F.A.Q's

What do you charge?
Services may be paid for by cash, check, or credit card. Payment is expected at the time of service.

I reserve a few sliding scale spaces for those who cannot afford my standard fees, who take psychotherapy seriously and are willing to engage in the very hard work necessary to benefit from the process.  The fee that is established will be mutually agreed upon at the time of our initial consultation.

Do you accept insurance?
At the present time, I do not bill insurance companies directly. I do provide clients with a statement that includes the information most insurance companies require for reimbursement. Some insurance plans may reimburse you well for mental health services and out-of-network services while others may not. Reimbursement rates from insurance carriers vary greatly and are contingent on a number of factors. To determine your mental health benefits, contact your insurance provider by calling the customer service number listed on the back of your card.  Many of my clients are reimbursed up to 80% of the fee for service.

I do not accept Medicare.

If you plan to seek third party reimbursement, it is advised that you contact your insurance company prior to the first session and ask the following questions:

• What percentage of my bill will be paid for services obtained from an out-of-network provider?
• How many sessions will be covered per calendar year?
• What is my deductible?
• What is my co-payment?
• May I continue treatment after I have utilized the sessions allowed by my carrier per calendar year?

There are advantages to not using insurance, mainly with regard to confidentiality and privacy. Although I make every effort to protect your confidentiality, your insurance carrier is entitled to certain information about you and the reasons you are seeking psychotherapy. I believe that I work for you and not for your insurance carrier, but your decision to utilize your insurance means that they are entitled to certain information about you and your treatment.

What type of psychotherapy do you practice?
There are many models of psychotherapy and I utilize and employ several of the more significant approaches to treatment: cognitive behavioral, depth psychology, family systems and so forth. With respect to psychotherapy, as with the rest of life, one size does not fit all. I do my best to tailor the treatment to the needs of the client rather than try to fit the client to a specific treatment method. 

What about cancellations and rescheduling?
I appreciate that people have complex and hectic lives. Some of my patients travel extensively because of work and some live in other parts of the country. I make every effort to be flexible and to accommodate a client’s schedule. Because of the complexity of my schedule, I might from time to time find it necessary to change an appointment with you. Experience teaches that patients derive the most benefit from psychotherapy when they make their treatment a priority. The full fee is charged for therapy appointments missed or cancelled less than 24 hours in advance and for evaluations cancelled less than 48 hours in advance.  There will be no charge if (1) a sudden illness makes impossible for you to attend your regularly scheduled session, (2) you have an emergency, (3) driving conditions are genuinely hazardous due to inclement weather, or (4) we are able to reschedule you for a mutually agreeable alternative appointment within the same week.

I also provide the option of conducting sessions by phone or video if a client is unable to come to my office.

How long do sessions last?
Standard appointments for individual psychotherapy sessions are approximately 50 minutes. Group sessions and couples/marital/family psychotherapy sessions typically last for from 80 to 90 minutes.

How often do I attend sessions?
The benefits of individual psychotherapy are best achieved with regular appointments, one to two times per week and the benefits of group and marital or family therapy are achieved in sessions held at least once per week. Again, I tailor the treatment to the needs of the client. This means that some individuals may require sessions more frequently in the initial stages and less frequently as their situation improves. Most patients attend sessions once per week. Sometimes when patients are away, they opt for a telephone session, or if they are in town for just a few days or weeks, we have more frequent and longer sessions in the office.    

Confidentiality
As a licensed Clinical Psychologist in both South Carolina and California, I am bound by the code of ethics and confidentiality provided in the statutes of each state and by the ethical code of the American Psychological Association. The information that you provide to me will be held in the strictest confidence unless you provide written permission for me to send or share that information with other parties or if I am required by lawful subpoena to release the information. As a mandatory reporter of abuse, I may at times be required to reveal information regarding such abuse. Being a danger to yourself or others may also require me to break the confidentiality.

When you use your health care plan to pay for medical or mental health services, you give up a certain amount of confidentiality. Your insurance carrier has the legal right to know about any information in your patient record, and in fact they have the right to examine ("audit") the record itself. All insurance companies will require, at a minimum, a diagnosis and a description of the services received. Many managed care organizations require detailed information about your history and your current condition. They may ask specific questions about such things as prior treatment, alcohol and drug use, motivation and compliance. They may request this information by telephone or in writing.

All health care plans are required by law to protect the confidentiality of patient information and they all claim to do so. When I provide information to insurance carriers, I must assume that the information will be treated confidentially, but I have no control over what happens to the information after I release it to them.

How do I contact you and what about telephone calls?
While I am usually in the office during normal business hours, I cannot take calls when I am treating another client.  When I am not available, my telephone is answered by voice mail. I check for voice messages frequently.  I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it, or at least within 24 hours, with the exception of weekends and holidays. Email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.  I will not initiate email contact with you, but I will respond should you choose to email me regarding non-clinical issues such as appointment scheduling.

I do not charge for routine telephone calls to schedule or alter an appointment. If a telephone call is substantive and lasts for more than more than ten minutes I bill for ½ hour. Telephone calls lasting for more than thirty minutes are billed at my hourly rate.

In Case Of A Genuine Psychological Emergency and in the event that I am not immediately available, please leave me a message and then go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room and ask to speak with the psychiatrist on call, and/or follow your insurance carrier’s emergency procedures. I will contact you as soon as it is possible.

How do I know if I could benefit from seeing you?
Experience as well as the research on psychotherapy indicates the benefits of psychotherapy occur when the patient feels comfortable and develops a deep sense of trust in the psychotherapist. If the patient is not comfortable with the therapist, the benefits will not be realized and will result in a waste of time and money for the patient. Call (864) 232 - 1114 for a free telephone consultation to see if my services may be a good match for your needs. If I feel another provider would be a better fit, I will refer you to another competent professional.