What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is commonly referred to as talk therapy where people talk to a mental health professional about their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that are causing them pain. The focus of therapy is for the client to understand themselves, take control of their lives, and learn healthy coping skills to deal with challenging life situations. Therapy is conducted in a safe environment where there is no judgment but support and encouragement provided to lead a healthier life!
Who should seek therapy?
Most people can benefit from psychotherapy at some point in their lives because life can be challenging and can significantly compromise our health, relationships, and other major aspects of our lives. Mental well-being is essential to our health and our quality of life. Mental health is also on a continuum, which means that people’s issues vary in clinical severity and level of functioning. Some people may seek help to address mild difficulty with everyday life stressors whereas others seek treatment because they are inflicted with a mental illness that negatively impacts various domains of their life.
When is it time to seek professional help?
- Feeling extremely sad, angry, or otherwise “not yourself” more often than not
- Abusing drugs, alcohol, food, and/or sex to cope
- You’ve lost someone or something important and having a hard time coping
- You’ve experienced or witnessed trauma
- You can’t do or enjoy things you used to before
- Your emotional pain is negatively impacting your relationships, job performance, academic functioning, and/or physical health
What is a LCPC?
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) is the Maryland state licensure granted by the Board to individuals who have earned a minimum of a Master’s degree in Psychology or a related mental health field with a minimum of 60 graduate semester credit hours, passed the National Counselor Exam (NCE), and have completed a minimum of 3000 clinical hours under supervision. LCPCs have to renew their professional license every two years by completing continuing education credits approved by the Board.
What kind of therapy do you do?
I practice primarily from the Cognitive-Behavioral Theory which focuses on changing our beliefs and behaviors to achieve the outcome we desire. Cognitive-Behavioral therapists work with their clients in a collaborative manner and it is common to assign “homework” to clients. The treatment goals are driven by the client rather than the therapist.
How long is therapy?
This really depends on an individual’s situation so a defined number of sessions is not possible to predict. However, from my professional experiences, I have observed that clients usually notice changes between 6-12 sessions. Once a treatment goal is achieved, many decide to work on a new goal so therapy can be lengthened by clients’ request. The frequency of sessions is usually determined in the first few sessions so some clients may be seen once a week while others are seen bi-weekly depending on clinical needs and life circumstances.
Do you take insurance?
Yes. I want to make mental health treatment easily accessible to everyone as our mental well-being impacts virtually every aspect of our life (work, school, relationships, physical health, etc.).
The insurances that I am already credentialed and in-network with are Cigna, Medical Assistance, BCBS/Carefirst, Johns Hopkins EHP/USFHP, Optum Health, United Behavioral Health, and Value Options. I also accept many EAP.
What is your cancellation policy?
We ask that you give us a minimum of 24 hours notice if you plan to cancel your appointment as this time could be used for someone else who needs treatment. If 24 hours notice is not given, $50 fee per missed appointment may be applied to you directly and not your insurance. If recurring no shows and/or cancellations in less than 24 hours occur, then you may also be discharged from therapy. Please keep in mind that in order for therapy to be effective, time and commitment are essential.