FAQ
Therapy
1. I have been told that going to therapy is selfish.
Meaningful living and relationships require attention and care. Just like your physical self requires regular medical checkups and monitoring, your emotional and mental self needs consideration. Therapy is a strategy for improving life management, taking better care of self, and removing any barriers to fulfillment and life satisfaction. Being a better you will allow you to be more productive in life, easier and more joyful to be with, and physically and emotionally healthier. Taking care of you is the first step towards taking care of those you love.
2. Psychotherapy is really just talking to someone. How can just talking to you help me?
Some people wonder why they can’t just talk about their problems with family members or friends. Psychotherapy is a collaborative treatment based on the relationship between an individual and a psychologist. Grounded in dialogue, it provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral and nonjudgmental.
Psychotherapy helps you understand that you can do something to improve your situation. Psychotherapy can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. This can lead to changes that enhance healthy behavior, whether it’s improving relationships, understanding and expressing emotions more effectively, improving performance at work or school, and/or thinking more positively about the self and life.
Psychotherapists have years of training and experience that help people improve their lives. And there is significant evidence that psychotherapy is a very effective treatment. The benefits you obtain from psychotherapy depend on how well you use the process and put into practice what you learn.
Some of the benefits of participating in psychotherapy include:
- The validation of knowing someone understands you and what you are going through, your goals and your values.
- Help with managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, and the hassles of daily life.
- Developing skills for improving your relationships – learn how to listen to others, and communicate so that others listen to you.
- Discover resolutions to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy.
- Find new ways to cope with stress and anxiety.
- Learn to manage anger, depression, and other emotional pressures.
- Get “unstuck” from unhealthy patterns – break old behaviors and develop new ones.
- Learn new ways to solve problems.
- Improve your self-esteem and boost your self-confidence.
3. Therapy can be time-consuming. How long will it take?
How long psychotherapy takes depends on several factors: the type of problem or disorder, the client’s characteristics and history, the client’s goals, what’s going on in the client’s life outside of psychotherapy, and how fast the client is able to make progress. Some clients feel relief after only a single session of psychotherapy.
Meeting with a psychologist can provide a new perspective, help view situations differently and offer relief from pain. Most clients find some benefit after a few sessions, especially if they’re working on a single, well-defined problem and did not wait too long before seeking help.
4. Will psychotherapy change my life and my relationships?
You and your therapist will work together to develop your goals for psychotherapy. So yes, psychotherapy will change your life and relationships in the way that you want, in a manner that will support your therapy goals, life satisfaction, and well-being.
5. If I want to start psychotherapy, what should I do?
You can schedule a therapy appointment or 15-minute consultation by either, calling 678-205-0838 or click here to email us.
6. Will you be able to prescribe medication?
Our practice is composed of Licensed Psychologists and Licensed Professional Counselors. Licensed Psychologists earn a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Psy.D.) in a specialty area such as clinical or counseling. Psychologists are trained to assess, diagnose, and treat a range of mental health conditions and challenges through psychotherapy (individual, family, group, and/or couple’s therapy); as well as to administer and interpret tests and assessments that help to diagnose a mental health condition. Licensed Professional Counselors earn a Master’s degree in psychology or a related field, and are trained to treat mental health, behavioral health, emotional problems, and substance use among individuals, families, and groups.
Psychologists and Counselors do not prescribe medication, but if medication is need for your treatment, your psychologist or counselor can make referrals to a psychiatrist or your primary care physician who can prescribe the medication treatment
7. Therapy is expensive.
Therapy is generally covered by insurance, and SBS Psychological Associates are in network with a number of insurance plans, including Aetna, BCBS PPO, Medicare, Medicaid, Optum, Peach State, UBH, and Wellcare. We also accept Health Care Reimbursement Accounts (HCRA) and out of network benefits if your insurance plan includes out of network coverage. If you are covered by an insurance plan, and authorized for visits, please provide a copy of your insurance card, and we will bill your visits, minus copays and deductibles to your insurance company. However insurance policies are quite varied, and it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with your insurance benefits, including obtaining any pre-authorizations required and verifying coverage. We also accept most major credit cards. Our therapy rates are similar to other mental health professionals who provide similar services.
Testing and Evaluations
1. Will a diagnosis stigmatize or label my child? Will it negatively impact their future?
A psychoeducational evaluation will help your child receive the academic support they need to achieve their potential in school. All evaluation and testing services are confidential. At the end of the evaluation process we share the results with you and give you a written evaluation report. You decide what information you would like to share or not share with schools or doctors
2. I have been advised that all my child needs is tutoring. Why should I have them evaluated?
A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation will help you understand the nature of your child’s academic difficulty and/or reason for their challenges. The information and knowledge gained from the evaluation will help you understand your child’s academic strengths and weaknesses to better develop a plan or strategies to help them achieve their academic potential. A comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation will also help determine what will not be helpful for your child.
Essentially a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation will help develop an intervention program that is tailored to your child’s specific academic and learning needs. A psychoeducational evaluation will help determine the source of your child’s struggles, so a plan designed to address those specific struggles can be developed. Such a plan may include tutoring. However, tutoring without a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation is like trying to fix something without fully
understanding it, the cause, or the source. A psychoeducational evaluation may save you money and your child valuable time.
3. How long with the evaluation process take?
The evaluation process generally consists of a series of appointments – an intake or initial appointments, testing sessions, and a feedback appointment. All appointments are usually from 60 to 90 minutes, except for testing sessions. Testing sessions may range from 2 to 4 hours. The number of testing sessions required depends on the reason for the evaluation. For a more comprehensive discussion of the testing process see The Evaluation Process under Services.
4. How much will the evaluation cost? Is it covered by my insurance?
The cost of the evaluation will depend on the reason for the evaluation and the type of testing required. Most evaluations are usually covered by insurance, except for psychoeducational evaluations. However, you should check with your insurance company to see what is covered.
5. What can we do with the evaluation report?
The evaluation report you will be given at the end of the evaluation process can be used for documentation for a number of purposes, including the following:
- Requests for special education services or 504 accommodation plans from your child’s school
- Accommodations for standardized testing, including SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, and the LSAT
- Accommodations for college through the college’s disability services office
- Eligibility for the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver
- Documentation of a diagnosis for treatment planning, medication management or surgical clearance
Office Policies
1. Will anyone find out about my therapy or evaluation?
Information about any services you receive from us is kept confidential. We will release information only with your written permission. The only exceptions to this are for safety reasons or as we are legally required.
2. What if I need to cancel my appointment?
If it is necessary to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please provide as much notice as possible so that time may be offered to another client. All cancellations, except in emergency situations, require a 48-hour notice. Cancellations or reschedules with less than a 48-hour notice will incur a late fee.
