Q: How
long do I have to wait until I can get an appointment?
A: Usually two weeks or less
Q: Who will answer my phone call?
A: Time permitting, I will. Otherwise, I will personally respond
within 24 hours. Any messages that you leave will not be heard by
anyone else.
Q: What will occur at my first appointment?
A: The first visit is a consultation to allow me to assess whether
I can be of help and, if so, what kind of treatment would be
indicated. It is also a consultation for you to assess if you feel
that we can comfortably work together. Since a lot of information
is collected during this session, it typically lasts for ninety
minutes or more.
Q: If I am bringing my child, who else should also come?
A: This depends on several other issues. Though I may start by
first seeing the parent(s), I often like to begin with everyone
living in your home. This will be discussed on the phone prior to
the first visit.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: Though I cooperate with insurance companies, it is mostly as an
out-of-network provider. The one exception to this is Medicare
where I do participate. You will be provided with all the
information needed to make an insurance claim. Payment for service
is expected at the time of service and fees are based on the amount
of time for that session, with the standard fee based on a 50
minute session.
Q: Will I be asked to do anything outside of therapy?
A: In many cases the answer is yes. Since you will be seen for only
a small fraction of time each week, in order to facilitate
treatment being as short as possible, “homework” is frequently
prescribed.
Q: Will the information I share in therapy be kept
confidential?
A: While there are some very specific exceptions (such as if you
were planning to hurt yourself or someone else), any other
information shared in these sessions will be shared with no one
without your specific and written approval.
Q: How long are therapy sessions?
A: Generally, they are 50 minutes.
Q: How often and for how long will I be coming for therapy?
A: This is a good question, but a difficult one to answer since
treatment progress depends on the nature of your problem and a lot
on you. Most people come once per week, at the beginning, and less
frequently afterwards. Some people need to start at twice per week.
The average number of sessions in my practice is about 20 visits,
though the range can be fairly broad.
