| |
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Answers:
1.
What services do you provide?
Individual Counseling
I work with my clients to accurately assess the level
of care and focus of treatment they need. I tend to be very active
in the process of connecting with my clients and I help them find
and implement solutions to their problems. For specific issues,
I provide short-term therapy. In these situations, I work as effectively
as possible to help my clients quickly build the strategies and
tools to resolve their difficulties. However, some persons have
deeper, more complex issues in their lives that require longer-term
therapy. In these instances, I help my clients gain insight into
the reasons behind their conditions, create a safe environment
to talk about their issues, and help them to incorporate solutions
and transform their lives in a healthier way. My Approach tends
to be very active, collaborative, supportive, and solution focused.
I believe that people have the capacity to heal themselves and
that my role is to help create conditions for the person to succeed
in their endeavor.
Relationship Counseling
It is quite common for people to care very deeply for
one another and want the relationship to succeed, but they keep
finding themselves returning to the same blocks that keep them
from achieving this. I help couples identify the factors that
are keeping them stuck, teach them more effective relationship
and communication skills, and work on helping them to regain what
initially brought them together. Areas that I will assist couples
with include:
- Regain and enhance the
bond, respect, and affection in the relationship
- Improve communication and
conflict resolution skills to help you more effectively work
through the problems you keep facing
- Help the relationship to
heal and grow, while increasing your overall satisfaction and
love you feel for one another
Group Therapy
In group therapy, you have the opportunity to share support,
feedback, and personal connections with others in a safe environment.
These conditions can help you increase your self-awareness and
provide opportunities to practice what you would like to change
in your life. Group therapy gives you the opportunity to try out
new behaviors, to express thoughts and feelings, to assert yourself
in healthier ways, and to experiment with new ideas. Over time,
as you experience trust and security in the group, you may feel
freer to take risks to overcome your obstacles, which can lead
to a more fulfilling life.
Clinical Supervision
I have coordinated and developed clinical training programs
as well as taught classes and workshops on clinical supervision.
I have a developmental approach to clinical supervision, working
with the supervised clinician at his or her particular level of
needs and experience. I find clinical supervision to be a very
rewarding and exciting experience for my supervisees and myself.
Workshops, classes,
and consultation
One of the roles that I thoroughly enjoy as a psychologist
is that of teacher and mentor. I have received consistent positive
feedback on the quality of my workshops and classes. Some of these
include:
- Trauma: Conceptualization
and Treatment
- Understanding Sexual Assault
and Abuse
- Clinical Supervision
- Ethics
- Stress and Time Management
- Sleep Disorders
[Back
to Top]
2.
What are your areas of special interests?
Trauma, Abuse, Assault,
and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
It is quite common for many of the problem issues in peoples’
lives (depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, chaotic relationships,
substance abuse, impulsivity, etc.) to be the result of traumatic
experiences earlier in their lives. Many of these issues are either
reactions to the trauma or attempts to cope with or avoid the
trauma. My treatment focuses on helping the person regain a sense
of power and safety, increase and improve coping strategies, and
reduce the emotional trauma from the memory. Please see my links
to trauma and its treatment.
Sleep Disorders
Millions of persons in the United State report having significantly
disrupted sleep that impacts their health and quality of life.
Many life events, psychological issues, and sleep habits can result
in insomnia. It’s quite common for disordered sleep to cause
psychological problems, as well as, psychological problems to
cause sleep disturbances. I treat primary insomnia, assist people
with coping and managing symptoms of secondary insomnia (insomnia
primarily due to medical conditions), as well as assisting in
the assessment of sleep disorders. You can take an on-line test
to help determine if you may have a sleep disorder. Please see
my links to sleep disorders and its treatment.
Relationship problems
It is common for relationship problems to worsen because couples
wait too much damage occurs. I find that counseling can significantly
improve the chances of partners working through their obstacles,
strengthening their bonds, and getting their relationship back
on track. Couples experiencing constant fighting or a lack of
communication and trust should consider becoming involved in relationship
counseling soon to keep problems from getting progressively worse.
Working in therapy will offer a way to release your stress, to
share your frustrations, and to resolve your conflict in a healthier
manner. I help partners to build skills and understanding so that
they can learn to listen to each other more effectively, resolve
differences, and approach the relationship as a partnership.
Men’s Issues
There are particular issues that are gender related; additionally
some men prefer to work with male therapists. It is common for
men in our culture to feel a great deal of stress in their lives,
emotionally disconnected, misunderstood, pressured to be a “particular”
way, and to always be in “control.” In working with
male clients, I create an atmosphere where men can be themselves,
build life skills, reduce and mange stress, and work on feeling
more connected to the important persons in their lives.
Adolescents
My goal is to help adolescents identify patterns of thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors that are related to current difficulties
and help them replace these with more effective strategies. Because
adolescents are usually not self-referred for therapy, often much
of the early work is focused on establishing a trusting relationship
and helping them understand how they can personally benefit from
our meetings. I also work with parents on understanding their
child’s behavior as well as teaching them more effective
coping strategies and parenting skills to help them assist their
child.
Various Emotional
Difficulties
Depression – Depression includes
such symptoms as pessimism, discouragement, low self-esteem, suicidal
thoughts/behaviors, guilt, irritability, insomnia, abnormal eating,
a sense of failure, low energy, and feeling overwhelmed.
Anxiety – Anxiety includes such
symptoms as tension, worry, self-consciousness, shame, panics,
phobias, stress, and exhaustion. Sometimes anxiety is not experienced
directly but manifested through symptoms such as addictions, insomnia,
obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or medical problems.
Stress – Stress is an overactive
nervous system which causes fatigue, depression, anxiety and other
mental and physical symptoms and exacerbates many psychological
and physical disorders.
Shame – Shame is experienced as
unworthiness, inadequacy, or badness. Shame undermines confidence,
self-esteem, and self-assertion. It leads people to being controlled
by others, sabotaging success, feeling anxiety, and being overly
self-consciousness.
Anger – Anger involves outbursts
that frighten or harm others and destroy relationships; these
seething resentments that adversely affects health as well as
relationships.
[Back
to Top]
3.
What can you expect working in therapy with me?
Sometimes it isn't easy knowing
when you need to work with a psychologist or to continue trying
to make things better on your own. In general, I have experienced
a high level of success with the persons who participate in therapy
with me. People choose therapy for various reasons. Some persons
participate in therapy to resolve the level of distress in their
lives, some for personal growth, and others to build on specific
skills.
There are many factors that
determine the effectiveness of therapy. Some of the biggest factors
are your level of commitment and the issues you hope to change.
I know that the clients who are active and productive in therapy
and who actively apply what they learn outside of our sessions
make considerable progress. Therapy is not for all problems and
not all people are at the point where therapy can be effective.
I will honestly appraise your situation and provide feedback that
I feel is in your best interest.
I would be glad to talk briefly
over the phone or communicate through email to help you determine
if I can help or refer you to a person who I think can be of assistance.
If you decide to meet with me, we will periodically assess your
progress to make sure that therapy is effective for you.
[Back
to Top]
4.
How long will it take before I get better?
The answer to this varies
from person to person, but I believe that the majority of clients
experience some improvement and relief relatively soon after the
first few session. For some people, being able to talk about their
problems in a supportive environment is very helpful, for others
it is helping them regain hope, and for others it may be learning
more skills. It’s not uncommon for people to come to therapy
and hope for quick relief. Solving some specific life problem
may only take a few sessions, but other problems are more complex
and deep-seated. These problems require more time and practice
to resolve. In general, the more complex your problems and the
higher your aspirations, the longer therapy takes. I focus on
being efficient and effective with therapy so that my clients
can gain relief, heal, and grow as quickly as possible.
[Back
to Top]
5.
How long does therapy take?
There is no easy answer to
this question because personal and psychological needs vary from
individual to individual. I work to be as effective as possible
in therapy in order to help you improve your life in a timely
manner. In general, short-term therapy (between 4 and 10 sessions)
is typically best-suited to individuals who have very specific
goals and needs, such as overcoming a certain phobia or giving
up unwanted "habits" such as smoking, overeating, etc.
With these situations, I tend to be more educative and directive,
working with you to cultivate goal-oriented patterns and behaviors.
Some more complex issues may
require longer-term therapy. Typically, the longer the duration
and the more debilitating the issues, the more therapy and personal
work will be needed resolution and healing. In addition, long-term
therapy is particularly well-suited to addressing pervasive feelings
of dissatisfaction, histories of trauma, ingrained behavioral
patterns, and more complex psychological disorders. During your
initial visit and ensuing sessions, we will work together to determine
the probable length of treatment needed to meet your goals.
[Back
to Top]
6.
What are your hours and where is your practice?
I see clients every Monday,
some Fridays, and in some evenings. I work in a comfortable and
private office setting near downtown Eagle. The office is sound
proofed in order to protect your confidentiality. The address
is 136 S. Academy Ave. in Eagle (just off State St. by Eagle Academy).
Please click on the link for directions.
[Back
to Top]
7.
How long are the sessions and how often do you see your clients?
Initial sessions and assessments
typically take about 50 minutes, but may take longer depending
on the complexity of issues and need for care. Individual and
relationship counseling sessions typically last 50 minutes. Group
therapy is scheduled for 90 minute sessions. The duration and
frequency of therapy depends on your particular circumstances/problems
as well as how quickly you heal, grow, and meet your goals. I
tend to initially work with clients on a weekly basis. As improvement
is made, the sessions are oftentimes extended to every other week
to once a month. The time between subsequent sessions are adjusted
accordingly to the client’s level of need and improvement.
[Back
to Top]
8.
What are your fees?
- Initial Evaluation and
Assessment - $180: 50 minutes
- Individual Therapy - $120: 50 minutes
- Individual Therapy - $180: 60-90 minutes
- Relationship and Family Therapy - $160: 50 minutes
- Clinical Supervision and
Consultation - $100: 60 minutes
- Group Therapy - $50 per
participant for and one and a half hours
- Cancellations in less than
24 hours and missing appointments – are charged directly
to the individual
If you are interested in working
with me but my fees are beyond your means, you may call me and
tell me your situation. I reserve a limited number of appointments
for reduced-fee clients, and I will do my best to work out something
if I have space in my schedule. If not, I will do what I can to
make a referral to a person or agency that can assist you.
[Back
to Top]
9.
What should I know about insurance and payments?
As a licensed psychologist,
I am a qualified provider for many insurance carriers. Please
contact me directly or click here to see the list of insurance
companies that accept me as a provider of services. I encourage
you review your insurance plan to understand the various requirements
and limits of your insurance (co-payments, session limits, diagnostic
requirements, etc.). At the time of treatment, you are responsible
for full payment until you reach your deductible and responsible
for your co-payment thereafter. Co-payments tend to vary between
$20 and $40 per session. Special arrangements can be made for
individuals who are experiencing financial hardship. Please do
not hesitate to bring this issue to me.
[Back
to Top]
10.
What if I don't have or don’t want to use my insurance?
I am flexible in working with
persons who are unable to use or wish not to use their insurance.
Payment plans and potential discounts can be made on an individual
basis. I would be more than happy to discuss various options with
you.
[Back
to Top] |
|
