Q: Are you providing Telehealth services or In-Office services or both?
A: I provide In-Office services in Charlotte and telehealth to those outside of the greater Charlotte area.
Q: How do I know if I need therapy; is there really even a problem here?
A: You can trust your judgement. In most cases, if the problem has reached the point where you are considering getting some help, you probably need help.
Q: Can you help me with my kind of problem?
A: I have more than thirty years of full-time, post-doctoral practice. I have had broad education, training and experience and I enjoy helping people with a wide variety of problems. If your therapy needs fall outside my area of expertise, I will tell you and help you find a provider.
Q: How will I know if you are the right therapist for me?
A: You will know that I am the right provider for you if you believe that I am listening well, am attentive and focused, have compassion and warmth, have a good understanding of the problem and of your stated objectives, that the important points are being addressed, and that you are learning about yourself.
Q: What is the difference between a psychologist and a counselor or social worker?
A: What sets doctoral psychologists apart is the breadth and depth of the training which is comprised of five years of graduate school (after college). Since the clinical psychologist’s training comes from the social science of psychology and relies on the scientific method in theory and in practice, their techniques meet a robust standard of care and effectiveness.
Q: What populations do you work with and not work with?
A: I with adults. I love working with the elderly, but I have opted out of Medicare. This means that if you are 65 or older and are on Medicare, you would pay me private pay and would agree not to file a claim to Medicare.
I conduct individual psychotherapy and informal assessments to help provide directions for therapy. I do not conduct formal testing/assessment for school or court. I do not conduct marital / couples therapy or family therapy.
I do not work with actively using alcoholics or substance abusing individuals.
Q: What is Sand Tray Therapy and Why Do You Use It?
A: Sand Tray Therapy is an expressive arts therapy form in which clients use miniature figures to create a scene in the sand tray, which serves as a structured container. The inner world of the client is depicted in pictorial story-telling. It is particularly effective at helping people access complex feelings, connect with themselves, express themselves without words, and process trauma.
Q: What is Gestalt Therapy?
A: Gestalt therapy is in the grouping of Somatic therapy and existential approaches. It uses an here-and-now awareness of body sensations, perception, awareness of self in relation to the other, and our experience of self in context of the immediate environment, in order to increase one’s awareness of needs, wishes, and emotions. Clients are invited to focus on becoming more aware of themselves, especially their body, to stay present, and to process things in the here and now. Gestalt is fun, restful, and energizing!
Q: Don’t you get tired of listening to people’s problems?
A: No, I don’t get tired of listening to people and I don’t get tired of their problems. Each person’s story is unique and compelling. I feel privileged and am honored that people trust me with their thoughts and feelings.
Q: Yes, but don’t you get burned out?
A: It takes a lot of work and dedication to do my self-care and prevent burn-out. Proper sleep and rest, exercise, social life, spiritual life, hobbies/fun, continuing education/training, peer consultation, and personal therapy are necessary activities I do to take care of myself and prevent burn-out. That’s how I keep the FUN in dysfuntional!
Q: How will I know when it is time to end therapy?
A: When you have thoughts of stopping your therapy, I would like to process your decision together. I want to honor and celebrate our work together and your progress! So, please don’t skip your therapy ending!
Q: Yes, but how long is this going to take?
A: It takes a few sessions for me to get to know you, your therapy goals, areas of strength, motivation, energy, focus, and your support system, in order to gauge how long your process might take. It also depends on your stated goals. Since I conduct insight oriented therapy, and am not just offering symptom relief, I have noticed many clients achieve significant lasting change around the five month mark (of weekly therapy). This is in keeping with research which indicates that the classic length of short-term therapy is 12-20 sessions. Let’s discuss early in the process how long treatment will likely take based on the variables listed above. Then, at regular intervals, let’s discuss how it is going!
Q: Can I come back to therapy later one once I have finished?
A: You are always welcome to return to therapy in the future. I have seen many people at different points in their life in a similar way as a family physician. It is an honor and a delight to see “old” clients again!
Q: Will you recommend medication for me ?
A: As a psychologist, and not a psychiatrist (nor a Physician’s Assistant), I do not prescribe medication. However, I will conduct a complete assessment and, if you are asking or considering it, I will give my opinion as to whether I believe you might benefit from medication.
Q: Will you work with my doctor if medicine is needed?
A: If medication is needed, I am happy to provide needed information to your physician with your signed Release of Information. Please note that I do not conduct assessments for the sole purpose of helping clients obtain medication, but rather for those who are wanting to do talk therapy with me.
Q: Do you take insurance?
A: I am in network with all BlueCross products except BlueLocal. Even if you are going out of network, you probably still have mental health benefits, although you may have a higher deductible and/or higher co-insurance payment. Going to a highly skilled psychologist, even if going out of network, may be less costly overall, in terms of time, money and energy, than going to a less skilled psychotherapist who is in network.
Q: Why should I pay with private funds when I have insurance?
A: One reason that it is better to pay privately for your care is that you retain more control of your treatment. You will not have your treatment interrupted by changing jobs, changing insurance, or your employer changing their insurance.
Also, when you pay for your treatment with private funds, you retain control over your PHI (Private Health Information). When your diagnosis (and, rarely, other clinical information, if requested by your insurance) is released to your insurance company, your information may be entered into the MIB (Medical Information Bureau) which provides patient information to insurance companies about medical conditions, diagnoses, and previous treatments.
One of the most important reasons to pay with private funds is that it allows you to choose your provider. Seeking treatment, even if out of network, with a very experienced and skilled provider may turn out to be “cheaper” in terms of time, money and energy than going in network with a less skilled provider.
Q: What hours are you available?
A: I am available from 9am to 6pm Wednesday through Friday. My last session is at 5pm.
Q: Do you offer a free consultation?
A: A brief telephone consultation is offered (up to 15 minutes) in order for us to answer each other’s questions about your therapy goals, schedules, fees and location.
Q: Do you have papers I should fill out ahead of time?
A: I have a few forms and prefer to do them at the office in order to answer questions. If you are doing Telehealth, yes, the forms will be sent near the time of your first appointment. The forms are not on the web-site.
Q: Will I like you and will you like me?
A: The best way to see how well you and I might click is to meet. If you aren’t sure after the first session, you will certainly know by the end of the third session. You may not like everything I say to you, but that’s okay. Good therapy requires sometimes hearing things about ourselves that are difficult to hear. As to my liking you, there are a great many things about my clients I like and admire.
Q: What should I do if I have a complaint?
A: If you are unhappy for any reason with me, my clinical work, or my office policies/procedures, please bring it up in session. Please do NOT leave negative public, on-line reviews. Those cause permanent damage to my ability to offer services and could deter or discourage someone else who needs service from accessing service.
Q: Can I schedule a New Client appointment by email?
A: I need for you to call in order to schedule a New Client appointment. I want to speak about what sort of help you are seeking. Also, each of us will likely have questions that will need to be answered in order to know if we should take the next step and meet. Also, we will need to discuss location, schedules, and fees/payment.
Q: But what if I’m nervous about calling?
A: It’s okay to be nervous about calling. The only time nervousness or apprehension is truly a problem is if you let it stop you from taking your next step, which is to call me.
Be brave. You will be well rewarded! Here’s the number: 704-776-6438.
