If you or a loved one are looking for a therapist, take the time you need to make an
informed decision. Because therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy,
it is essential that you feel confident about the therapist you select. Ask friends, relatives,
or your primary care doctor for recommendations. Once with a professional, be sure to
have all of your questions answered before entering a therapeutic relationship. As in any
profession, there is a wide range of psychotherapists in practice. While most are
competent and ethical, some are not.
Types of Therapists:
There are a variety of professionals who offer psychotherapy with varying levels of
training. Marriage and Family Therapists (M.F.T.) and Clinical Social Workers (C.S.W.)
have Master’s degrees and a more restricted range of practice than psychologists, who
have doctoral degrees (Ph.D., Psy.D, or Ed.D). Psychiatrists (M.D.) are trained to
prescribe medication. All therapists practicing independently should be licensed. You
can verify licenses at the following agencies:
Characteristics Most People Look For When Selecting a Therapist:
rights, etc. Read the informed consent contract carefully and ask any
questions you may have before you sign.
13. When therapy has not yielded significant results for a long time, neither
Managed care or fee-for-service?
When seeking psychotherapy, many people are confronted with the decision of whether
to go through their insurance company to seek reimbursement for fees.
It is my general practice not to work directly with insurance companies. To protect my
clients’ privacy, I do not submit insurance claims for my services and I do not belong to
any insurance panels. The main reason why I decline insurance in my practice involves
my commitment to keeping session content completely confidential. In order for my
clients to benefit fully from therapy, I believe they must feel secure in knowing that what is
revealed in session is held in strict confidence in perpetuity. However, managed care
companies require personal and sensitive information about clients to be disclosed to
insurance personnel, most of whom are not medically qualified, to get authorization for
sessions.
Going through managed care poses constraints on psychotherapy in that the length,
type, and quality of treatment are compromised. By offering client-driven services on a
fee-for-service basis, treatment in my practice remains in the control of the professional
and the client, and it allows the freedom for me to work according to your actual needs.
Self-pay gives you more control over your therapy without concern about limits of
treatment or the need for authorizations for treatment.
Ideologically, my focus in my work is in stark contrast to the philosophy of managed care.
Insurance companies require an overemphasis on pathology and diagnosis rather than
a focus on health and connection. Managed care obligates clinicians to label everyone
who walks in the office with a diagnosis in order to get reimbursed. This is not the way I
choose to conceptualize clients or view treatment needs.
Furthermore, insurance panels are formed based on selecting providers who are willing
to accept lower fees and not because they provide the highest level of care or possess a
certain level of skill. You have less control in selecting a psychologist who would best
meet your needs.
However, not all managed care companies are the same. Find out the facts and make
an informed decision. Consider paying out of pocket for your psychotherapy as this
option best assures that what you discuss in therapy remains private and keeps you and
your doctor in control of your treatment. If you would like your insurance company to partly
pay for a therapist, I recommend that you inquire whether you would be able to submit
claims to your insurance company yourself using the statements I provide to you. This will
depend on whether you have an HMO or PPO plan.
Questions to ask your insurance provider:
Be sure to calculate whether it would be more economical to see a therapist in-network
or out-of-network. Considering the benefits of private treatment, it may be worth it to you
to pay more out of pocket. Sometimes it can even cost less to see a therapist privately
on a sliding scale than to go through insurance.
Whatever your decision, I would be happy to help you in whatever way I can, whether this
be by providing therapy on a fee-for-service basis, providing you with monthly
statements to submit to your insurance company, or by helping you find a preferred
provider within your insurance plan.
For more information on managed care abuses, visit the National Coalition of Mental
Health Providers and Consumers at www.thenationalcoalition.org or feel free to ask me
for additional information.
informed decision. Because therapy involves a commitment of time, money, and energy,
it is essential that you feel confident about the therapist you select. Ask friends, relatives,
or your primary care doctor for recommendations. Once with a professional, be sure to
have all of your questions answered before entering a therapeutic relationship. As in any
profession, there is a wide range of psychotherapists in practice. While most are
competent and ethical, some are not.
Types of Therapists:
There are a variety of professionals who offer psychotherapy with varying levels of
training. Marriage and Family Therapists (M.F.T.) and Clinical Social Workers (C.S.W.)
have Master’s degrees and a more restricted range of practice than psychologists, who
have doctoral degrees (Ph.D., Psy.D, or Ed.D). Psychiatrists (M.D.) are trained to
prescribe medication. All therapists practicing independently should be licensed. You
can verify licenses at the following agencies:
- Board of Psychology: www.psychboard.ca.gov or call (916) 263-2382 to verify a
- Medical Board: www.medbd.ca.gov or call (916) 263-2382 to verify a license of a
- Board of Behavioral Sciences: www.bbs.ca.gov or call (916) 445-4933 to verify
Characteristics Most People Look For When Selecting a Therapist:
- 1. Seems warm and accepting, but maintains clear and healthy boundaries.
2. Is emotionally healthy; does not seem anxious, depressed, or arrogant.
3. Is respectful and not condescending, belittling, or demeaning.
4. Seems professional, competent, and knowledgeable.
5. Accepts that clients are entitled to shop around for a therapist before they
commit.
6. Is willing to talk to you on the phone so you can interview them thoroughly,
- 7. Accepts that consultations or second opinions may be helpful during the course
of therapy.
8. Lets you explain your problems and does not try to prematurely fit you into a
- 9. Is active and engaged, answers most questions, does not avoid discussion,
and can engage in ongoing dialogue and an authentic relationship.
- assessment of what is helpful and what is not in the course of therapy and
remains flexible.
- specific problems and does not impose only one approach on all clients.
rights, etc. Read the informed consent contract carefully and ask any
questions you may have before you sign.
13. When therapy has not yielded significant results for a long time, neither
- blames you nor continues to take your money.
Managed care or fee-for-service?
When seeking psychotherapy, many people are confronted with the decision of whether
to go through their insurance company to seek reimbursement for fees.
It is my general practice not to work directly with insurance companies. To protect my
clients’ privacy, I do not submit insurance claims for my services and I do not belong to
any insurance panels. The main reason why I decline insurance in my practice involves
my commitment to keeping session content completely confidential. In order for my
clients to benefit fully from therapy, I believe they must feel secure in knowing that what is
revealed in session is held in strict confidence in perpetuity. However, managed care
companies require personal and sensitive information about clients to be disclosed to
insurance personnel, most of whom are not medically qualified, to get authorization for
sessions.
Going through managed care poses constraints on psychotherapy in that the length,
type, and quality of treatment are compromised. By offering client-driven services on a
fee-for-service basis, treatment in my practice remains in the control of the professional
and the client, and it allows the freedom for me to work according to your actual needs.
Self-pay gives you more control over your therapy without concern about limits of
treatment or the need for authorizations for treatment.
Ideologically, my focus in my work is in stark contrast to the philosophy of managed care.
Insurance companies require an overemphasis on pathology and diagnosis rather than
a focus on health and connection. Managed care obligates clinicians to label everyone
who walks in the office with a diagnosis in order to get reimbursed. This is not the way I
choose to conceptualize clients or view treatment needs.
Furthermore, insurance panels are formed based on selecting providers who are willing
to accept lower fees and not because they provide the highest level of care or possess a
certain level of skill. You have less control in selecting a psychologist who would best
meet your needs.
However, not all managed care companies are the same. Find out the facts and make
an informed decision. Consider paying out of pocket for your psychotherapy as this
option best assures that what you discuss in therapy remains private and keeps you and
your doctor in control of your treatment. If you would like your insurance company to partly
pay for a therapist, I recommend that you inquire whether you would be able to submit
claims to your insurance company yourself using the statements I provide to you. This will
depend on whether you have an HMO or PPO plan.
Questions to ask your insurance provider:
- 1. What is my coverage for mental health services, specifically CPT code 90806
(Outpatient Individual Psychotherapy)?
2. What is the difference in reimbursement for mental health services from an in-
- 3. How do I look up a list of the in-network providers on my panel?
4. Will a percentage of the fee be reimbursed OR do I have a set co-pay OR is
there a contracted dollar amount that is covered by insurance such that I am
responsible for the remainder the fee regardless of how much it is?
5. How many sessions are covered?
Be sure to calculate whether it would be more economical to see a therapist in-network
or out-of-network. Considering the benefits of private treatment, it may be worth it to you
to pay more out of pocket. Sometimes it can even cost less to see a therapist privately
on a sliding scale than to go through insurance.
Whatever your decision, I would be happy to help you in whatever way I can, whether this
be by providing therapy on a fee-for-service basis, providing you with monthly
statements to submit to your insurance company, or by helping you find a preferred
provider within your insurance plan.
For more information on managed care abuses, visit the National Coalition of Mental
Health Providers and Consumers at www.thenationalcoalition.org or feel free to ask me
for additional information.
| "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -Lao Tsu |
SELECTING A THERAPIST
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| Copyright © 2006, Evelyn Novello, Ph.D. www.pasadenapsychology.com |