Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy
WHAT TO EXPECT IN THERAPY OR COUNSELING
Are counseling, therapy, and psychotherapy the same thing?
Each clinician is different, but the techniques used by Counselors and Therapists are mostly the same. Ask the specific professional you’re talking to how they help families like yours.
How long is a therapy session, and what does it cost?
A typical therapy session is 45-50 minutes long and ranges in price from $195-225, depending on which therapist you choose. For couple or family therapy, your therapist may recommend longer sessions. 60 minute sessions cost between $225-315 and 75-90 minute sessions cost $325-375.
Do you accept insurance for psychotherapy?
We are out of network providers for all insurance. This means that you will pay us directly for services. You may then file an insurance claim for reimbursement if you choose. We are currently working to connect with a service that can file your claims for you, and will update this page when this resource is in place. Scroll down for more about the insurance process.
Do you do an assessment? Do I have to do that part?
Yes. All therapy services start with an assessment session. This is an ethical/legal requirement, even if you just did one with another therapist.
What happens in an assessment session?
Your therapist will meet with you for 45 minutes and ask questions about your history, your current experiences, and how you’d like therapy to help. We may also ask you to complete some short questionnaires. This session costs between $225 and $300. After that, therapy rates apply.
If you’re coming in for child therapy or family therapy, there will be a second assessment session with your child. The therapist will meet with you a week or two later to share her observations.
How long does therapy take to work? (How fast can I get results?)
This depends on what you want to achieve. Once the assessment is complete, we’ll make a Treatment Plan together. This is a written list of your goals with a time frame and strategy for each goal.
We’ll be honest about how long and how much work we expect it to take. You’ll make your own decision about when and how to do the work.
How can I get faster results in therapy?
Attend weekly sessions and practice the skills/strategies you learn in between visits.
Focus on making one change at a time.
Work together as a family to achieve your goals.
Before starting child therapy, attend parenting sessions and start implementing strategies at home.
Discuss your goals at home and ask family members to support you.
How do I get insurance to pay for therapy?
The first step is to find out if your plan reimburses you for out-of-network services. Seeking reimbursement for couples therapy? Find more information in this blog post. Then contact your insurance and ask
Does my health insurance plan include out of network mental health benefits?
What are the reimbursement rates for the following services (CPT codes) provided by a licensed master’s level therapist, such as LCSW-C, LCPC, or LCMFT
90791 (Diagnostic Evaluation)
90834 (Individual Therapy)
90847 (Family Therapy)
90846 (Family Session Without Identified Client)
90837 (60 min Individual Therapy)- rarely used in our practice
Do I have a deductible? If so, what is it and have I met it yet?
Does my plan limit how many sessions I can have per calendar year? If so, what is the limit?
Do I need pre-authorization from my primary care physician for therapy to be covered?
Are you currently covering telehealth services at the same rate as in person services, or do the rates differ?
After the assessment is complete, we will provide you with Superbill receipt and/or CMS 1500 form for each session. These forms contain all the information you will need to file standard insurance claims. Your insurance plan will reimburse you directly for the portion of cost that is covered by your insurance.
What is a Good Faith Estimate? Do you offer one?
A good faith estimate is an estimate of the cost of 12 months of therapy services. This does NOT mean that therapy will take 12 months. It often does not. You are entitled to a good faith estimate if you are not planning to seek any insurance reimbursement for the services you receive from us. If that is the case, please let us know. If the cost of therapy exceeds the good faith estimate by more than $400, you have the right to dispute the charges. Please click here to start a dispute or see a detailed description of the dispute process.
What forms of payment do you accept for therapy?
All clients are required to keep a credit or debit card on file in their client portal account. FSA or HSA cards are accepted. We require a backup payment method on file for clients who are using FSA/HSA as their primary card on file. Payment is automatically processed at the time of service.
What is your therapy cancellation policy?
Weekly attendance is highly recommended to maximize the benefit of therapy, and is required in all after school and weekend timeslots. We allow every other week or monthly appointments between the hours of 9am-3pm, provided that the type of care the client needs can be provided bimonthly or monthly.
If you must cancel an appointment, give as much notice as possible. Cancellations with less than 48 hours advance notice will be charged the full session fee. We make every effort to offer you the chance to reschedule rather than cancel. However, this is only possible if the therapist has an open time on the calendar.
How do I get started in therapy? Are there forms I need to complete?
Our intake forms for new clients are available in the Client Portal. If you have already spoken with us, you should have received an email link to the portal account created for you. If not, complete an appointment request to get started, or call us directly at 240-242-5185. Please do not create a client portal account yourself without talking to us. We won’t know to call you!
HOW COULD COUNSELING OR THERAPY HELP MY FAMILY?
When should I see a therapist?
When you aren’t feeling positive about your day to day life and you’re ready for a change.
When you reflect on what you’re doing and think “I want to do better.”
When you’re going through a major life change (moving, new career or school, engagement/marriage, parenting, divorce).
When you have a major loss (change in health status, death, or separation/divorce)... especially if you hope to handle the loss differently than your parents did!
You should seek help immediately if you or your child is feeling suicidal, has hallucinations or delusions, injures him/herself on purpose, has intense emotional outbursts, or is not interested in hobbies or social activities. These are all signs of significant distress.
How can therapy help my parent/child relationship?
Our therapy training has helped us to be better parents, and we’d like to pass that wisdom on to you (without you needing to go to graduate school). By attending therapy to talk about your parenting, you can become a therapeutic resource for your children. You’ll be able to help them grow into emotionally healthy adults.
Attending therapy yourself and sharing what you’ve learned can often be the most efficient way to teach your child new coping skills. They will have your expertise every day (not just for an hour a week). Plus, when you can experience and process your own emotions effectively, you naturally model that for your child.
My partner and I are having problems. Should we go to individual counseling or attend marriage counseling or couples therapy?
We’re glad you asked! Talk with your partner about coming to therapy together. Let him/her/them know that you’d like the relationship to grow, and you think this could help. The therapist won’t take sides or blame either one of you. We’re here to help you love each other to the best of your ability
Couples therapy should always start with both partners present. This helps to establish mutual goals and trust. Couples therapy may later involve individual sessions for each of you. This only happens after both of you have a trusting relationship with the therapist.
What do you do when your partner won’t go to counseling?
If your partner isn’t ready for couples work, you can still work through relationship problems on your own. Be sure to work with a qualified couples therapist, though. Someone with expertise in relationships will help you navigate the challenges in ways that help rather than harm your relationship.
It is very important to seek this kind of help from a therapist that is trained in couple and family therapy (like the therapists at Better Together). In Maryland, therapists licensed to practice couple and family therapy always have LGMFT or LCMFT after their name. Other types of therapists may or may not have training in couples therapy. Contact us for help to figure out who can best help you.
WHAT IS THERAPY REALLY LIKE?
What happens during a therapy session?
You (or your child or family) will tell your therapist about the concerns that brought you to therapy. Your therapist will listen and ask follow up questions in a warm and supportive way. They’ll offer strategies you can try to make things better, and listen to your feedback about their ideas. They’ll want you to tell them what is and isn’t helpful. (A good therapist is never offended by your feedback. We want to know what works and doesn’t work for you.)
In order for you or your child to learn and grow in therapy, you need to feel emotionally and physically safe with your therapist. This is called “felt safety.” This sense of safety is an essential component of every therapy session. As you talk about things that make you feel vulnerable, it’s natural to feel less safe. The therapist will use tone of voice, body language, and empathic responding to help you restore your felt safety in those moments. For children and adults who are struggling with emotion regulation, establishing and restoring felt safety throughout the session IS the work of therapy. Practicing this in session enables you to start doing it yourself in other relationships.
How is child therapy or play therapy different?
Children learn through movement and play. They are doers, not thinkers. In child therapy or family therapy sessions, your therapist will use puppets, toys, games, and art materials to facilitate their growth and learning. This will likely include having you use these items too!
If your child initially attends therapy alone, the child will decide when to have you participate in sessions. If you are not attending sessions with your child, the therapist will talk with you regularly to share any skills practiced and progress made. The therapist may also suggest ways for you to practice together at home.
How do I talk to my child about coming to therapy?
Try this: “We go to therapy to learn about our feelings and how to take care of them. The therapist is like a teacher or coach. She helps us learn about ourselves and each other. She helps our family act as a good team. I’m excited to go to therapy with you and be the best mom/dad I can be!”
If you have a specific behavior you want your child to work on, let them know without judging or criticizing. You might say, “I’ve noticed that you get really upset when your friends play with someone else. A therapist can help you to feel better.” Or you might say “Your teacher has been saying it’s hard for you to get your work done. A therapist will have ideas for how we can help you with that.”
Does seeing a therapist mean I’m crazy?
Not at all! People who ask for help are the strongest people we know. We’re honored to be the ones helping you grow even stronger. See our article What Your Therapist Sees in You to discover what coming to therapy says about you (or your child).
How is therapy different from friendship?
Good friends are an important source of emotional support in your day to day life. Therapists are specially trained to help you grow and heal. Your therapist will listen without judging you. She will help you find your strengths. She’ll help you respond differently to stress and move toward the future you want. Most importantly, therapy is 100% confidential. And you won’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings by saying what is on your mind.
Will my therapist recommend medication for me or my child?
As therapists we don’t prescribe medication. We’ll work to address your concerns through the therapy process. However, if we think another type of service could also help you, we won’t hesitate to suggest it. That could mean meeting with a Psychiatrist to ask about medications, seeing a Physical Therapist or other body-based healer, or adding academic supports for your child. What you do with our suggestion is always up to you!
How to have a neurodiversity affirming conversation with a Psychiatrist
This is like meeting with any other doctor. It’s important to come in knowing what you’d like help with. Is it focus and concentration? Sleep quality? Anxiety or sadness? Lead with that information. “I’m doing well in a lot of areas but I’m having some trouble with _______ and I wonder what options I might have for treating that medically.” If the Psychiatrist suggests a particular medicine, ask
Are there other medicines that help with this? Why do you think we should try this one first?
If we decided to stop taking this medicine, can we stop immediately or will we need to gradually decrease the dose?
What changes should we expect to see if the medicine is working? How soon would we see them?
What are the possible side effects? If we experience side effects, how do we reach you to discuss next steps?
If I don’t choose to take medication, what else could I do?
What if I don’t like my therapist?
Just let us know! A good fit between therapist and client is necessary for therapy to be effective. You should always tell your therapist if you aren’t comfortable or feel like things aren’t working out. We recommend you try another therapist before deciding that therapy in general is or isn’t for you. We’re always happy to help you find the right fit… whether it’s here or somewhere else.
How do I make an appointment?
Visit our services page to read about the different types of therapy we offer. When you find one that sounds like a good fit, click the appointment request button on the page for that service. Or visit our therapists page to read about our wonderful clinicians and choose the one you like the best.