Therapy is always beneficial. When a child has inappropriate behavior, behavioral management techniques can help shape his or her behavior into more appropriate behavior. Therapists can determine and differentiate between normal and inappropriate behaviors. If you or your cild is unhappy, anxious, or emotionally distressed or going through a difficult time such as a divorce, therapy would be incredibly beneficial. The goal of therapy is to enable a family or an individual to function normally by receiving the support he or she needs. If you still aren’t sure about therapy, I offer a 30 minute phone consultation at no charge.
After you get in touch with me, we will schedule a phone consultation. During this conversation, we will discuss your background and your needs. During this consultation, you can also ask me questions about my work and methods. At the end of this conversation, we will set up an appointment to meet with me if you are interested.
For the first session, I recommend that the individual (the child or adult) come in with their family or support system. The first session is longer than a usual session so that I can get to know you or your child and so that I can address any questions that you might have for me about the process of therapy.
My therapeutic approach is multidimensional - I use psychodynamic, family systems, interpersonal, relational, behavioral, cognitive behavioral, and play therapy (with young children) approaches. Understanding the individual and his or her background is the most important factor in being able to address his or her needs via therapy.
There a few things that I ask the patient to do each week so that what we cover in therapy is further reinforced and enhanced.
I usually meet with patients on a weekly basis. If the patient is a child, then I might choose to meet with the parents every other week as well.
Therapy is an ongoing process. It often takes some time to remove the problems that have been developing over a long period of time. It is difficult to say exactly how long treatment will last, but by our third session, I will have a treatment plan with target dates for certain goals. After these goals are met, then we will meet monthly a few times to make sure that everything is going well. After we ascertain that things are going as they should, we can cease to meet regularly. Of course, even after this, if you feel you need anything else, you can always come back.
Most insurance companies require that the therapist provide clinical information such as a diagnosis or treatment plan to be reimbursed. Sometimes, they even request the entire record - which I feel compromises your privacy as an individual. Therefore, I prefer to circumvent the insurance companies to protect your privacy and their interference in my methods of therapy. I can, however, provide you an invoice after each visit that you can submit to your insurance company.
The main difference between these is the level of education achieved. A licensed psychologist, such as myself, has earned a doctorate degree in psychology, has passed the three licensing exams, and has completed 2 years of post doctorate supervision. Only after these requirements have been met does the state of Texas allow someone to work as a licensed psychologist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe psychopharmacology (medication). A social worker and licensed professional counselor usually have masters degrees and have their own requirements for licensing.