FAQ

Talking is what we do. But it is different than talking to a friend or a partner. The goal in therapy is to explore your thoughts and feelings in a way that is often not possible in a friendship or partnership.   If you are thinking of therapy, you have probably already talked to friends; as helpful as they might be, they are usually not able to help untangle inner thoughts that are related to past or present conflicts that stir you up inside.

Sometimes we can’t see what is going on by our self. It is like trying to see what is on the back of our heads. We need a mirror or someone to tell us what is back there, even though we might be able to feel it. Emotions and ways of thinking are like that as well. Sometimes you need to work with someone so that together you can discover what is in your mind and heart.

When a problem inside is bothering you, it can affect everything around you, like a ripple effect. Trying to understand the source of the ripples is the only way to slow them or eventually stop them. Within the therapeutic relationship, we would learn how those ripples affect you and understand what is keeping them going.

So, your job is to come in and talk about anything that might come to your mind, things that strike you during the week, or something that affected you. My job is to listen and translate thoughts and feelings to use as a guide to our understanding of what is going on inside.

Therapy is a collaborative process; and, though sometimes hard, it is a very rewarding.  I don’t tell you what to do, but I help with understanding what is going on.

That will depend on what you want to accomplish coming to therapy, as well as how consistently we work together. For example, some therapists will meet with you once every two weeks or once a month. This type of therapy is good for advice or for a tune-up after you have had therapy in the past.

However, I do not work that way. Delving into current problems can sometimes lead to painful feelings, thoughts, and fantasies. Meeting weekly, or whatever frequency is necessary, is more optimal to allow you to explore what you need to know, until your feelings are more understood and more manageable.

It is like going to a doctor for a headache. It can be a symptom for many things. So, you have to work to diagnose what is really going on. It could be as simple as needing to drink more water, because you are dehydrated or as complicated as a neurological disorder.

Like physical pain, emotional pains need to be figured out and can be straightforward and/or complicated. Factors like your motivation, the type of problem you are struggling with and how we work together influence how fast the therapy goes. I am willing to work with you throughout the process, whether it is a short one or a long one.

I am not accepting insurance directly. This means I give you a bill at the end of the month, and the next session you bring me your payment directly.

However, I will give you a Super bill that has all the necessary codes for reimbursement and a signed receipt that you have paid, if it is needed, for your insurance submission.

I am in full support of each person doing what they need to do to set up therapy in the best way possible. I truly believe people know what is best for themselves. So, if you are in a situation where your insurance requires you to see certain in-network providers, I am not the therapist for you.

However, I can think of two reasons that you might choose to pay for psychotherapy outside of insurance.

Many people I see are professionals or businessmen, or students who want to be physicians or lawyers. These are situations where you might want complete confidentiality, and you don’t want any record of your therapy. In those situations, you might consider seeing someone who doesn’t take insurance.

More importantly, many types of therapy can be helpful, but delving into sensitive areas takes skill and training. I have worked for over 40 years doing psychotherapy, and I have trained in the most comprehensive way to develop this particular expertise. That all goes into my ability to help you in the way you most need and makes it more possible for you to reach your goals. Believe it or not, it takes lots of training to guide you toward your internal life without getting in your way.

There are a lot of good therapists, especially in the Ann Arbor area. If you want someone with experience and expertise in psychotherapy, you can call me; and I will work to help you.

Anyone who wants to know more about themselves, wants to be successful in their work or relationships, and is experiencing an emotional roadblock to what they are trying to do.

Anyone who has had traumatic events in their past and has overcome them to accomplish a professional degree only to find that relationships elude them – and they don’t know why.

Anyone who has a significant relationship and finds he or she is unable to sustain the type of intimacy they yearn for.

Anyone who has experienced a significant loss – a death, or loss of a significant job or relationship, or a miscarriage, an illness, or retirement.

Anyone who feels that they are having trouble with the intense feelings that reverberate inside.

Anyone who has been raped or sexually abused or sexually harassed and would like to deal with how it is affecting them.

Anyone who is in a transitional period in their life and finds themselves overwhelmed in a way they hadn’t anticipated, such as engagement or newly married, becoming a parent, starting a job or school program in a new place, moving toward graduation or post-graduation.

Anyone who has been in therapy previously and feel there is more to work on, or a therapy in the past that was unhelpful or not as helpful as you wanted.