Frequently Asked Questions
About Money and Insurance:
1. What is included in the $5500.00 fee for the Process?
Up to 63 hours of group sessions
10 -15 hours of individual sessions
Your teacher spends 10-20 more hours responding to your written homework.
This works out to an effective rate of $130 or less per teacher hour spent on individual sessions or your written homework, and $33 or less per group hour.
2. Does insurance cover the Process?
That depends on the kind of insurance you have, and its provisions for psychotherapy. We can provide a billing statement for you to send to your insurance company along with your claim form.
3. When is payment in full due?
$500.00 reserves your place in the class. The balance is due at or before the first session, unless other arrangements have been made.
4. Can I pay with a credit card?
Yes. We accept credit card payments through PayPal. Instructions for PayPal and other methods. We also accept payments via Venmo, Zelle, and personal check.
5. What is the refund policy?
We refund the deposit in full up to two weeks prior to the start of the Process. We refund unused portions of payments received up to the third group session of the Process. No refunds will be made after the third session.
6. What if I cannot afford the full amount?
In cases of financial need, the Institute offers financial assistance: payment over one year with no interest. Please request a financial disclosure form.
About Group Sessions:
1. Why does the Process include group sessions?
Many of the Process concepts and ideas are best taught in group format, like a class. There is a special group energy which is useful for some of the experiential sessions.
2. Are the group sessions run like an encounter group?
No. Our groups are safe and supportive places. We do not put clients on the “hot seat”. Other clients are not permitted to “assist” with your therapy. Your personal counseling will occur during your private sessions with your teacher, and through your writing assignments.
3. How many teachers/therapists attend the group sessions?
Most of the time there will be two to three teachers/therapists in the room. Some therapists do not attend the group sessions.
About Teachers/Therapists:
1. Can I select my therapist?
If you are currently working with a Process Therapist, it is highly likely that he/she will be your Process Therapist. We work very hard to select the best fit between therapist and client.
2. What kind of training do the therapists have?
Most of the therapists are licensed by the State of California as Marriage and Family Therapists; Marriage, Family and Child Counselors; or as Licensed Clinical Social Workers. All Process therapists have taken the Process themselves, and have completed training as a Process Therapist. Some of our teachers are also Life Coaches.
About Parents and the Process:
1. Can I see my parents during the Process?
We recommend that you not have contact with your parents during the Process. You will be looking at the parts of your childhood that caused you pain, and may develop some anger during this time. We will help you express and work through your anger in a controlled and safe setting. We do not want you to vent this anger on your parents. They are not now the people they were when you were young, and it is not appropriate to vent to them. This recommendation is really to protect your parents from unnecessary stress. At the end of the Process, we strongly encourage you to make contact with them in a positive way. The Process works to ensure that you are ready to do this.
2. My parents are dead. Is this work appropriate for me?
Yes. We do not work with our parents of today, but with our images of our parents as they raised us. It is not necessary for parents to still be living to gain great personal growth from the Process.
About Location:
Some of our classes are on Zoom, and some are in person, usually in Palo Alto.
1. I live in the Bay Area but I don’t have a car.
We can help you find a carpool among your classmates. And most of our locations are near to public transportation. You can also select a Process or Workshop which is being offered on Zoom.
2. I don’t live in the Bay Area.
People come from all over the world to take the Process. If you can commute weekly from your location, or if you want to spend the nine weeks in the Bay Area, we can help you find housing as needed. Recent graduates have come from Atlanta, Washington DC, Arcata California, Los Angeles, Alaska, Oregon, and Berlin.
3. I don’t live in California.
We are not allowed to accept clients who are not in California, even on Zoom. These rules are made by the BBSE (California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners) which governs the practice and licenses of our California Marriage and Family Therapists. While these rules were relaxed during the Pandemic, they are again being enforced. We hope that you will be able to travel to California for the Workshop or the Process, even though the sessions will be conducted via Zoom. If you cannot travel to California, please ask Elaine to research the rules for your state. Some states have reciprocity agreements.