Treatment Steps
1. TELEPHONE SCREENING
I generally like to conduct a brief telephone screening before meeting in person or having our first telepsychology session.
Suppose it appears that I may be an appropriate professional to work with you. In that case, our first appointment will be at least a one-and-a-half-hour “virtual” or“face-to-face” Consultation regarding your needs.
We will try to determine if we are a good safe fit and begin to develop a strength-based conceptualization view of what brings you here and an idea of present difficulties during the Consultation Meeting.
2. CONSULTATION
Please let me know when the “best period of your life was, and why. Please describe what positive qualities and accomplishments, and strengths you observed at this time. Then, how did you respond when you were hit by one of life’s struggles? Your unique strengths, values (what is most important in your life), and personal aspirations (your grand desires) will drive our journey
Please let me know what brings you to me at the present time? A narrative of your perceptions of your strengths, desires, and current circumstances will drive our discussions. At the end of the consultation meeting, I will select a personalized packet of questionnaires to complete at home as soon as possible. This customized battery of questionnaires is designed to complement and further meet the Consultation purpose. If you find that completing the packet of forms makes you uncomfortable, please stop immediately and call me to discuss other options.
It is usually helpful to complete and forward intake forms mentioned below before the Consultation by downloading and completing the standard part of the take-home material: The Current Life and History Form, The Symptom Screening Questionnaire, The Treatment Consent Form, and if felt to be necessary, the Release of Records Form to allow me to receive information from previous Health Care Providers. If you choose to complete these materials in advance of our Consultation, please find these materials. In addition, please go to the FORMS link (in this TREATMENT section of this website). The Forms link also includes some session forms to be completed at another time.
You may choose to scan the completed consultation materials to my encrypted address, which I will provide during the telephone screening. Or you may want to use the postal service to send the completed forms or fax them to (215) 443-7879. There are several options available to ensure HIPPA Compliance. Alternatively, you may want to bring them with you to integrate into our Consultation session.
Or you may choose to wait until after the Consultation to complete these materials with your own personalized packet.
Fees: $225.00 for initial Consultation and $185.00 for hour-long psychotherapy sessions. A sliding fee scale is available based on need.
Usually, within 48 hours of the completed Consultation, I will briefly call you to offer some impressions of what our work together will entail. Alternatively, I may feel that you must consult with a different provider. If that is the case, I will turn to colleagues for assistance. Pennsylvania Psychological Association List-serve for possible availability and options without revealing any of your personally-identifying information.
There are a few occasions when the Consultation process will need to be extended. We will then meet for a few formal sessions to determine your best treatment options, thus completing the consultation process.
You should evaluate the information I provide along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working with me. Therapy involves a significant commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. I am open to discussing alternative steps to make this journey less burdensome.
3. PSYCHOTHERAPY:
I will usually schedule one hour-long session per week when we agree on, although some sessions may be slightly longer (at no extra charge) or more frequent. To strengthen the continuity of care, I routinely ask you to complete a ‘Bridge Worksheet .’ This form may include comments and feedback on our work and your “own-work” assignment(s). Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide 24 hours notice. Nonetheless, there could be we both agree that you were unable to attend due to circumstances beyond your control).
If you have questions regarding my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help direct you to another mental health professional for a second opinion. Usually, I will urge you to locate credentialed specialists in CBT at abpp.org., abct.org., or academyofct.org. However, suppose you have a different psychotherapy modality in mind. In that case, I will then post your anonymous request on the Pennsylvania Psychological Association List-Serve.
4. ENDING TERMINATING:
Ideally, as therapy progresses and treatment goals are being met, the frequency of sessions will be titrated at a point when you and I mutually agree to do so. Weekly sessions will be reduced to a session every second or third week. It is often helpful to arrange for a booster, tune-up, or relapse prevention session around six months to a year after a formalized termination session. This session will be designed to review the various treatment processes and strategies that were most helpful.
However, treatment can end for other reasons as well. For example, you might decide to terminate therapy if you feel you are not making progress or our working relationship ties have deteriorated. Suppose you are thinking about ending your treatment. In that case,
If I experience difficulties in your treatment, such as suspecting that therapy appears unhelpful, our working relationship has deteriorated, or that treatment is creating a financial burden. I will try to work with you to resolve these issues.
I am ethically obligated to end treatment if I believe it is not helping you. Therefore, if I suggest terminating your treatment, I will offer, at minimum, a session to discuss the termination decision and provide possible referrals.