FAQs
Therapy is an investment in your mental health. There is only one you and you deserve to live your life to its fullest potential. Here are some FAQs.
Q. Do you take insurance?
A. I do but I think we need to take a closer look at what it means to utilize insurance for mental health services. Using insurance means I’ve got to diagnose you with a disorder that goes on your insurance record, something that stays with you for as long as you have that insurance and quite possibility even after you change insurances. In certain situations and job opportunities, that can negatively impact you. Although HIPAA laws requires information to be keep confidential, in this day and age of cyber-attacks, it’s not 100% guaranteed that your information will not be compromised. Take for example, the 2024 cyber attack on UnitedHealth Group. In addition, using insurance limits sessions and length of sessions which can impact the quality of therapy. For EMDR therapy, a typical session is 90 minutes but insurance only allows 38-55 minutes per session. For OCD treatment, typical sessions are 90 minutes 2/week which is severely limited when using insurance.
If you choose to use your out of network benefits, I’ve partnered with a company to work with you so that you can recoup the cost of therapy based on your out of network benefits without the hassle. Or you can choose to do it on your own.
I’m considered a non-network authorized Tricare provider and I take Carefirst BCBS Insurance in Maryland.
Q. How long are sessions?
A. Generally sessions are 45-55 minutes unless determined otherwise for OCD Treatment or EMDR Therapy
Q. How long does therapy last?
A. It’s hard to determine how long therapy will last because it’s really dependent on you. You determine the goals you want to work on and the amount of work you put in towards reaching the goals. Initially therapy starts with once a week sessions, which means out of the 168 hours in a week, you’re seeing me less than an hour. So that time outside of sessions is where the majority of practicing new skills takes place. This can be 6 months or longer.
Q. What are your rates?
A. My rates are $150-200 per session. If you are paying out of pocket and choose not to use insurance, I will provide you a Good Faith Estimate (GFE).
A Good Faith Estimate describes how much therapy will cost but because therapy is unique to each individual, I’m unable to provide you with an exact number. I can provide you a GFE that will include the cost of you attending 6 sessions.
Q. What’s the first session look like?
A. In the first session, I’ll ask you questions about your life, from what’s not going well now to information about your childhood, family, friends, etc. This is done to get that diagnosis that insurance requires and some history to see if anything has contributed to your struggles. You can tell me as much or as little as you want. It’s up to you.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to me.