Why do people seek therapy?
What can I expect in a therapy session?
What benefits can I expect from working with a therapist?
What if I don’t know what my goals are for therapy?
Do you accept insurance? How does insurance work?
Is therapy confidential?
Why do people seek therapy?
People seek therapy for many reasons. Therapy can be used to manage or overcome problems, or to increase specific skills or enjoyment in life. Some need to respond to unexpected changes in their lives, while others seek self-exploration, processing of their experience and personal growth. When coping skills are overwhelmed by guilt, depression, doubt, anxiety, or despair, therapy can help. Therapy can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping for issues such as depression, anxiety, lack of confidence, relationship troubles, bereavement, spiritual conflicts, stress management, body image issues, and creative blocks. People seeking psychotherapy are willing to take responsibility for their actions, work towards self-change and create greater awareness in their lives.
What can I expect in a therapy session?
During sessions you are invited to talk about your interests or concerns in your life or relationships. A session lasts 50 minutes, but some people request longer sessions. Typically once a week is the standard frequency of sessions. However, you come to therapy as often as you would like, based on your interests, your schedule and your therapist’s schedule. Some people who are in crisis or extreme distress want more than one session per week, at least until the crisis passes. During the time between sessions it is beneficial to think about and process what was discussed and be willing to experiment with new ideas and practices.
What benefits can I expect from working with a therapist?
There are many potential benefits from participating in psychotherapy. Often it is helpful just to know that someone understands and appreciates you and your experiences and interests in life. Therapy can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. Many people find therapy to be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the daily life. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I have additional training in family and couples counseling, but also provide group therapy and to individual adults as well. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the potential benefits from therapy may include:
- Attaining a better understanding of yourself and your personal goals and values
- Accessing or developing skills for improving your experience of yourself, your life and your relationships
- Finding solutions to the interests or concerns that led you to seek therapy
- Finding new ways to cope
- Managing anger, depression and other disruptive challenges
- Improving communication skills – learn how to listen to others and have others listen to you
- Getting “unstuck” from unhealthy patterns – break old behaviors and develop new ones
- Discovering new ways to solve problems and get more of what you want from your life and relationships
- Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
What if I don’t know what my goals are for therapy?
You do not have to know what you want to be different in your life or relationships before therapy can begin. Discovering and developing goals for therapy is part of the process of therapy. Sometimes it is helpful to develop specific goals, sometimes it is helpful to have broad goals, and sometimes it is helpful to remain open to discover or rediscover what’s important to you before developing specific goals. Therapists are trained to facilitate conversations that can help you access or develop direction in your life and in your therapy and increase the meaningful possibilities available to you.
Do you accept insurance? How does insurance work?
There is a confusing array of insurance arrangements. The first thing you should do is check with your insurance carrier. Check your coverage carefully and find the answers to the following questions:
- Do I have mental health benefits?
- What is my deducitble and has it been met?
- How many session per calendar year does my plan cover?
- How much do you pay for an out-of network provider?
- Is there a limitation on how much you will pay per session?
- Is primary care physician approval required?
- Will my insurance pay for services provided by an out-of-network provider?
Many people decide to pay for therapy from their own financial resources. Some insurance policies have high premiums, deductibles, and/or co-payments, and many managed care policies allow you only a limited number of sessions. Therefore, it is important to weigh long-term costs, concerns about confidentiality and considerations of continued access to services in deciding whether self-payment is viable.
At the present time I do not contract with any insurance firms. Your insurance coverage might limit the amount of sessions you are allowed within a specific time period. Also, your insurance company will mandate labeling you with a psychiatric diagnosis which you may not want. However, upon your request I will provide an itemized receipt (with a psychiatric diagnosis) which you can submit to your insurance company for third party reimbursement. Your insurance company may or may not approve your submissions for third party reimbursement.
Please be sure to contact your insurance company for their rules and regulations regarding reimbursement policies. For those of you who choose not to submit a bill to your insurance company, I can provide you with a separate receipt without a diagnosis.
Is therapy confidential?
In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychotherapist. Information is not disclosed without written permission. However, there are number of exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include:
- Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person or persons, the therapist must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself, the therapist will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.