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Common Questions

I can't afford psychiatric care but I need it. What can I do?

In these difficult economic times, affording medical care is difficult for all, impossible for some.  Community mental health centers offer one affordable option, church counselors another provided they are adequately trained, and emergency rooms are prepared to deal with psychiatric emergencies if needed.

Do you offer couples therapy?

Absolutely.  Spouses are often asked to come in for individuals as well.  We also now offer some group therapy.  Find out more about mindfulness and our group with updates on our facebook page.

Does everyone need medication?

Absolutely not.  Sometimes therapy is more effective.  Sometimes medications help people to get more out of their therapy and then can be discontinued.  But if patients want to go off of meds they should do so with a physician not against one.  There are ways to decrease or eliminate medications that are less risky."

 

But therapy is more than "talk" or "someone to talk to".  It's about learning about yourself.  It takes work.  You have to apply what you are learning in therapy outside of the office otherwise you are missing most of the experience.  

How do you feel about "natural" remedies?

Just because something is "natural" doesn't mean it's good for you.  Snake venom, hemlock, and poison ivy are all natural remedies that wouldn't be a good idea for treating depression.  Natural remedies need to be subject to the same tests for quality as standard treatments.


Modern medicine is not the answer to all of our problems either and I would say that we have a lot more medication than knowledge of exactly how to use them.  What we probably need more of is knowledge...about natural and synthetic treatments. I believe in considering the risk of illness vs. the risks of treatment, understanding that currently we may not know all of the risks of either.

Where can I get forms that I need to fill out?

You can click on the 'Patient Forms' tab above and print out a copy for yourself or come to the office and get a copy.​​

What are the costs?

The bad news about psychiatric treatment is that you get most of the bad news up front.  Treatment is almost invariably more expensive in the beginning stages while we are finding techniques and medications that work for you.  The harder you work, the quicker this process but since most medications require trials of 2-6 weeks there is a limit as to how fast some aspects of treatment can go. When stabilized it is rare for any condition to require more than monthly visits, and for many people less frequent visits are possible.​​

Why don't you take my insurance?

This is our biggest question.  These days insurance companies often dictate treatment, saying how long its "supposed to take".  They say they do this under the guise of quality but in our experience it is more about pushing patients into the cheapest...not necessarily the best treatments.


We do file insurance information for our patients and most insurance companies do reimburse as an out of network provider.  But we feel...the right treatment...almost invariably turns out to be the most affordable in the long run." We accept many major insurances.  Contact our office to find out if we're on your plan.   

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