Does the
cost of therapy vary on the number of people seen in a session?
No. We charge the same flat fee for individual,
couples, and family therapy. Midtown Family Therapy's therapists standard fee is $95 per therapy hour.
We offer a sliding scale for those who qualify.
Should
I bring anything with me to my first session?
No. We provide the client demographic forms to clients at their
first appointment. If, however, you wish to fill out the forms prior to the first session, you may print them from
my forms link and bring them with you.
How
often should I expect to come?
This answer varies depending the nature of the issue, and if it is a short-term goal
or long-term goal that has led a person to initiate therapy. Most people come once a week, a few may
come twice a week, and others come every other week.
Do
you see clients for longer than one hour?
The typical session is an hour.
Occassionally, clients may schedule longer sessions,
due to the distance traveled to the office or due to conflicts in their schedule. Please notify the therapist if you
would like to schedule an extended session. Fees will be adjusted based on the duration of the session.
Do you accept insurance?
We currently
do not contract with insurance companies. In addition, most insurance companies typically do not cover couples and/or
family counseling (please check with your insurance company, if desired).
There are many
benefits to hiring a therapist privately and leaving the insurance industry out of the therapist-client relationship
entirely. These benefits include:
1. Confidentiality. By paying
a therapist directly, a client can insure that a third party cannot obtain their information without their knowledge.
2. Diagnosis. Insurance companies require a mental health diagnosis in order to pay
the therapist. The majority of insurance companies do NOT accept a diagnosis of couple, family or child issues, nor
do most accept 'adjustment disorder.' Thus, therapists must give a mental health diagnosis, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive
disorder, or ADHD. The disorder goes on the client's file permanently . This disorder then affects the
clients ability to obtain future insurance.
Payment
Payment is due at the time of appointment and can be paid by cash, check, or Visa/MasterCard.
An invoice
is available upon request if you would like to submit it to your insurance company to be reimbursed for out of network
sessions.
Is therapy confidential?
In general, the law protects
the confidentiality of all communications between a client and a psychotherapist. Information is not disclosed without
written permission. However, there are number of exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include:
- Suspected child abuse or dependant adult or
elder abuse. The therapist is required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately to
protect vulnerable persons.
- If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person(s). The therapist
must notify the police and inform the intended victim.
- If a client intends to harm himself or herself. The therapist will make
every effort to enlist their cooperation in insuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, further measures may be
taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.
- Please see the HIPAA Privacy Practices document for further exceptions.
