FAQs
How does therapy work?
Therapy is a process and an investment in your well-being. Therapy can help people manage anxiety, decrease depression, cope, heal, gain insights and self awareness, build self-esteem, better relationships, obtain solutions and process difficult experiences. We will look at patterns that are preventing you from moving forward and remove barriers to propel you toward health, healing and happiness.
Because each person has different concerns and goals, therapy will be different depending on the individual. I tailor my therapeutic approach to your specific needs and utilize a strengths based approach for optimal outcomes.
During our first meeting, we will complete a comprehensive intake assessment and determine what you’d like to focus on in therapy and begin identifying treatment goals. As we move through therapy we will reassess your goals and explore how you think you are progressing. There may be times when a crisis or major stressor occurs and we detour and focus on what is currently impacting you in the moment.
Successful therapy requires, a commitment from the client to be patient, vulnerable, and open to working on skills outside of sessions and feeling a little uncomfortable as change begins to blossom. One of the most important factors of successful therapy (client change) is the relationship between client and therapist.
It is important for you to feel respected and safe with being vulnerable within our therapeutic relationship. I want you to feel free to share anything, and within this safe, supportive, non-judgmental therapeutic environment self-exploration, growth and lasting change will flourish.
How can therapy help?
There are many benefits to therapy and may include: decreasing symptoms of depression or anxiety, understanding your health concerns, building confidence, improved self-esteem, identifying and reaching your wellness goals, healing trauma, loss, relationship hurts, learning healthy communication skills, better communicate your thoughts and feelings, improve relationships, better understand yourself, managing stress, identifying personal strengths, developing coping skills, managing stress and feeling more fulfilled and improve your quality of life.
What’s the difference between talking to you or my best friend or family?
While friendships and relationships with family members are very important for our well-being, often times we need more than just support, we need a neutral, caring and skilled individual to hear our pain, provide us with skills to cope so we may heal and move towards growth.
As a trained and highly skilled psychologist, I can help you approach your concerns in a new way– teach you new skills, gain different perspectives, listen to you without judgment or expectations and help you listen to yourself. Furthermore, therapy is confidential and a therapist can provide neutrality and gentle challenges your family and friends are unable to provide because of the nature of those relationships.
What do I do or talk about in therapy sessions?
It is common for clients to be uncertain about what to share or talk about in therapy, here are a few things to consider: What is upsetting you; motivating you; painful for you; what thoughts frequently come up for you about yourself, your relationships, your life as a whole; what emotions do you frequently experience; what are some significant events that have occurred in your life.
The following experiences may be helpful to share: what happened for you between sessions (i.e. what awareness or insights did you experience, what did you learn about yourself, how did your homework go); what dreams or nightmares did you have that you’d like to process; how do you feel you’re progressing; how am I as your therapist doing; what do we need to change. Lastly, as you feel more safe and comfortable I’ll encourage you to share the parts of yourself that you often ignore, feel too painful, shameful or very dark.
How often will we meet and for how long?
Initially I see clients on a weekly basis as this is what I have found to be most conducive to successful outcomes. As we make progress towards your goals we will reevaluate your needs and therapy session frequency. Sessions are generally between 50 to 90 minutes in length, depending on the modality of therapy and your individual needs.
How long of a commitment is therapy?
Everyone’s circumstances are unique and the length of time you will be engaged in therapy depends on your goals, your desire for personal development, your commitment, and the factors and concerns that are driving you to seek therapy in the first place. We will work together to determine length of treatment and throughout our work together, evaluate where you are with your goals and reassess as needed.
I want to get the most out of therapy. What can I do?
I am so glad you are dedicated to getting the most out of therapy. Your active participation and dedication is crucial to your success. After all, we generally only see each other once a week. It’s the work you do outside of our sessions that will really help you see your personal growth and development. At the end of session we will spend a few minutes discussing homework or skills you will utilize throughout the week and we will check in around this the following week.
I encourage clients to come prepared to session with 2-3 concerns or experiences they would like to focus on and write down their homework, as well as, what they learned or are taking away from session.
My partner and I are having problems. Should we be in individual counseling or come together for couples work?
If you are concerned about your relationship and you are unsure if individual or couples therapy would be more beneficial, please contact me for a complimentary consultation to discuss what might be most helpful.
Why have you chosen not to be in-network with my insurance company?
Your mental health care and privacy are important to me and I believe therapy is an invaluable investment in your health and wellness. Because I want you to have the best outcome and therapy treatments available, without any restrictions, hassles, or fear of how obtaining services will impact your future endeavors or health benefits, I have chosen not to participate in-network with insurance companies.
More about my ‘why’ and a few important things to be aware of when seeing an in-network therapist:
-Your care is dictated by your insurance carrier, meaning they (your insurance provider) determines whether or not you can receive mental health treatment, how many sessions they will cover, how much they will pay for services and types of treatment they will cover (i.e. often times insurance providers do not pay for couples counseling or sessions more than 45-50 minutes). This is a “one-size-fits-all” philosophy that doesn’t work in therapy as everyone has different presenting concerns and heal in different ways and varying rates. Additionally, I want us to end therapy because you are in a good place and have met your goals, not because your insurance company says its time.
-When using your in-network benefits, your therapist must give you a diagnosis in order for insurance to pay for therapy services. This means, couples counseling and certain presenting concerns and conditions are not covered. Additionally, this diagnostic “label” will be in your permanent health record which could impact your health and life insurance coverage and employment endeavors in your future. Insurance companies also require a treatment plan and often request updates about your therapy.
-Additionally, insurance companies often take a long time to reimburse their providers and sometimes deny claims. This requires a great deal of the therapist’s time and can create frustration which may impact the therapeutic relationship. This also leaves the client responsible for past due fees. I believe everyone deserves to be paid for their services without significant hassles. But most importantly, without the hassle of insurance this allows for you and your therapist to focus on your treatment needs and make the important decisions about your treatment.
*When working with me, your treatment remains confidential as I do not bill insurance companies. Your personal treatment information continues to remain confidential unless you choose to release the information to another party.
If you do wish to obtain reimbursement for services, I am happy to provide you a monthly “superbill” that you may utilize to obtain reimbursement.
How do I determine my out-of-network mental health insurance benefits?
I recommend contacting your insurance provider and asking the following questions to determine your benefits:
-Does my health insurance plan include mental health (psychotherapy) benefits?
-Do I have out-of-network (OON) mental health benefits?
-Is any pre-approval required before obtaining out-of-network (OON) mental health services in order to be reimbursed?
-Do I have a deductible? If so, what is it and have I met it?
-If I have out-of-network mental health benefits, will I be reimbursed the full amount I paid or a portion?
-Does my OON plan limit number of sessions per calendar year and if so, how many are allowed?
-What documentation needs to be submitted for reimbursement?
What if I can’t make it to your office?
I’m glad you asked, I offer therapy sessions via a telehealth platform similar to Skype called Doxy.me which is a HIPAA compliant platform. This allows you to attend session from anywhere including the comfort of your home or office. All you need is privacy, a computer and internet service.
How do I know if we are a good fit?
I encourage clients to utilize my complimentary consultation and welcome any questions you may have. I also encourage you to look over my website to get a sense of who I am and my style as a psychologist.