Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I should seek the support of a mental health professional?

Counseling can provide a supportive, objective, and non-judgmental place for you to discuss your symptoms and concerns and receive educated feedback, resources, and options for living your life to its fullest.  If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of  anxiety  or depression  related to a traumatic experience or current life stressor, a counselor may be able to assist.  Counselors are also able to assist with guiding you in the area of personal growth and development.  If you would like to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone, maybe that means getting a new job, going back to school, or ending an unhealthy relationship, a counselor can work with you to identify the obstacles getting in the way of your success and help you move forward.
As you can see, counseling is a personal choice and different people decide to attend at different times for different reasons.  Most counselors offer a consultation to talk about your concerns and see if they will be the best fit to work with you.  It is at this time that you can ask questions to confirm whether it would be beneficial for you to work with a counselor.  

What can I expect at a first counseling session?

While each counselor may have their own unique approach to counseling, first sessions are generally similar across the board and usually consist of completing intake paperwork including a consent form, and completion of a questionnaire discussing your personal history, current symptoms, previous treatment, and how you might like counseling to be helpful.  During the session these forms are usually discussed so the counselor can gather information and therapy goals can begin to be formulated.
I believe that the first session is an important opportunity for client and counselor to meet and assess whether they will be the best team to accomplish your goals.  Since counseling is a personal and financial investment, it is important that you choose a counselor you are comfortable with who has the skill set best equipped to help you with your areas of concern; you are entitled to ask questions to make this determination.

How long does counseling take?

This depends on each individual, however I will speak here in generalities to give an average.  At the onset of treatment, clients generally attend session once a week for a 50- minute session.  It is possible to meet bi-weekly, or once a month for shorter or longer sessions based on client symptoms and the goals hoping to be achieved.  
The other part to this question is length of treatment.  Most counselors, like you, would like to assist you in reaching your goals in the shortest amount of time possible with long term results.  With this being said, for some, this may be in 6-12 sessions, for others with more chronic issues, this may take longer.  This is an important topic that can be discussed at the intial session.  Once your counselor has an idea of your symptoms and goals h/she can better assess the frequency of sessions and length of treatment.

Why do some mental health practitioners choose not to accept managed care (insurance) reimbursement for mental health services and some individuals choose to pay out of pocket for mental health services instead of using their insurance?

1. Lack of confidentiality:

• All managed care plans involve direct clinical management by the plan's case managers.  This makes it necessary for a therapist to disclose anything and everything related to your case to them.
• This information is used by the managed care plan for alloacting and determining benefits and benefits determination for future plans and is strored in a computer data base.
• The FBI and law enforcement officials can access your insurance information--could be problematic should a legal matter arise.
• This lack of confidentiality could impact the ablility to get or apply for jobs, especially with the military and law enforcement.

2.  Difficulty getting treatment authorized:

• Obtaining authorizations for sessions is cumbersome and time consuming for therapists and clients.
• Some authorizations may be denied.
• Managed care plans only allow for a certain number of sessions to be used in a calendar year and many times only authorize 3 sessions at a time, making people wait long periods between appointments.
• Some managed care plans will dictate what type of treatment can be used -- this can be anti-therapeutic or not what the client wants to work on or talk about in their therapy.
• Some plans will terminate treatment despite the fact that the patient may still be in distress or that the issues have not been adequately resolved.

3.  Mis-diagnosing and/or over-diagnosing in order to get treatment authorized:

• Some managed care plans will not cover treatment unless it is a medical necessity -- meaning that clients have to pretend to be sick or worse off than they really are.
• Most managed care plans do not cover marriage counseling, family counseling, adjustment counseling or career counseling.
• Often insurance companies require the therapist to make a diagnosis after the first 45 minute session -- this may not be a sufficient amount of time to make an accurate diagnosis and puts the client and therapist in a negative situation.
• Clients should not be given a mental illness diagnosis that is incorrect or more serious than what is true simply to get treatment paid by the managed care plan

Are there questions you are wondering about that aren't answered here?  I would be happy to answer any additional questions regarding counseling and my practice. 

         
           Please contact me at 407-242-9400 for more information.