FAQ’s

I am totally committed to the privacy of my clients. For this reason, I am not a member of any managed care organizations or insurance companies. I am an independent provider. Your confidentiality is protected by state law and the tenets of my profession. Files would be released only if a life is threatened.

Please be aware that a therapist who is an “in-network” provider must submit very personal information to managed care and insurance companies in order to pay for sessions. This often is a breach of client confidentiality because such reports are mailed or faxed to non-clinical staff and then logged onto large company computers. This information often becomes a permanent part of your medical file and could increase the cost of your insurance premiums.

I do not take insurance directly. However, I can provide a superbill (documentation) for you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. The superbill will have a “procedure code” that is needed by your insurance company to help determine your health insurance or employee benefit payment. Your plan may cover full or partial services. Costs are reasonable for couples and marriage counseling compared to the alternative of separation and divorce. Counseling will give you the best chance to stay together happily.

Your relationship’s survival depends on your motivation: how deeply you want it to strengthen and improve. If it is truly of utmost importance to each of you, the relationship will prosper.

Counseling works especially well when there is a connection between you and the counselor; that is, you feel comfortable with the counselor (it will increase with time) and that he or she is eager to help you move toward your goals. The gains can be permanent when skills are incorporated into daily positive interactions.

Much depends upon the consistency and continuity of the sessions. It is difficult to answer this question definitively because there are so many factors involved. Mine is a solution-based approach and I make every effort to make progress to reach the goals.

Frequently, the level of intimacy a couple had at one time can be restored once problems are resolved. Unresolved issues lead to anger which may be a culprit in the quality and quantity of intimacy.

Trust has to be earned to be rebuilt. It takes time, but it can be done. Trust is one of the foundations or building blocks of a healthy relationship. Your counselor will offer you guidelines to work toward this goal.

Forgiveness is the process of letting go of the past and opening up to the future. It is something we do for ourselves to release the anger from the transgression that was done. It is important to forgive; you don’t have to forget in order to forgive. There are steps you can take to forgive another person and lay the groundwork for effective counseling.

These skills are basic for good relationship/marriage counseling because very often their lack presents critical obstacles to the success of the relationship. There are protocols that I offer couples to correct difficulties in communication and problem-solving.

People are people. The challenges that apply to one population of couples certainly apply to all. I have worked successfully with all groups of individuals and couples. What’s common to all groups are the importance of motivations and goals, which are primary in any relationship.