Turning Point Counseling Services - Fairbanks, Alaska

christina S.

The pros-

Conveniently located in a nice office downtown. Clean and private rooms for therapy.

The cons- office staff lacks basic communication, scheduling is all over the place and not a regular time/day weekly.

This clinic really should do better.

Very frustrating six+ month experience.

Got on their wait list- in October, filled out all paperwork and was told I would be informed of copays/deductibles prior to starting services. I called every 2-3 weeks checking my child's place on the wait list and checking on our insurance- each time I was told everything was in there was nothing more for me to do.

After the new year mid Jan a spot opened for my teen- great!

Unfortunately the " spot" wasn't a spot the sessions were all over the place!!!! One week it would be a Monday 9am apt the next week it would be Friday at 4p- I wish prior to waiting several months we would have been told there is no consistency with the scheduling and you get what ever time they have. In the 20 years of myself, my partner and our kiddos having therapy we have never experienced such an erratic schedule. But at this point we had waited several months so we went with it.

Our main issue is lack of communication with the office staff and billing department. after starting appointments we were told they do not accept our insurance! Even though prior we were told they did! The office tried to tell me we were out of network- not true the issue is they only accept ONE insurance as "in network" ONE! It would have been very easy for them to let me know this up front or even one of the numerous I called/came into their office. They really should have told me they don't accept either of our insurances as we are double covered and never would have continued with their practice had this been told to us. We simply cannot afford it especially when we already pay for two insurances!

Very frustrating that we waited so long then started our child and due to the 450$ per appointment we had to change and go to a completely different practice.

We never would have started services at this place had we known. We never would have put our child through a wait list and starting with a new counselor had we known we would have to switch a few months in.

The counselor herself was fine- not the best not the worst. We only had services for 3 months weekly so it's hard to say but I can tell you those appointments are costly- something that could have easily been avoided had the office staff been upfront and let me know they only accept ONE insurance which was neither of the ones we have.

Lily H.

I've truly enjoyed all my appointments at Turning Point, from initial, more regular sessions through my occasional "tune ups." I've enjoyed welcomed validation as well as challenging conversation on my path to becoming more secure and grounded in my self-care. Thank you!

Hunt L. A. S.

The professionalism and quality of the help offered is second to none! Turning Point helped me get my life back, find myself, and find recovery from active addiction! Today, with nine years clean I utilize the tools that I acquired at turning point to help myself and others deal with life on life’s terms. The staff helped me get started quickly and worked through the insurance and other aspects with me every step of the way. I am eternally grateful for this amazing and wonderful professional counseling center

Brock S.

I would not recommend this counseling center. I did the initial assessment and paid around $250 out of pocket. They said they would get in touch with me about scheduling but I never received a follow-up call. I got busy with work and life and after over a month I called back to inquire about setting up a new appointment. The therapist they had assigned to me only had hours available while I was working, which I said I could not do on a regular basis (she ended at 2pm). I asked if someone else was available, and they again said they would check with the the therapist and see if they could either modify the schedule or transfer me to someone else. I never received a second call back. It’s very unfortunate that I was trying to better myself by seeking counseling, yet they didn’t have the follow-through to help me out. I’m sure there are other providers in Fairbanks that care enough to work with their clients, and I will be looking elsewhere.

Update: I received a call from the COO/CFO within 24 hours of posting this review. I added 2 stars for the quick response as he seemed genuinely interested in helping, but unfortunately since a refund would be ‘unethical’ due to insurance being involved there wasn’t much else they could do. He did say they are aware of the issue of people not being followed up with and they are trying to address that internally. He also did look around and contacted me again to recommend another therapist somewhere else who would maybe be better able to fit my schedule. Thank you Nick.

T

I’ve been attending counseling appointments for about 7 months now, by personal choice, after recognizing that I needed to do more than just cope with problems and behaviors. Full disclosure, I’m fortunate enough to have insurance that covers 80% of the cost for 30 appointments annually after my deductible.

I’ve noticed a significant positive improvement in my mentality and behavioral patterns. Counseling is showing a real impact on my quality of life. I recommend it to everyone, even just to make one appointment and see for themselves if it’s something they want to continue to pursue.

Staff is professional, the setting is pleasant, and I am really thankful that I chose to make a commitment to attend counseling services here.

Danny S.

Doing outpatient treatment and counseling here truly changed my life. Just hit 8 years clean and sober. The staff is amazing and I loved the structure of the program I went through. Once I completed the program I met with my counselor once every few weeks to a month just to check in. He helped me navigate so many life issues that I normally used drugs and alcohol to hide from. I was able to face those issues head on and build a really strong foundation. I can confidently say I’m free from the obsession to use drugs and alcohol. By using Turning Point Counseling, I got my life back. 🙏🏼❤️ Thank youuu from the bottom of my heart.

Trista C.

I used their counseling services for 2 years. I do not feel like my issues were ever assessed, and I was paired with a counselor pretty randomly. I found a lot of their techniques to be either a waste of my time and pedantic. To be paying hundreds of dollars to sit on a video chat, to listen to sad music and think about the sad things that have happened in my life is not what I would consider counseling, and I have ust developed better coping strategies than she was offering to me. I gave it two years and then i dreaded appts bc they were so useless. Sitting outside by the river or meditating would have been just as effective and much less $$$.

Shelley M.

Hands down the best counseling services in Fairbanks. The owners, Joseph and Gunnar, are probably 2 of the most skilled compassionate people I’ve ever met. They specialize in brain spotting, an effective treatment for trauma. They are the best in the business. Johnathan is also great with kids. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else!