What is your policy concerning privacy and confidentiality?
Information about you and your therapy will not be transmitted to anyone including your insurance company without your knowledge and express written consent. There are several exceptions to confidentiality as required by law. Exceptions can be made if any of the following conditions occur: (a) if neglect or abuse of a child is suspected; (b) if there is clear and imminent danger to the client or to another individual; (c) in child custody proceedings and proceedings in which a client’s emotional condition is an element; (d) if a client is involved in litigation and chooses to include his/her mental state as part of the litigation; and (e) other legal proceedings if a judge orders the release of records or testimony.
To further protect your privacy, I have a policy of not greeting a client whom I meet outside of my office. Thus, should we happen to meet in public, I will intentionally not say hello to you, thereby sparing you the possible embarrassment of having to explain our relationship to anyone who happens to be accompanying you. (You may, however, feel free to greet me in public if you wish.)
Will my health insurance cover the cost of therapy?
Most clients have health insurance that reimburses the insured for some portion of outpatient psychotherapy fees. You should call your insurance office to determine the extent of your mental health benefits. However, you need to keep in mind that I am not a preferred provider on any health plans or HMO panels. I am also not a Medicare provider. That means that although you will likely get reimbursed for some, but not all of the cost of your treatment, you will be expected to pay at the conclusion of each therapy session the full amount owed for that visit. Because I do not communicate with any insurance companies about my patients, I therefore do not complete any insurance company-generated reimbursement forms. However, I do give all patients receipts for their sessions with me which you can then feel free to submit to your own insurance company.
What are your fees for therapy?
My fee for each therapy session, including the first session, is $250.00. That fee is the same regardless of whether I see you individually or in co-therapy with a partner or spouse. My policy is to never raise my fee for patients as long as they continue to see me on a regular basis. What that means is that if you discontinue therapy and then return for additional sessions within six months of your last visit, you will be charged the same fee you had been paying when you first began treatment. However, after you have been away for more than six months you will be charged the fee currently in effect for all new patients.
Do you see patients in-person or online?
As of 2022 I have limited my practice to online or virtual therapy. Please click on this link to learn more about my approach to online therapy.
Your approach to therapy for the problems I am confronting is exactly what I am looking for. However, I do not live in Maryland. Do you work with patients who reside out of state?
As an AASECT certified Sex Therapist I can practice anywhere in the country. Unfortunately, as a Maryland licensed psychologist I am required to limit my practice to those individuals who are currently living within the state of Maryland. However, the good news for those individuals or couples who are Maryland residents is that since I now treat all patients using online or virtual therapy, geographic proximity is no longer an issue. If you live anywhere within the state of Maryland including Baltimore, Towson, Pikesville, Columbia, Bethesda, Annapolis, Frederick or even in more remote towns and cities can now have access to my services.
