I Believe in the ACFB Fund! Do You?
I believe in the ACFB Fund. As private practice therapists, finding funding streams for your clients can bring great benefits to your business. Gumboot, WINZ, ACC, and EAP are just a few examples of funding options that provide financial support and professional vetting for therapists. Accreditation with these funding sources can increase a therapist’s reputation and attract potential clients who seek quality, professional services for their mental health needs.
However, when the funding provided by these sources does not meet a therapist’s cost per session, deciding whether to accept a pay cut or charge clients a copay can be challenging. This is where the ACFB Fund comes in as a solution.
Introducing: The ACFB Fund!
The ACFB Fund seeks to change the idea that a mental health professional’s time is equally defined. As a therapist with the ACFB Fund, you are paid your stated rate for every session – no matter what that cost is.
I obviously need to put a disclaimer here that there will be SOME limits on this. We do know market rates for these types of services and understand when someone is trying to cheat the system. We won’t allow that. The idea is that your stated rate is your stated rate for a reason. Time, calculations, and much thought went into choosing a normal session rate, and we plan to always respect that (within reason).
How does the ACFB Fund help my clients?
Imagine if you will, a fairly typical situation with a client needing support. They’ve come in with some sort of funding (EAP, Gumboot, WINZ) but cannot continue to receive this funding anymore. It’s been exhausted. You offer the client the ability to stay on if they are able to self-pay, which sadly, with their financial situation is just not the case. You’ve looked into other options but none are available.
What typically happens in this situation? The client exits therapy without finishing treatment. The problems in their life persist and create more chaos which gives the person a bad view of the mental health system in New Zealand. Do you think the next time they are in this situation that they are going to be likely to reach out? Likely not.
ACFB Fund to the Rescue!!
Now let’s rewind slightly. When no more options are available, that’s where the ACFB Fund plans to kick in. After answering a few basic questions and providing evidence of need, applicants are granted funding based on availability and need.
Instead of being allocated a number of sessions to a specific therapist, recipients will be granted an amount of money, in the form of credits on the ACFB platform. Recipients will then be able to choose from a range of ACFB Fund approved items such as groups, courses, eBooks, and therapy.
ACFB and the ACFB Fund
Monies allocated to recipients are theirs to use for 6 months or until maxed out. Applicants may apply twice yearly for additional funding, should funding be available. Unused or leftover money from recipients goes back into the ACFB Fund for further use by someone who needs it.
This can be the reality as A Change for Better (ACFB) grows. By supporting the ACFB Fund through purchases on the platform, therapists and the community can contribute to building a self-sustaining charitable organization that makes a real difference in the lives of New Zealanders. The ACFB Fund is not only a solution for therapists facing pay cuts but also a way to increase affordability and access to mental health resources for clients. I believe in the ACFB Fund, and I hope you will too.
