Common Questions

During sessions you will talk about concerns in your life, relevant events from the last week, and areas for improvement. We will both explore underlying roots of your behavior and learn practical techniques that can be implemented into your life.

A typical session is 45 minutes. However, we tailor the duration of our meetings to your needs and some clients will have longer sessions if it is determined that it will be helpful. People usually come for weekly sessions, but if you are in crisis or extreme distress you may come more frequently.

Therapy can enhance personal development, improve relationships, ease the challenges of daily life, and create solutions to problems. Overall, people in therapy tend to have lower levels of stress, decreased conflict, and improved quality of life. Friends and family can be helpful, but therapists are trained to teach new problem-solving skills and provide nonjudgmental and objective feedback. Many people also find that the confidential nature of therapy helps them open up more easily and just knowing that someone understands to be invaluable.

Some of the benefits of therapy include:

• Finding more effective ways to cope with stress, depression, anger and anxiety
• Improving listening and communication skills and enhancing your relationships
• Achieving more joy, confidence and well-being
• Overcoming obstacles
• Better managing of emotional pressures
• Getting “unstuck” from unhealthy patterns
• Discovering new ways to solve problems
• Developing a better understanding of yourself and a plan to pursue your goals

One of the most important factors in determining if therapy will be effective is if you feel the therapist you select is right for you. During the first session we review your goals for therapy and develop a treatment plan together. We encourage you to discuss any concerns or questions you may have in order to make an informed decision.

Yes. The law protects the confidentiality of communications between a client and a psychotherapist. We will keep records of our sessions in a secure file that is only accessible to the therapists at Long Island Psychology. If we need to consult with another provider or with anyone else about you in order to ensure effective treatment, we will ask you to sign a release form. There are only a few exceptions, which include suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or danger of serious bodily harm to oneself or others. These situations are extremely rare.

For in-person therapy session, payment is made in full when you arrive for each session. You may pay by check or with cash.

For remote therapy sessions, full payment must be sent via Zelle in advance of your session. If you are unable to make payment by Zelle, please speak with your therapist in advance of your first session about alternative payment arrangements. If you require a receipt, this will be emailed to you following your session.

You can contact your insurance company to determine if you have out of network mental health benefits. We can provide you with a receipt for each session that you can provide to your insurance company. The key questions to ask are the following:

• What is my deductible?
• How many sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?
• How much does my plan cover for a session with an out of network mental health provider?
• What is the maximum amount covered per therapy session
• Is approval required from my primary care physician?

We are not directly on insurance panels because they often reduce confidentiality and limit our ability to practice in an individualized fashion to provide you with the best care possible.