Frequently Asked Questions
What should I expect at the first appointment?
For your first appointment you will need to bring your insurance card so that a copy can be made. You will also need to fill out an intake packet. When you schedule your first appointment Jack will email you a copy of the intake packet so you can fill it out ahead of time. There will also be blank copies available at the office.
During your first appointment Jack will review your intake information and provide an overview of privacy and billing policies. He will answer any questions that you have about therapy, privacy or billing.
The primary focus of the first session is to establish goals for the therapy session and to discuss your reasons for starting therapy. It can end up feeling a bit like a “getting to know you” session. I would recommend that you consider what you hope to get out of our time together to help you be prepared to set some goals for session. If you are not sure, no worries, I will work with you to help you set some goals.
How much does therapy cost?
My best advice is that you call the phone number on your insurance card and ask specially about “mental health benefits”, “therapy sessions”, and “out of pocket costs”.
I will not know the specifics about your insurance coverage until I process your information for the first session. Depending on your insurance provider it can take anywhere from several days to several weeks to get that information back.
When we get feedback from your insurance company we then know how much they will cover and how much you are responsible for. As soon as I have this information I will share it with you.
How does my insurance work for therapy?
My best advice is that you call the phone number on your insurance card and ask specially about “mental health benefits”, “therapy sessions”, and “out of pocket costs”.
Your insurance company will be billed for the session at the standard price for the session. If I am in network with your insurance company then they will send information back that indicates the adjusted rate that they approve for in network providers. This means that they are discounting the cost of the session to an established price that is lower than what is billed.
After that the insurance company will pay the portion that they are responsible to cover and you will be responsible for the rest. Some people have deductible amount that they have to meet before their insurance company will cover part of the insurance. In those cases the price is still adjusted or discounted to the approved rate before you are billed.
If you have a co-pay often times that will be all you are responsible for, however every insurance plan is a little different and I cannot guaranty what your benefits will be.
How often do I need to meet for therapy?
This will vary from person to person. Many clients will meet with me weekly at first and then as they are feeling better they will start coming every other week, then monthly. Some clients after they feel they have reached most of their goals, will reach out to me as needed to schedule sessions. During our first session we can discuss how often you would like to meet.
How do my privacy rights work?
My goal is to create a safe, judgement free place where you can discuss anything that you want or need to. You have the right to privacy. In other words what is said in therapy stays between you and me. There are some exception to that, that it is important for you to know about. If I have any reason to believe that you or someone else is at risk of harm, then I have to take steps to protect whoever may be in danger. Also if anything is discussed during sessions that suggest elder abuse or child abuse I am a mandated reporter and I am obligated to report those concerns.
My promise to you is that if there is a situation in which I need to break privacy I will let you right away and if possible I will allow you to be the one to report the information.
I am a parent trying to get my child into therapy how does that work with privacy?
My goal is to create a safe, judgement free place where your child can discuss anything that they want or need to. I feel it is important for them to have a place to discuss concerns from home or school without fear that I will share that information with other adults outside of the therapy session. It can be very empowering for children to have a place where they can talk and not worry about mom and dad finding out what they want or need to say. If there is any kind of safety concern I will discuss with parents in a timely manner, the safety and well-being of your child is my top concern. During the first session I will typically ask mom or dad to join for the beginning of the session so that privacy and safety concerns can all be discussed together.
I am a parent trying to get my child into therapy how can I be involved?
There are many ways that a parent can be part of the therapeutic process. What that looks like will depend on the age of your child and what the goals are for sessions. When appropriate, I will encourage the younger clients I work with to allow family sessions where mom, dad and or siblings can be part of some of therapy. It is important to me that this is done in a way that feels comfortable for your child.
Depending on what we work out in regards to privacy expectations I most likely will not be able to tell you much about what is going on with sessions. However, I can always listen. If you have concerns feel free to email me or call me and I can listen to any concerns you may have about your child. While I will likely not be able to give you a lot of feedback, I will be able to take that information with me into the next session.
Another option is that you could schedule an appointment for you to meet with my individually or you and your spouse could meet with me together. Sometimes it can be helpful to get some support for you as the parent to discuss parenting concerns and to do some problem solving to address specific concerns. If that is something that you are interested just reach out and we can get something scheduled.