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Frequently Asked Questions
Why pay out of pocket instead of using insurance?
It’s true that using insurance might seem cheaper at first. But often, therapists covered by insurance are generalists. They might not use the special methods that work best for anxiety and OCD.
Many clients come to us after general talk therapy didn’t help them or even made things worse. They find out that with our help they are able to solve their problems and get their life back because we apply the best practices specifically designed for anxiety and OCD.
What happens in the first session?
The first session is a chance for you and your therapist to get to know each other a bit more and make sure you’re a good fit. Your therapist will begin by reviewing the online forms you completed and answer any questions you have. Payment is collected at the end of the session.
During this session your therapist will ask you a lot of different questions to make sure they are getting the complete picture of what’s bothering you.
If at the end of the session I feel that what you’re describing would be a better fit for a different kind of therapy or a different approach that what I offer, I will share that with you and give you some referrals for experts in that area.
From there, they will ask you a range of questions to get a better understanding of what’s been bothering you lately. Some of the questions might apply to you, some of them might not, but it’s important that we ask all the questions. Your therapist will also ask for more details. At the end of the session they will give you a summary of their understanding of your symptoms and describe the initial treatment plan they will develop for you to reach your goals.
What if there are things I’m not ready to talk about?
We always respect our client’s boundaries and preferences around what they are ready to share and when. It may be helpful to know that if you’re dealing with OCD, your therapist may ask specific questions about the kind of intrusive thoughts you’re having. This can be really difficult, and you might worry about sharing these thoughts with someone. We have worked with OCD for many years and are familiar with all subtypes of OCD, including contamination, sexual orientation, causing harm to others, pedophilia, sin and morality, violence, and self-control, among others. We strive to provide a safe, non-judgmental space to discuss these thoughts openly. At the same time, we’ll meet you where you are in terms of readiness to discuss these thoughts.
How many sessions will I need?
It’s hard to predict exactly how many sessions you or your child might need to benefit from therapy. We ask that clients make an initial commitment of weekly sessions for at least 6 weeks to start. CBT is designed to be a short-term treatment. Many people see significant changes after 3-4 months (or 12 to 16 sessions). In other cases, it may take longer. Your ability to complete homework and practice new skills outside of session can speed up your progress. Your therapist will be able to give you a better sense of how many sessions might be helpful after your initial intake session.
What if I can’t meet during the day?
Many of our clients have found ways to make weekly appointments work. Some work places will allow you to work an hour early to leave early or work late to come in late. Other people meet during their lunch breaks. Some people have decided to use time off for appointments. In our experience it often works best to be upfront with a supervisor or boss about the temporary need for weekly medical appointments. We can also give a work excuse if that would be helpful.
How often are therapy sessions?
Research suggests, and we’ve found in our experience, that weekly sessions work best. We often think about the dose of medication but not the dose of therapy. A therapy dose of less than once a week tends to be more of a maintenance dose–we see that people don’t tend to get much better or worse. For these reasons we typically only recommend an every other week meeting schedule as we near termination of therapy and are working to solidify progress made.
How long are the sessions?
Typical sessions are 45 minutes. If you need to arrange sessions with a different length of time, please talk more with your therapist.
Can we meet online?
Yes. Our practice is fully equipped to meet online. You can read more about online therapy here (link to Service page). Please talk with your therapist about how you’ll plan to meet and if you need to change your meeting plans from time to time (due to illness, inclement weather, etc.).
Fees
We are considered out of network providers with insurance panels. Many people are not familiar with using out-of-network benefits and so we try to make the process as easy as possible. We can prepare the paperwork (called a superbill), and help you submit that to your insurance company. You can also use a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account to pay for services, which are tax free funds and can also help to reduce the costs.
The fees for our clinicians range from $165 for doctoral level therapists to $140 for masters level therapists. You will be responsible for the full session fee at the time of service and then your insurance company will reimburse you based on your out of network benefits.
Working as out of network providers allows us to dedicate more time to your treatment. Rather than trying to see as many clients as possible and spending hours on billing and paperwork, we’re able to focus on you and your treatment. We prefer to use that time to attend conferences, read and discuss new research, consult with colleagues, and ensure that we continue to provide cutting edge therapy based on the newest scientific findings.
What are your privacy policies?
Your confidentiality and privacy are very important to us. For our full privacy practices, please read more here: Privacy policy