Frequently Asked Questions
Will therapy work for me?
Psychotherapy can assist anyone in finding help and understanding
with the problems of everyday life. All of us at some point
in our lives find we need help and are able to reach out for
support. Some may consider reaching out a sign of weakness,
or assign another negative meaning to it. Please know that
seeking a Marriage and Family Therapist or other mental health
professional to assist with personal difficulties is a sign
of courage, and a step in the right direction in dealing with
the many challenges of life.
Psychotherapy is often referred to as the “talking
cure”. The core belief is that talking with a trained
listener and developing a nurturing, supportive relationship
with your therapist can shift how you feel about yourself.
Having hope and strength within yourself radiates out into
the rest of your world and helps you to handle the many emotional
and physical stresses that accompany our world of today. Mental
health professionals are not only skilled in listening they
are skilled in listening in a particular style that directs
their responses to get at the root of the problem.
Today there are many different theoretical and applied approaches
to the process of psychotherapy. Some approaches are more
effective than others for certain types of issues. Psychotherapists
with many years of experience usually have been trained
in several different approaches so that they are able to bring
their training and experience to bear on the problem presented
by the patient.
Where do I start in finding someone to help me?
One of the best ways to find a psychotherapist is to ask friends
or family if they have a therapist they like. You can ask your
physician or other health professionals if they have a referral
for you.
If you are going to use your medical insurance and want someone
within your network, call your insurance company and ask for
referrals.
Your employer may have an employee assistance program, which
will often pay for a several visits which can help you solve
the problem or get you headed in the right direction.
You can look through the phone book or search the Internet
and use the questions below to research the professional’s
background and experience.
I have been given several names, how do I know which person
to see?
Interview the psychotherapist briefly on the phone when you
first call and then continue the interview once you meet with
them. You may want to ask:
Are you licensed?
How long have you been practicing?
Do you specialize in a particular type of therapy?
Have you worked with people with my types of issues?
How can I pay?
Will you accept my insurance?
Do they have space available at the time you need?
If it feels like this person might be helpful, schedule an
appointment to meet. Realize that it takes several sessions
for the therapist to assess you, and for you to assess the
therapist.
Trust your intuition. Therapists should be clear about boundaries:
the rules, the limitations of the relationship, what they are
responsible for and you are responsible for. In your first
session you should feel that the therapist understands your
issues, you have goals you are working toward and you have
an idea of how you will reach those goals.
Therapists should keep the focus on you, rather than their
own issues. If you have an issue with a therapist; the therapist
should be willing and wanting to understand, should be able
to discuss it (including his or her own contribution to the
problem) in such a way that leaves you feeling understood.
Therapists should never have ANY other kind of relationship
with clients besides the therapeutic one, no business or social
relationship. Therapists are not to be romantic with, date
clients, nor engage in sexual activity with them.
Will my insurance pay for your services?
I am no longer a provider on any insurance plans,
if you want to use in-network provider I suggest you contact
your insurance company or go to their website where you can
find referrals of in-network providers. Most PPO and POS insurance
plans offer out-of-network privileges for psychotherapy services
and should pay a portion of my services. Please check with
your insurance company to verify coverage for outpatient mental
health services by out-of-network licensed Marriage &
Family Therapists.
I will provide a statement of services at the end of each
month, which can be submitted to your insurance company for
reimbursement and in some cases I will bill the insurance
company directly for their portion of payment.
How do I pay and how can I make my
insurance work for therapy?
How you will pay for treatment is a big consideration. Insurance
and mental health benefits are more complicated today and
to be sure you should call your health plan and ask them to
explain your coverage. I will try and give an overview, what
follows is a key to the terms you should know when using your
insurance.
In-Network: using the providers that have a contract with
the insurance plan.
Out-of-Network: using providers that are not part of the plan.
Some insurance plans will offer you out of network coverage
others do not, when you call to verify your benefits ask for
your coverage in-network as well as out-of-network.
Insurance companies offer various plans: PPO, POS, & HMO
and others. PPO & POS are similar; Preferred Providers & Point
of Service plans give you options to use the doctors in the
plans network and pay reduced co-pay or to go outside of the
network and use any professional of your choice at a higher
co-pay. You may also have a deductible to meet that may be
waived if you stayed within network.
HMO’s – Health Maintenance Organizations. These
plans usually do not offer out-of-network benefits and the
providers on their lists or panels have agreed to accept payment
as defined by the organization and cannot bill you for anything
beyond that agreed-upon payment. HMO’s usually have a
primary care physician who manages your health care services
and all referrals to specialists.
Managed Care – these are companies that Mental Health
care companies have formed to reduce insurance cost and/or
usage. They have their own panel of providers and reviewers
who work with your insurance company. They are the “middle
man” who regulates whether treatment should be provided
and for how long. They primarily operate within the framework
of “medical necessity”. This is based upon a short-term
therapy model with an average treatment lasting 1 – 8
sessions.
To utilize your insurance benefits, a mental health diagnosis
must be made. In some cases a manager will oversee your account
and approve sessions based upon the information submitted by
your therapist. It is the program -- not always the therapist
-- that dictates the treatment when using these kinds of benefits.
Fee for Service: You pay the psychotherapist directly for
their services. Some therapists have a sliding fee scale or
will negotiate their fee. Out of ethical standards, therapists
are not allowed to barter for their services. Fee for service
is the only way to have therapy and maintain the most amount
of confidentiality since there are no insurance forms submitted
to insurance companies there is no exchange of personal information
What if I can’t afford to pay for
therapy?
Many community mental health centers offer 'sliding-scale'
fees: prices based on your income or ability to pay. Other
advantages to these places may include broader on-site resources.
They often have different types of in-house therapists and
programs for other members of your family. Therapists are in
training and supervised by a licensed therapist. Clinics might
be part of government-funded mental health programs, graduate
degree programs in psychology, or they may be part of a particular
type of treatment and be a training institute.
What are all the different initials after
therapist’s
names (M.D., Ph.D., L.C.S.W., M.F.T)?
Psychiatrists (M.D.) are medical doctors and are the only
ones who can prescribe medication. After completing their residency
training, most psychiatrists take a voluntary examination given
by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology to become
a "board certified" psychiatrist. To check on complaints
and licensure www.medbd.ca.gov/Lookup.htm
Psychologists (Ph.D.) have
a doctorate in psychology, have completed an internship and
are licensed by the state to practice. Psychologists are trained
and licensed to administer psychological testing while Master’s
level degree holders are not. Visit www.psychboard.ca.gov to
check on license status of psychologists.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
(L.C.S.W.) have generally
completed a two-year Master's degree in social work. These
counselors have some amount of supervised clinical training
and are licensed in their state. In California check www.bbs.ca.gov
Marriage, Family Therapists (MFT
or LMFT) have completed a
Master’s degree in psychology or counseling psychology.
They have completed an internship and are licensed by the state
to treat clients. To check license status: www.bbs.ca.gov
You might find that Social Workers and Marriage, Family Therapists
have completed Ph.D. programs and continue to work under their
Social Work or Family Therapy licenses. |