FAQ

Do you take insurance?

Like many experienced therapists, I do not belong to managed care panels and resigned from them because of numerous concerns about privacy and quality of care. When I did belong, the panels often pressured me to provide too many personal details of my clients’ lives and to end treatment prematurely. I want our work to be private and the confidentiality of managed care treatment plans and insurance records cannot be guaranteed. I want us to decide when to end our work, not a for-profit corporation. I resigned from my last panel when an insurance company wanted to come to my office and review my client’s file, including the therapy notes.

I can give you a receipt for out of network reimbursement if you need one. Be aware that it will include a psychiatric diagnosis since health insurance is only for medical treatment. A diagnosis may affect future eligibility for life or disability insurance. If you cannot afford treatment without insurance, then you must balance the costs and the benefits for your particular situation

How does a psychologist differ from other therapists?

A clinical psychologist has had specialized training in graduate school for approximately 8 years and earned a PhD as well as completed a one year internship in a mental health setting. Psychologists are a select group with rigorous training requirements, including having done original research and using evidence-based techniques. We have the most stringent ethics code of the mental health professions and are not allowed to ask for testimonials or endorsements nor to make any guarantees of future outcomes for our clients. These rules are meant  to protect your confidentiality and talk about realistic outcomes.

How can I protect myself as a consumer?

Be sure that you only work with professionals who are licensed. Ask specifically which of the state licensing boards oversees their profession and when they obtained a license. A CERTIFICATE  means nothing, as do any other terms that are used as substitute words for the word license. You may decide you want to call the state board and see if any complaints have been filed against that person.

What kind of counseling do you do?

As a psychologist I have been trained in a wide variety of techniques and will use my experience to fit my approach to your needs. I have used techniques from experiential, humanistic, analytic, behavioral,cognitive, and family systems theories. In my work as a financial psychologist, I use techniques from the fields of behavioral finance, family business consulting and communication theory. Be sure and let me know what has and has not been helpful to you in the past if you have already consulted a professional.

What is financial psychology?

This is a relatively new area of practice for psychologists and is based on the field of behavioral economics as well as incorporating clinical theories and observations. How clients make money decisions, their family history and their thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to money are areas that are covered by financial psychology. Consulting with and training financial advisers is also part of my work in this area.