Frequently Asked Questions

When starting therapy, it's natural to feel vulnerable and uncertain. It can be hard to open up to someone, to feel unsure about what to say or to feel a lot of emotion. The fear around that can feel overwhelming. Taking steps to seek help for the challenges we face takes courage. Being strong does not mean figuring everything out on your own.

Therapy is a space where you can be yourself and feel safe from judgment, including feeling nervous. I’m committed to finding a way to care for your nervousness and ensure sessions are as comfortable as possible.

I’m here if you want to talk about it during a free phone consultation.

Take your time to read through my website. If you sense that I may be a good fit based on what you are reading, you can email me and request a free consultation.

During our consultation, you can ask me questions about my approach, about how I have helped other people like you before, or any other questions you may have that are specific to you. You’ll also be able to share what’s going on for you and I will let you know how I can help.

It may take a couple of sessions to know if we are the right fit. I am okay with that. This process has to work for you. During the sessions, you’ll be able to see how you feel working with me. My approach is not going to work for everyone. What’s most important to me is that you find someone who you feel is the right fit for you. We can explore that together.

It's natural to not want to share some of the painful or difficult things we've been through. During our sessions, it will always be up to you if you feel ready to talk about something or not. It’s my job to give you space to slowly start to work through the tough stuff. Gradually and at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you can share what you feel ready to share

You can also share with me that you are nervous to open up about something and we can talk about that too. Whatever is present for you. Whatever you are going through. Bring that to the session and we can explore that together.

You might want to talk about things that you have kept secret and feel concerned about whether others will find out. So I want you to know that unless there is an imminent danger to yourself or someone else, everything you share with me is completely confidential.

Your privacy and trust are of utmost importance.

You can rest assured that you can talk about anything without fear of that information getting out.

If you have specific questions about how confidentiality works, you can ask during a free phone consultation or anytime during our work together.

I respect that therapy is an investment of time and money. I wish I could give you a firm answer, but the truth is the amount of time it takes varies for each person, depending on the individual or couple and the reason they have sought therapy.

I can tell you that we will talk about how you feel the therapy is going, the progress you are making and when it might be the right time for you to stop.

No, but I can provide you with a super bill that you may submit to your insurance company. You may also be able to pay for sessions using your Health Savings Account. This is something you will need to verify with your plan.

There are a couple of things to consider if you want to use insurance. Insurance companies will only pay claims if there is a diagnosis, so I will need to include that information on the super bill. I will discuss this with you first. Second, most insurance carriers do not cover couples therapy. If you are hoping to use your insurance for this, you should make sure to check with them in advance.

If you would like to find out if your insurance will cover any portion of sessions with me as an out-of-network provider, here are the things I suggest you ask your carrier:

• What is the deductible amount that must be met before my policy will cover any portion of the services?

• What does your plan pay for out of network 45 minutes of psychotherapy services? (Though my sessions are 50 minutes, the insurance companies categorize them as 45 minutes). The procedure code (CPT) is 90834.

• They may have a set amount they will recognize and/or a set percentage they will cover. For instance, for out of network services, they may pay $65 per session regardless of the fee you are paying me.

• Or they may determine the customary rate for services by zip code (mine is 06877) and pay a set percentage of the amount they determine to be customary. Their rate might be different than mine. For instance, they may recognize $175 as the customary rate for the area and pay 30% of that amount.

You will want to find out if there is a cap on your mental health benefits, either a dollar amount or number of sessions.

If you would like more guidance on this process, please let me know.

To find out what your insurance may cover, contact your insurance and ask if you have out-of-network mental health coverage.

You may also want to mention the type of license that I have to ensure services with my type of credential are covered.

Other things you may want to ask about are:

What your deductible is

What your co-insurance payment will be

How many visits you get per year

If you need authorization for your visits

Details on how to submit a superbill

Contact me if you would like more guidance on how to figure out what your insurance will cover.

To cancel a scheduled therapy session, notice a minimum of 24 hours in advance of your session is required. If prior and timely notification is not given, you will be charged the full session fee for the missed session.

I'm here to talk during a free online consultation where you can share what’s going on for you and I will let you know how I can help.

Email me today to get your free online consultation at mconklintherapy@gmail.com.