FAQs

What happens during the initial phone consultation?

It is not easy to reach out for help. You may not know exactly what you need at this time and that is okay. The consultation is complimentary and will give you an opportunity to briefly discuss what is happening in in your life that makes you want to come to therapy now. It also provides you with a chance to ask questions and to decide if you would like to work with us. Phone consultations are fifteen minutes long and require you to be in a private space where you can speak freely and comfortably.

I’ve never gone to therapy before. What is the first session going to be like?

Your therapist will greet you, talk to you about general guidelines and expectations, and check in with how you are feeling today. You can expect to discuss the issues or situations that have brought you to seek therapy at this time, your background, and any experience that may be relevant to what you would like to focus on. The intake forms are a guide for your therapist. This session will give you an opportunity to get to know your therapist’s style and approach and to make sure this feels like a good fit to you. The intake session lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

How frequently will we meet and how long do sessions last?

Your therapist will partner with you to determine the appropriate frequency of sessions. During the first month of work together we strongly suggest weekly appointments. After that a typical session lasts for 45 minutes.We use many different modalities in our work and enjoy providing clients with a wealth of tools and resources of all types. See the links below and check our resource and blog pages to learn more.

What are the benefits of privately paying for psychotherapy vs using insurance?

When you pay privately for psychotherapy you are not at risk for having an unnecessary medical diagnostic on your medical records. Insurance companies operate on a medical model that requires a diagnostic code. In order to be reimbursed for our work we are required to provide a diagnostic that may or not may not accurately reflect what you are experiencing. Once this diagnostic code becomes part of your medical record it may negatively impact you in the future when you want to get life insurance or seek/maintain employment in any sector where your decision making may be called into question due to your emotional state. When you pay privately for psychotherapy your treatment plan and case notes are confidential and not subject to audits by insurance providers.

Therapy is so expensive. How do I know that I am being charged reasonable rates?

We consider several factors when determining our rates and focus on being able to provide our clients with high quality care. We invest heavily in ongoing training and education in addition to other business expenses to ensure that our clients get the best treatment. If you would like compare our rates to the current market rates in the area we encourage you to do so. Go to the Healthcare blue book website (https://www.healthcarebluebook.com/) and scroll down to the free search tool under the resources section. Use the zip code 22182 and enter code 90791 to search for rates for intake sessions and 90834 to search for rates for individual 45 minute psychotherapy sessions.

Is my therapist going to diagnose me with a mental health disorder?

Not necessarily. Your therapist will view you as a whole person and will consider the context of your life. You may be experiencing relationship issues, developmental or attachment trauma, spiritual or existential issues, a life transition, or be coming to therapy seeking self improvement. Your therapist will not assume that you have a mental health disorder. If you are experiencing symptoms that align with a particular disorder your therapist will recognize this and discuss it with you. Your therapist will partner with you to determine the best course of action for treatment including using therapeutic techniques and providing you with tools based on current research.