If you think you might want to receive services from me, please read through this section for important preliminary information before contacting me.
Appointment Availability
There are two critical issues that are important to most people seeking my services. One is my availability. We all like to be able to initiate services as soon as we feel ready or after having identified a need. Although it may be possible to see you quickly, this is not often true. If you would like to find out about my current status, please contact me.
I am not available for non-clients to provide any kind of emergency mental health services. If this is your situation, please see my page for emergency mental health resources, where you may get that type of help.
My typical office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. I occasionally see clients outside of these hours for pre-planned intensive services or in-home consultations. Most of my clients choose to have standing appointments. I typically cannot guarantee you an ideal time for ongoing appointments initially. I do my best to work around clients’ work schedules, school and extracurricular activities. Many people are very tightly scheduled. It’s very important that you determine where the priority for this service fits in the big picture of your schedule. Once you are an established client, you will get priority to move into a more ideal spot when available.
At the beginning of therapy, I find it important to see people weekly in order to establish a clear treatment plan, and to cultivate cohesion and build rapport. Rarely, it may be important to have more frequent visits. Once you are achieving momentum to make the changes you seek, we can discuss the potential pros and cons of decreasing frequency of contact.
Payment for Services
The second important step here is to determine if you will be using your behavioral health benefit through your medical insurance carrier. The services allowed and procedures necessary to get reimbursement vary greatly. I can only tell you only if I am “in network” or “out-of-network” for you a particular insurance. You can easily find this out by calling or going online and checking your benefits. Mental health services (if you have them) are typically listed under “Behavioral Health.” Often it works to just put the providers name in for a search. I have NO access to your insurance information until you become my client, so cannot answer any questions about your benefits. Even then, there are things that are actually necessary for you to do as the subscriber to that insurance company and you need to be in touch with them to find out what your obligations are.
If I am in-network with a company, I can explain to you what that means in terms of the services I provide and the requirements that I am obligated to meet. You are responsible for paying whatever deductibles and copayments that your insurance has set. You may wish to have some services that your company does not reimburse for. If that is the case, you would need to pay for those out-of-pocket. This will be thoroughly discussed and agreed upon before a service is provided.
If I am out-of-network, then you will need to pay me for the service at the time provided. My billing service bills them monthly, instructing them to reimburse you directly. I will provide you with fee information in my initial discussion with you.
If you have double coverage, there are specifics we would need to discuss about how that works. If I happen to be in-network for both, this isn’t complicated as I bill both companies. Otherwise, it can be complicated.
It is really important to find out as much as you can about your insurance coverage as possible before you make an initial appointment with me. When we’ve encountered some kind of complication in the course of therapy that could have been avoided, it often results in increased distress for you and potentially additional services you may have to pay for out-of-pocket unexpectedly.
Reasons for Seeking Psychotherapy
Now, please take some time and focus in on your reasons for seeking psychotherapy. Check out this website where I describe my approach and the services that I provide in order to consider whether or not I am likely to be a good fit for you. Most potential clients have a sense from the information they read if that’s true for them or not. Sometimes when we are really wanting something, we don’t always take time to contemplate our needs. (Ever been really hungry and just grabbed the first thing you could find, and then realized there was something that would have been more satisfying if you’d just taken a moment to really check in?) Your mental health, the well-being of your relationship and/or family deserves a mindful assessment.
Next Step
Okay, if you’ve gotten this far and still think you’d like to talk with me more about your needs and my services, please contact me. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can so we can discuss your needs. I do my best to respond to inquiries within 24 hours on my business days.
Thanks, and I look forward to talking with you!