|
|
FAQS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click on your
question 
What is my approach to psychotherapy?
What is my approach to testing, consultation and forensic services?
How long do therapy sessions last?
How long can I expect therapy to continue?
What if I have to cancel my therapy appointment?
What are the payment options?
What are the fees for psychotherapy (and for missed appointments)?
What are the fees for testing (and for missed appointments)?
What are the fees for forensic services (and for missed appointments)?
What should I know about insurance reimbursement?
How do you contact me?
What is my approach to psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements.
It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and client, and the particular
problems you bring forward. There are many different methods I may use to deal with the
problems that you hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a visit to a medical doctor.
Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most
successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at
home.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and
risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may
experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and
helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for
people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific
problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of
what you will experience.
Our first few sessions will
involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to give
you an overview of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide
to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions
of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a large commitment of
time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If
you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your
doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health
professional for a second opinion.
Back To Top
What is my approach to testing, consultation and forensic services?
You might have been referred for an evaluation by a physician,
a therapist, a teacher, an attorney, or employer, or you may have referred yourself. The
first step is to get perfectly clear as to the purpose of the evaluation. Who will read the
report? What will the results be used for? Once that is determined, I can select the
appropriate tests and measures to use to answer the questions. The report will be written
with both the purpose of the testing and the intended reader(s) clearly in mind.
Psychological testing and forensic assessments are considerably more labor intensive than
the initial evaluation for psychotherapy, and require significant amounts of time to
complete and write up. Accordingly, my fee schedules for therapy and for other services
differ.
Back To Top
How long do therapy sessions last?
I normally conduct a
psychotherapy intake evaluation that will last at least 2 sessions (a session is 45-50
minutes). If possible, I like our first meeting to last about 1 ½ hours (a double session).
Sometimes, this initial evaluation will take more time. During this initial time, we can
both decide if I am the best person for you to work with to meet your treatment goals. If we
decide to work together, I will usually schedule one 45-50 minute session per week at a time
we agree on, although some sessions may be longer or more frequent.
Back To Top
How long can I
expect therapy to continue?
In some sense, treatment
goes on as long as it goes on. More specifically, services will continue until:
▪ Your treatment goals have been achieved
▪ You discontinue treatment by by clearly
indicating that you have no interest in continuing services with me or by repeatedly failing
to keep scheduled appointments.
▪ We come to jointly feel that your needs
cannot be adequately met here, in which case you will be referred to another and more
appropriate provider.
Back To Top
What if I have
to cancel my therapy appointment?
Once a therapy appointment hour is scheduled,
you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide at least 24 hours (1 day) advance
notice of cancellation, unless we both agree that you were unable to attend due to
circumstances beyond your control. Exceptions to this policy are what would generally be
considered emergencies and would not include being very busy at work, or having a baby
sitter “no show”, or just not feeling like coming in. If it is possible, I will try to find
another time to reschedule the appointment, hopefully during the same week.
▪ If you think you might have difficulty keeping regular
appointments, discuss this with me at the beginning of our relationship to see what can be
worked out
▪ If you cancel or miss appointments on a regular basis, I reserve the right to refuse
to make another appointment
▪ If I have to cancel an appointment, for whatever reason, there is, of course, no
charge to you.
Back To Top
What are the payment options?
You may pay for therapy, testing, or forensic
services using cash or check. All co pays and payments are due at the time of the
appointment and must be paid in full each session. If by the next visit you have not paid
the amount owed, I reserve the right to hold off seeing you unless and until you have paid
in full. At present, I do not accept credit or debit cards.
Back To Top
What are the fees for psychotherapy (and for missed appointments)?
Straight fee-for-service; $150 per 45-50
minute session (and for missed appointments) The fee is the same if you are paying by the
session, using an insurance in which I don’t participate (Out of Network) or using your
Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Account). In some cases, I will agree to see
clients for a discounted fee (sliding scale). We will discuss this possibility beforehand.
If an unusual financial hardship arises during the course of therapy, I may be willing to
negotiate a fee adjustment or payment installment plan.
I charge this same fee for other professional services (pro-rated for periods of less
than one hour) such as report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 5
minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, preparation of
records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may
request of me.
If I am a participating provider with your insurance: which includes Aetna,
many CareFirst plans, CIGNA, Managed Health Network, Tricare, United Behavioral Health,
ValueOptions, and the Magellan EAP plan. my hourly fee for therapy is whatever your
insurance carrier allows. The “missed appointment” fee is what your carrier would pay had
you kept the appointment. All other services, as noted above, are at my regular hourly rate.
Most policies require a co-payment. Unless we know your co-pay beforehand, I charge a $20
co-pay. If we learn (from the insurance company’s payment form) that it should be less, I’ll
refund the difference. If it’s more, you will be expected to pay the difference and then pay
the required rate at each session.
Back To Top
What are the fees for testing (and for missed appointments)?
Fees range from $1850 for a basic evaluation to
several thousand for complex forensic (legal) cases. Fees will be determined on a
case-by-case basis, depending on the referral questions. My policy is to collect 50% of the
fee at the time of initial service and the balance before the report is delivered. If you
have to cancel, please let me know at least 48 hours (2 days) in advance. If you
cancel with less notice, or “no show”, you will be charged a flat fee of $250.
Back To Top
What are the fees for forensic services (and for missed appointments)?
Because of the difficulty of legal involvement, I charge $240 per hour
for preparation and attendance at any legal proceeding. If therapy or testing is in
connection with a legal case, I will ask you to sign a separate contract, specifying the
specifics of my involvement. Insurance carriers do not consider forensic services to be
health-related and typically refuse any coverage. You will be asked to pay for forensic
services prior to the service, either in full, or in the form of a to-be-agreed-upon
retainer. If you have to cancel, please let me know at least 72 hours (3 days) in
advance. If you cancel with less notice, or “no show”, you will be charged a flat fee of
$400. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be
expected to pay for my professional time even if I am called to testify by another party.
Back To Top
What should I know about insurance reimbursement?
If I am a participating provider with your carrier, I am required to file the
insurance claims myself. If I do not participate with your plan, I will fill out forms and
provide you with whatever assistance I can in helping you receive the benefits to which you
are entitled; however, you (not your insurance company) are responsible for full payment of
my fees.
It is very important that you find out exactly what mental health services your
insurance policy covers. You should carefully read the section in your insurance coverage
booklet that describes mental health services. If you have questions about the coverage,
call your plan administrator. Of course I will provide you with whatever information I can
based on my experience and will be happy to help you in understanding the information you
receive from your insurance company. If it is necessary to clear confusion, I will be
willing to call the company on your behalf.
Due to the rising costs of health care, insurance benefits have increasingly become
more complex. It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly how much mental health coverage
is available. “Managed Health Care” plans such as HMOs and PPOs often require authorization
before they provide reimbursement for mental health services. These plans are often limited
to short-term treatment approaches designed to work out specific problems that interfere
with a person’s usual level of functioning. It may be necessary to seek approval for more
therapy after a certain number of sessions. While a lot can be accomplished in short-term
therapy, some patients feel that they need more services after insurance benefits end. [Some
managed-care plans will not allow me to provide services to you once your benefits end. If
this is the case, I will do my best to find another provider who will help you continue your
psychotherapy.]
You should also be aware that most insurance companies require you to authorize me to
provide them with a clinical diagnosis. Sometimes I have to provide additional clinical
information such as treatment plans or summaries, or copies of the entire record this is
VERY rare). This information will become part of the insurance company files and will
probably be stored in a computer. Though all insurance companies claim to keep such
information confidential, I have no control over what they do with it once it is in their
hands. In some cases, they may share the information with a national medical information
databank. I will provide you with a copy of any report I submit, if you request it.
Once we have all of the information about your insurance coverage, we will discuss
what we can expect to accomplish with the benefits that are available and what will happen
if they run out before you feel ready to end our sessions. It is important to remember that
you always have the right to pay for my services yourself to avoid the problems described
above [unless prohibited by contract].
Back To Top
How do you contact me?
I’m often not immediately available by telephone, and don’t answer the phone
when I am with a client. My phone is answered by voice mail that I monitor frequently. I
will make every effort to return your call on the day you make it, with the exception of
weekends and holidays. If you are hard to reach, please let me know some times you’ll be
available. I usually respond to email on the same day. If you can’t reach me and feel that
you can’t wait for me to return your call or email, please contact your family physician or
the nearest emergency room and ask for the psychologist/mental health specialist on call. If
I will be unavailable for an extended time I’ll provide you with the name of a colleague to
contact, if necessary.
Back To Top
|
