FAQs About Therapy
Therapy is a valuable, confidential encounter between you and your licensed therapist, in which you have unrestricted privilege to share personal and intimate thoughts and feelings without interruption, competition, judgement, or repercussion. Your therapist will not impose his/her feelings or philosophies upon you, scold, or lecture you, neither will he/she give you uneducated, opinionated, or subjective advice. During a therapy session, your therapist will assist you in resolving or managing various life challenges, problems, issues, and burdens. This list is not all inclusive, but therapy can help you work towards short and long-term goals, learn coping skills, regulate emotions and stress, strengthen communication skills, and repair broken or build successful relationships. Therapy provides an opportunity to be open, honest, sharing, creative, and expressive of your emotions. Your therapist is an objective figure whose sole purpose is to support and assist you in reaching your unique and individualized goals that you will establish at the onset of therapy. It is important to note that for therapy to be effective and successful, you must be present (body, mind, spirit), participative, open-minded, and optimistic.
Believe it or not, I shared the same misconception several years ago. After all, I was a Grad student majoring in Counseling Psychology; I thought, why in the world would I need a therapist? With the gentle urge of my professor, I finally made an appointment to see a Counselor for grief counseling. Four months later I was still scheduling follow up appointments, for apparently I had much more ‘baggage’ to work through than just grieving the loss of my grandmother. Yes, everyone can use some therapy. If it does not help you, it certainly won’t hurt you! If you have the instinctive feeling that something isn’t quite ‘right’ with you, your interpersonal relationships, employment, daily activities, and thought processes are suddenly suffering, you may benefit from therapy. We tend to carry around much hurt, pain, disappointment, low-self-esteem, fear, feelings of underachievement, self-pity, etc. priming us for an emotional breakdown or explosion, yet we tell ourselves that we do not need help! Yes, you may think that you can handle ‘it’ yourself, but why do it alone when you can enlist the support of an unbiased professional to help fight the battles? While some rely on 30 minutes of church preaching every Sunday; this comforting band aid is just temporary as it lacks the intimacy and skills of a trained expert who views your personal problem in an objective manner, in a safe space. Once you take the first step, you will realize that therapy isn’t as “bad as you thought it was”. The fact that you are reading the FAQs is admirable, as you are finally making a decision to take control of your life; to care for and to love you first.
While the mere mention of the word therapy may immediately evoke thoughts of sitting on a couch as you relate your problems to a stranger who in turn gives you advice…, it is just a myth. Therapy is a process that is far more sophisticated. Therapeutic help at Lavi begins with a complete assessment during your initial appointment. At each session, you and your therapist will formulate therapeutic goals that you can work on during and between sessions. For therapy to be effective and for you to see or feel a change, it is imperative that you continue to work on your goals even when you are not in session. For example, if you are given homework, you need to complete it and return to therapy ready to discuss and to process. Some examples of your time spent in therapy include but is not limited to alleviating or resolving problems/issues, repairing or strengthening relationships, boosting or building self-confidence (there are a variety of techniques to do so), fostering independence, self-growth and empowerment, awakening the sub-conscious, and creating awareness. The bottom line is, this is your time to be selfish, assume responsibility for your mental and emotional well-being, and work towards the life that you desire! The most important part of therapy is that you will not be judged, ridiculed, criticized, or lied to.
The length of psychotherapy depends on your individual goals and needs. Some individuals may only need one session, while others require several months, several weeks, or even several years. Some individuals require intense therapy, while some require biweekly, monthly, or semi-annual maintenance, like your teeth or your automobile. Some individuals even adopt a personal therapist for continuing personal growth or utilize on an as-needed basis, like an attorney. A typical psychotherapy session lasts approximately 50 minutes, with 10 minutes allotted towards documentation of the encounter.
Therapists are sought out for a variety of reasons to include, but not limited to: *providing emotional support during grief and loss such as, loss of a loved one to include a pet, loss of a marriage/relationship, loss of an unborn child, loss of a job, loss of materials, jewels, and/or money, loss of limbs, hearing, or eyesight, loss of youth (ageing), loss of innocence (rape/incest), etc. *problem-solving *depression *anxiety *anger management *relationship problems to include interpersonal relationships/conflict *unresolved childhood issues *stress management *body image issues (weight, skin color, etc.) *personal growth management *self-understanding/awareness/insight *self-esteem issues/boosting self-confidence *transitioning issues (relocation adjustment) *emotional pressures *academic pressure/deficiency *infertility *eliminating unhealthy habits and destructive behavioral patterns.
Enlisting the use of medication only, therapy only, or a combination of the two is a personal choice that you will decide upon when discussing your treatment plan and treatment goals with your therapist and your primary care physician. Some individuals do not subscribe to medication for a variety of reasons, while others believe that the ‘pill’ is the only cure. While medication may be useful to speed the process of relief in some instances, such as, to promote the equilibrium of chemical imbalances in the brain that are causing some of life’s distress, there are several other organic remedies that offers similar end results. Your willpower to heal is a powerful tool. Challenge yourself, confront the origin of your pain or fear and start the healing process from that level. Most affairs of the heart cannot be addressed with medication; nevertheless, your therapist will assist you to employ the most effective means to mental well-being.
Therapy/counseling Rates for Private Pay (per 50-60 minute sessions)
Individual Counseling $150.00 - $175.00
Couples Counseling $175.00 - $200.00
Family Counseling $175.00 - $200.00
Group Counseling varies
Returned Check Fee $30.00
Missed Appointment Fee $50.00
We are credentialed with the following insurance companies: CareFirst, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Optum, Aetna, Humana, TRICARE, Cigna, and United Healthcare. Additionally, we accept debit and credit card payments via our secure client portal.
Due to the fact that everyone has a unique personality, techniques that are deemed effective for one individual may not work for another. You will know that therapy is working for you when you start to feel a change in thought, feeling, and emotion. Sometimes, it will get worse before it gets better as you may need to confront the problem/issue initially in order for the healing process to be solid and effective. Like your primary care physician, your therapist may need to get to the root of the problem. In the same manner as seeing your primary care physician or your dentist, you realize that your visits to your therapist are successful when you start to feel better physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Some of the more obvious changes that you or others may notice include: feeling energized and motivated; you may start to smile, even laugh, and perhaps sing again; you may start to feel hopeful and enjoy the company of others; you may start to appreciate the smell of delicious food, or recognize the birds flying in the air; you might begin to feel sexy again to the point where your sexual feelings and libido returns; you start to enjoy coming to therapy and anxiously anticipate your next visit.
You may not necessarily see or feel the difference; however, people around you will observe the positive change and will make positive and encouraging remarks. It is at that point, you will know that therapy is indeed working for you.
Were you aware that you have the power and the right to hire and fire your therapist? Yes, your therapist is working for you; to assist you to conquer life’s challenges that you are battling on your own. It is important that you choose a therapist with whom you feel a connection; in therapeutic terms we call it developing a rapport. By the end of your first appointment, you should be able to tell whether this therapist is the ‘right fit’ for you. Ask yourself, do you like this person, do you trust this person, and did you connect with this individual. Try not to base your decision on the therapist’s skin color, religious or political affiliation, nationality, or sex, because competency does not correlate to any of those differences. It is the presence of trust and rapport that makes it effortless to foster a relationship in which you will grow and heal. I encourage you to complete a little investigation about your therapist by visiting his/her website in order to get to know him/her a little bit. Read his/her biography thoroughly and find out his/her specialty (if any). Unfortunately there won’t be very many or no testimonials due to confidentiality; however, if you felt a positive ‘vibe’ and warm welcome after reviewing the website, you can anticipate that your face-to-face visit will more than likely turn out to be a positive and rewarding experience.
If you are given a mental health diagnosis, know that you are on the right path to healing. Like a medical doctor or dentist, you are given a diagnosis only because your therapist has identified your presenting problems and self-reported symptoms to a clinical match. Therapists utilize the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, by the American Psychiatric Association. A diagnosis warrants treatment, thus it is comforting for some folks to discover “what is wrong with me?” and “I am not “crazy”” in order to appropriately address the distress, dysfunction, and troublesome behavior. A diagnosis should not ruin your career; in fact, issues left undiagnosed and untreated, will cause you to lose your career, relationship, or even your life.
Treatment can begin once given a diagnosis; however, not every issue or problem is diagnosable. Additionally, some diagnoses are only temporary such as adjustment disorders and no longer valid once the issue has been eradicated.
Yes, your therapist abides by the American Counseling Association’s code of ethical standards, which states that in the event that information needs to be disclosed, your therapist will ensure that there is appropriate consent or sound legal or ethical justification. However, there are a few circumstances in which confidentiality can be broken. This disclosure is required to protect you or others from serious and foreseeable harm. For instance, if you disclose that you have a plan to harm yourself or someone else, your therapist is required to report this information. The other circumstance that will cause your therapist to break confidentiality is when he/she is ordered by a court to release confidential or privileged information without your permission. If that happens, your therapist will try to obtain written, informed consent from you, will take steps to prohibit the disclosure, or have it limited as narrowly as possible. Additionally, your therapist will ensure that your records and documentation stored on the computer and/or office file are kept secure, where only authorized personnel have access to them. Moreover, your therapist will take reasonable precautions to protect your confidentiality in the event of his/her termination of practice, incapacity, or death.