What is it Like?
F.A.Q.
Learn More About The Process and Practice of Therapy
Why shouldn’t I just take medication?
Medication can be an important part of treatment and for a very small number of clients, it may be sufficient enough to resolve the barriers to your mental health. However that is rarely the case. Our mood affects our behavior, which affects our actions, which affects our environment. As this cycles over time we find ourselves missing important skills or developmental milestones in life. When we try to re-engage we may find that we don’t have the same success as our peers who have been practicing this skill for longer which restarts the cycle.
How does it work? What do I have to do in sessions?
That depends a little on your presenting issue, the skillset of your therapist, and of course your own personal preference. Usually in your first session your therapist will work to establish a clinical history and identify the things you would like to process as well as the goals you have for therapy. In subsequent sessions, you should be prepared to bring in an issue, either an event that has occurred recently that reflects your presenting issue or something that happened in the past that you would like to find more peace and clarity with.
This is where we say “it depends” and you roll your eyes.
But more constructively, psychotherapy usually consists of about 10-13 sessions for a simple and straightforward issue. Of course, it can be less depending on the client and the issue presented, or it can be more if the issue is complex or the client decides to bring in additional issues. Often people will choose to continue therapy because they see ongoing benefits to their life and to their mental health. Clients always have the choice to terminate at any time or reason, referrals will be provided for your convenience but there is no obligation to follow up with anyone.
What’s the difference between talking to you or my best friend or family?
Social supports are a great indicator and support for long term mental health. We strongly encourage that you talk to friends in family regardless if you decide to start therapy. However counselors have a number advantages; firstly, counselors are completely committed to your issues during the session. No need to worry about your problem being “uninteresting” or “repetitive”.
Counselors are also trained with years of both book learning and practical field experience. The reason you may have heard that therapists “don’t give advice” is that we understand that your situation is more simple than a problem and a solution. Its how you process and relate to the problem, as well as how you relate and engage with a multitude of solutions. A therapist can help guide you through that process.
I want to get the most out of therapy. What can I do?
The most important things are for a client to show up with a mentality of being open and honest. Giving your therapist a clear idea of the goals you want to achieve will allow them to be more focused in your treatment.
Sessions are $100 per therapeutic hour (~50 minutes)
Why don’t you accept insurance?
There are many reasons not to take insurance. From a client perspective, insurance can collect and centralize your personal medical health data which can be accessed and read through legal action, ultimately compromising your privacy. Insurance may also require that certain techniques are used over others despite research indicating that they are not as effective. There are also alternative ways to use your insurance to help cover costs as explained below.
What does out of network mean? How can that help me pay for sessions?
Most insurance plans will offer out-of-network coverage. This coverage applied to any medical provider that has not signed a contract agreement with your insurance. This coverage often has its own separate deductible and provision but once they are met insurance will provide you assistance in covering the expenses associated with therapy. Some companies offer an out-of-network-max meaning you only pay a flat amount for out of network services in the year before your insurance agrees to cover the rest.
That sounds great! How can I access my out-of-network benefits?
After session (or a set of sessions depending on your benefits) you can request a superbill. This is essentially a list of the services you were provided with medical codes, the dates they were provided, and the amounts you were charged. There is no data in connection to the content of your sessions that is sent. You will submit these to your insurance and they will reimburse you directly.
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