FAQs
How long and how many times a week is a typical session?
Sessions are usually 55 minutes. Most clients are seen once or twice a week in the beginning, and then, as time goes on, less frequently. However, for financial or logistic reasons, some patients choose to meet less frequently.
What is brief psychotherapy, and how long does it take?
Many patients find substantial improvement in Brief Psychotherapy of 20 sessions or less, but the ultimate duration of treatment depends on the nature of the problems and the patient's goals. Most resolve acute issues quickly, getting back to a pre "crisis" level of comfort that allows them to feel like their "regular" selves. But after that, patients may decide to work on more long standing issues that have kept them from feeling as satisfied and self actualized as they would like. They may then choose to become involved in a longer term learning process.
What if I want couples counseling, but my partner won't come?
It sometimes happens that one partner is either unavailable or unwilling to participate in counseling. This in no way rules out "couples" therapy since in my experience, it is often possible to improve the relationship even though only one person is involved in the counseling.
Do you take insurance?
Although I am not on any insurance panels, as a licensed psychologist, many insurance plans reimburse patients for my services as an "out of network" provider.
Do I need to take medications?
Whether or not to consider medication as part of your treatment will depend both on your symptoms, and your feelings about medication. Although I often find that medication can make a very big difference in expediting symptom relief, the ultimate decisions-- both about whether medication is appropriate for you and what that medication should be-- will be made in conjunction with an M.D. who specializes in dealing with this type of medicine.