These are just a brief list of commonly asked questions. Don’t see your question listed? Feel free to contact us!

I’m new to therapy. What does starting therapy look like?

Therapy starts where you’re at. In your first appointment, your therapist will ask some questions to get to know you and see how to best help you. Goals are created collaboratively and your therapist may check in periodically to see how progress is going. Ultimately, therapy is your time and it’s important that you are able to benefit from it.

Don’t know what kind of goal you have in therapy? There’s a variety of uses for therapy - whether having witness to your experiences to learning tools to manage a significant event or daily life better.

How can therapy help me?

A number of benefits are available from participating in therapy. Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, unresolved childhood issues, grief, stress management, body image issues and creative blocks. Many people also find that counselors can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the hassles of daily life. Therapists can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. The benefits you obtain from therapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn. Some of the benefits available from therapy include:

• Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values

• Developing skills for improving your relationships

• Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy

• Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety

• Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures

• Improving communications and listening skills

• Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones

• Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage

• Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence
  

What is therapy like?

Because each person has different issues and goals for therapy, therapy will be different depending on the individual.  In general, you can expect to discuss the current events happening in your life, your personal history relevant to your issue, and report progress (or any new insights gained) from the previous therapy session.  Depending on your specific needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or your desire for more personal development. Either way, it is most common to schedule regular sessions with your therapist. It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process.  The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life.  Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, your therapist may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process - such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.

Are sessions confidential?

Yes! Sessions are confidential, meaning your therapist won’t share anything from appointments with others.

Since your therapist is a mandated reporter, exceptions to confidentiality are:

• court order

• safety-related: suspicion of harm to self or others, elder abuse, dependent adult abuse, or child abuse

Do you provide in-person and/or virtual sessions?

Yes! We provide both in-person and virtual therapy. Our office is located in Wake Forest, NC and is on the transit line if needed. If someone chooses the virtual option understand we are using a secure HIPAA compliant platform. All you need is a phone, tablet, or computer; a confidential space; and stable internet access.

Do you accept insurance?

We are an in-network provider for health plans of United Health Care and Oscar Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Aetna, and Oxford, Medicaid (Healthy Blue, Wellcare, and Carolina Complete Health), and some Medicare. Otherwise, we are are considered an “out of network” provider and can provide a monthly superbill for services. Many insurance plans provide coverage for out-of-network mental health services. Please contact your insurance company to see what deductible or percentage of reimbursement is allowed.

Questions to ask your insurance:
a. Do I have out-of-network benefits for my policy?
b. Do I have a mental or behavioral health policy that covers out-of-network benefits?
c. How do I use my out-of-network benefits?
d. Do I need a prior authorization before I begin seeing my provider?
e. Do I have an out-of-network deductible? If so, what is it and how do I meet the deductible?

What’s a superbill? What do I do with it?
A superbill is an invoice your therapist provides you when they are not in network with your insurance panel. This invoice has information such as dates of sessions, a diagnosis code, and other personal information such as your date of birth and address.

Once you have a superbill and have clarified your insurance coverage, you can submit this to your insurance for reimbursement. The timeframe and percentage of reimbursement depends upon your policy and coverage.