Your First Visit
What to Expect
Starting therapy can feel uncertain. Here's exactly what your journey looks like, from your first phone call to your ongoing sessions.
Before Your First Visit
Schedule your appointment by calling (559) 439-5920 or using our contact form. Our staff will help match you with a counselor based on your needs.
Payment & superbills — Link Care is out-of-network with most private insurance and does not bill or verify insurance. You pay at the time of your session, and we can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurer for potential reimbursement. See our Insurance & Payment page for details.
What to bring: A photo ID and a list of current medications. If you have prior records you'd like to share, bring those too.
Arrive a few minutes early to complete any remaining paperwork and settle in. Our campus at 1734 W Shaw Ave in Fresno is designed to feel warm and welcoming, not clinical.
Your First Session
Your first session is an intake assessment, but it's really just a conversation. Your counselor wants to get to know you, understand what brought you in, and hear about your life in your own words.
They'll ask about your current concerns, background, relationships, and goals for therapy. You don't have to share everything on day one. This is about building a foundation of trust.
Together, you'll set goals, what do you want to be different? What does progress look like for you? These goals will guide your sessions and give you a way to measure growth.
Your counselor will also explain confidentiality, what's private (almost everything) and the rare legal exceptions. This conversation ensures you feel safe to be honest.
At the end, you'll decide together on next steps, session frequency, any between-session practices, and what to focus on next time.
Ongoing Sessions
Most clients meet weekly or biweekly, depending on what feels right. Individual sessions are typically 45–50 minutes; couples and family sessions may run longer, with a 90-minute double session available at double the standard session fee.
Each session builds on the last. Your counselor may introduce specific techniques, such as emotionally focused approaches or other evidence-based strategies, depending on your goals and what's working. When a specialized modality is indicated — for example EMDR for trauma — it is delivered by a clinician trained in that method.
You'll have regular progress check-ins where you and your counselor review your goals, celebrate growth, and adjust the plan as needed. Therapy isn't open-ended, it's purposeful.
When you're ready to wrap up, you'll plan a thoughtful ending, reviewing what you've learned, building a maintenance plan, and knowing you can always return if needed.
Our Approach
At Link Care, we practice evidence-based, faith-integrated counseling. That means we draw on proven therapeutic approaches — including emotionally focused therapy (EFT) and other evidence-based methods — grounded in the latest research. Where a specialized modality is appropriate, such as EMDR or IFS, it is provided by clinicians trained in that approach.
The faith-integrated part is always client-directed. If exploring spiritual dimensions of healing is meaningful to you, your counselor can weave that into the process. If not, that's perfectly fine too. We welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Our counselors are licensed professionals with advanced degrees in psychology, marriage and family therapy, and clinical social work. Many hold specialized certifications in trauma, couples therapy, and child development.
We've been doing this since 1965. Over six decades of experience have taught us that healing happens in relationship, between you and your counselor, between you and the people in your life, and within yourself.
Common Questions
Ready to Begin?
Your first call is just a conversation. No commitment, no pressure, just a chance to see if we're the right fit.