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.
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 clients permanent file.
This disorder then affects the clients ability to obtain future insurance.
We do diagnosis
clients. However, we believe we remain ethical and give a diagnosis of couple, family and child issues and
adjustment disorder when applicable. We do not give a diagnosis just to get paid.
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.
- 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.
