FREQUENTLY ASQUED QUESTIONS:

1) What is Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy?

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is a research based approach to mental health which primarily focuses on improving the quality of an individual's present day functioning and life satisfaction. This type of therapy is an active therapy, whereby the client and practitioner talk, act, and work together to achieve agreed upon goals for life change. Clients can expect to work actively within each session, as well as to oftentimes receive guided assignments to execute between sessions. These between-session assignments may include behavioral exercises and/or reading. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy highlights that it is our beliefs, interpretations, and perceptions of life events that determine our feelings, moods, and ultimately, our actions. Therefore, a universal goal of this therapy is to help people identify, understand, and modify their belief systems in order to function more effectively and happily. Additionally, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy seeks to teach people to provide bits of therapy to themselves, and to know when they need to pursue professional "booster" sessions.
read description of Cognitive-Behavioral principles for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

2) Why should I choose Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy over other better known approaches?

Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy is a scientifically based, research-based approach to treating a wide variety of common human malfunctions. CBT tends to work with people on a weekly basis whereas it provides people with specific guidelines so that they can ultimately become their own therapist so that, in the vast majority of time, when challenged by these life stressors they can apply the principles that they've been taught by their behavior therapist. Other types of approaches offer insight-based treatments for people who are looking to understand the historical relevance of how they became who they are. There is no historical or current day evidence that suggest that this insight actually creates behavior change or attitudinal change. CBT offers a present day focus and the emphasis is on providing the greatest treatment in the shortest period of time toward reaching mutually defined goals. Within CBT there is a contract where an understanding is outlined between the therapist and the patient such that it is understood by both parties what the patient is coming in for and what the patient and therapist have agreed to work toward.

3) How long does treatment typically last?

Although each person varies greatly and each diagnosis offers very different treatment protocols, behavior therapy typically lasts between six months to two years on a weekly basis. Often, for persons who are coming in with very discreet problems, such as panic attack or habit disorder, treatment can last significantly shorter than six months.

4) What can I expect to pay in regard to weekly fees?

At this point, the Center offers a fee range from $50 to $250 per session. The fee varies within each therapist's years of training and experience. The therapists at the Center start out as Pre-doctoral fellows and range up to Post-doctoral fellowships and include licensed Staff Psychologists. The Clinical Director usually determines the actual fee.

5) Does insurance cover the cost of treatment?

The Center, and all staff within, is committed to not working within managed care. Managed care is a third party system whereby critical clinical decisions are made by an insurance company's financial interest rather than the patient's interest. Each clinician here at the Center is dedicated to creating and providing the greatest treatment available for the condition that's presented and the life circumstance of the person who comes in for treatment. Many patients have out of network coverage and most sessions are usually covered within some percentage of the therapy session based on the patient's individual contract. In all cases it is up to the patient to contact their insurance carrier and find out what reimbursement schedule they work within.

6) What are the attendance guidelines of the Center?

Almost universally, appointments are made on a weekly basis. There are occasions where a patient might benefit from more than a once a week basis, but that would need to be arranged specifically with the therapist. Therapy is not provided on less than a once a week basis since the therapy provided is based on empirically derived studies. To provide therapy less than once a week would not be providing sufficient dosage of the behavior therapy.