FAQs

No, I do not accept insurance. However, since I am a licensed psychologist, my professional services do qualify for insurance reimbursement, if your insurance coverage includes outpatient mental health services.

My practice is a fee-for-service practice which means that I do ask clients to pay the full fee at the time of service. I accept either a check or cash as payment.

As an out-of-network provider, I give my clients an invoice to submit to their insurance company in order to receive a direct reimbursement. I am mindful of peoples’ cash flow situation and I am happy to provide an invoice at every session for sending immediately to your insurance company.

The purpose of the initial consultation is for both the client and the therapist to try to determine if cognitive behavior therapy is a good treatment approach for the client’s presenting problems.

During the initial consultation, we spend a brief amount of time obtaining basic background information, but the majority of the consultation is spent identifying what symptoms, mood problems, life difficulties the client would like help with. The therapist outlines a potential cognitive behavioral treatment plan and suggests an initial self-help assignment.

We are very aware of the limited time that we have during each therapy session. As a result, each session has an agenda which includes feedback from the previous session as to what was helpful or not, any important events from the previous week, and a review of the self-help assignment. The majority of the session is devoted to making progress on changing problematic thinking or behavioral choices related to one of the identified target problems. At the end of the session a self-help assignment is formulated.

CBT is a short term treatment. Since the approach is focused on specific symptoms and defined problems, the therapy has as a high priority working as efficiently as possible to achieve a successful therapeutic outcome.

If a client has a specific problem for which they are seeking help, therapy can often benefit them in a few months. If a client has long standing problems a longer course of therapy may be needed.

Relapse prevention is a crucial component of CBT. Before we end treatment, we anticipate together what challenges may come up and how to respond to them, as well as what the warning signs are of a relapse and how to avert a new episode.

Some people are already taking a mood medication prescribed by a psychiatrist or their family doctor when they begin therapy. There are however, many clients who gain enough symptom improvement from CBT and so they do not require mood medication. Other clients whose symptoms continue to interfere with their functioning may benefit from a consultation with a psychopharmacologist. I work with a number of expert psychopharmacologists.