling.
Disorders that can be treated at FTN include panic disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobia, hypochondriasis, conversion disorder, and somatization disorder.

When:

Where:

How to refer:

Referrals may be placed via PracticeFusion or by having patient call the FTN coordinator at (352) 325-1775 (instruct patient to leave voicemail if no answer)

When: Every Monday 5:30 or 6:30 pm

Where: Remotely via Zoom or phone

Hotline: (352) 325-1775

Recommended that the patient is un-insured or under-insured.
If patient has adequate health insurance and/or financial means, it is recommended he or she seeks treatment at the UF Health Psychology Clinic or a private community provider.
- Exception: Free Therapy Night may function as a temporary support for individuals who are on the waitlist at those community locations.
Patients who visit one of the EACN sites and indicate interest in FTN will be contacted by one of the FTN program coordinators to schedule a FTN intake session.
Any patient can attend FTN without having to visit an EACN site first.

Appointments are made via the FTN program coordinator contacting the patient interested.
- If EACN patient wants appointment, have them call FTN Hotline (352) 325-1775, leaving a voicemail with their name and phone number if there is no answer.
  - Let patient know they will get a call back if they leave a voicemail.

Each patient is offered 1 clinical intake session and up to 5 free therapy sessions.
Clinical Intake Session:
- Patient is seen by intake coordinator and/or co-directors for his or hers first intake session.
- Once an intake is conducted, the patient will be placed on the bottom of the wait list and will be called once a therapist is available.
Therapy Sessions:
- 50 minutes long and are offered at 5:30 PM or 6:30 PM for up to 5 consecutive weeks when the clinic is open.
- After completion of 5 therapy sessions, the patient can be referred to community resources as needed.
After a patient has completed his or hers 5 therapy sessions and has a 3-month hiatus from Free Therapy Night, he or she is welcome to return to Free Therapy Night if additional therapy is needed.

New patients will be bumped one slot down on the waitlist if:
- They do not respond to the Program Coordinator’s call to schedule their first appointment within 3 days.
- They miss their first appointment (no show) but call within 3 days with an explanation.
New patients will be moved to the bottom of the waitlist if:
- They do not respond to the Program Coordinator’s phone call to schedule their first appointment within 7 days.
- They miss their first appointment (no show) and don’t call within 3 days.
New patients will be removed from the waitlist if:
- After 4 weeks of no contact, patients will be removed from the waitlist until they reach out to the Program Coordinator.
- If more than 4 weeks have passed since their intake, patients may be asked to complete another intake to ensure their level of care is still appropriate for a training clinic.
Existing treatment will be discontinued for the following reasons:
- Patient does not call before missing an appointment more than once (i.e., treatment is discontinued after second no show).
- Patient cancels more than 2 appointments (total) without advanced notice.

FTN does not provide official psychological diagnoses given its nature as a training clinic, but can informally offer clinical impressions.
FTN volunteers and staff do not to complete paperwork for legal cases, insurance claims, benefit program applications, academic forms, etc.
FTN therapists are permitted to see individuals under 18 years old with the written consent of a parent or guardian during the intake appointment. As such, a parent or guardian must be present at the time of the intake and rules of confidentiality must be discussed with the parent at the intake appointment.
FTN therapists are permitted to see couples for individual or couples therapy, if both members of the couple are present for the intake appointment and the current Licensed Supervisors agree that the therapist has appropriate experience/interest.
FTN staff (e.g., Co-Directors, Licensed Supervisors) have the right to deny treatment to any individuals who are deemed not appropriate for outpatient trainee care.