Before You Reach Out
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people arrive at this page with a handful of practical questions before they are ready to send an email: what it costs, whether insurance applies, what a first session feels like, and what stays private. The answers below are meant to be plain and specific rather than reassuring in a vague way: if a question is not covered here, it belongs in your first email.
How This Practice Works
A Few Things Worth Knowing Upfront
Athena Metos is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 14 years in practice, working systemically with individuals, couples and families. She is Level 2 Gottman trained and has extensive training in eating disorders. She sees preteens, teens and adults, and she is licensed in Utah only. That last detail shapes several of the answers below, since it determines who can be seen by telehealth and where in-person sessions are offered.
She is not a physician or a prescriber. Questions about medication, dosing or diagnosis in a medical sense are outside what a therapy license covers and belong with your doctor or a psychiatrist. Athena worked for three years under a psychiatrist earlier in her career, so she is comfortable coordinating with medical providers, but she does not manage medication herself. She also does not treat substance abuse, grief, or OCD as primary concerns; if one of those turns out to be the center of what you are facing, she will tell you plainly and help you find a better-suited referral rather than take on work outside her scope.
For a walk-through of what actually happens from first email to ongoing sessions, see What to Expect. For the full breakdown of fees and accepted insurance plans, see Rates and Insurance.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I start working with Athena?
- Send the contact form with a short description of what brought you in and the best way to reach you. Athena replies by email to schedule an initial session. There is no phone line for the practice, so email is the only way to make first contact.
- Is there a waitlist, and how soon can I be seen?
- Availability varies from week to week. Rather than quote a wait time that may not hold, the honest answer is: send the contact form, and Athena will reply by email with what is currently open.
- How long are sessions and what do they cost?
- Individual sessions are 60 minutes at $200. Couples sessions are 60 minutes at $250. Family sessions are 60 minutes at $250. Fees are due at the time of service.
- What insurance is accepted?
- Select Health, BCBS, UBH, and University of Utah Health Plans. If you carry a different plan, ask by email whether out-of-network reimbursement might apply; the practice cannot guarantee any particular plan's coverage.
- Do you offer telehealth, and can I meet from out of state?
- Yes to telehealth, offered alongside in-person sessions at the Salt Lake City office. Athena is licensed in Utah only, so telehealth sessions require you to be physically located in Utah at the time of the appointment.
- What is the cancellation policy?
- Sessions canceled with less than 24 hours' notice are billed at the full session rate. This holds appointment times reliably for everyone on the schedule.
- What happens in the first session?
- The first session is mostly history and orientation: what brought you in now, what you have already tried, what your relationships and week look like, and what you want to be different. It is a conversation, not a test, and there is no obligation to have language for everything yet.
- Is what I say confidential?
- Yes, with the ordinary legal limits that apply to any licensed therapist: situations involving imminent danger to yourself or someone else, or suspected abuse of a child, elder or dependent adult, may require action beyond the therapy room. These limits are explained in full, in writing, before treatment begins.
- My teenager needs support. How are parents involved?
- Athena works with preteens and teens as well as adults. Teens generally have their own private space in session, while parents are kept appropriately in the loop on safety and overall progress rather than session-by-session detail. The specifics of that arrangement are discussed and agreed upon at intake.
- Can Athena prescribe or manage my medication?
- No. Athena Metos is a licensed marriage and family therapist, not a prescriber. She spent three years working under a psychiatrist and is comfortable coordinating with your care, but any question about starting, changing or stopping medication belongs with your physician or a psychiatrist.
- What does Athena not treat?
- Substance abuse, grief, and OCD fall outside the current scope of practice. If one of those is the primary concern, Athena will say so directly and you will be pointed toward a referral better suited to that work.
Still Have a Question?
The contact form is the fastest way to reach Athena directly. Include a short description of your situation, and she will reply by email.