Yes. For residents of New Jersey or New York State, I am available for teletherapy sessions.
A typical therapy "hour" is 45-50 minutes long. You will most likely have one session each week. Occasionally, people choose to schedule two weekly sessions in order to do more intensive work. Others come only once every two weeks, often as a way of tapering therapy before stopping altogether.
The time spent in therapy varies greatly based on complexity and personal preference. Many people find that within about three months to a year, the issues that brought them to therapy have improved and they feel confident about applying their new skills independently. However, it is also common to attend therapy for a shorter or considerably longer time. As long as you are comfortable and progressing towards your goals, there is no right or wrong duration.
If you have limits on how long you will be able to come, I urge you to tell me early on so that we can accommodate those restrictions in our treatment planning.
Unfortunately, I am not currently in-network for any insurance plan. However, many plans reimburse a significant portion of out-of-network behavioral health costs. I will provide you with an invoice including all information that you need from me in order to apply for reimbursement. Please contact your insurance provider to find out your specific out-of-network benefits.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an umbrella term for a family of therapeutic techniques centered on the idea that changing our behaviors and thought patterns can lead to lasting changes in how we feel and behave in the future. It is a relatively focused and present-oriented form of therapy that can be applied to a wide range of problems. A fact sheet about CBT is available from the American Psychological Association at https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral.pdf .
It depends on what you want to accomplish. Private testing can be expensive, and you can save time and money if your school district will conduct an evaluation that meets your needs. On the other hand, a private evaluation can offer more thorough results and greater responsiveness to your concerns. Both can be used as evidence that a child has a qualifying disability for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan.
A district assessment usually includes an intelligence test and an academic achievement test, but may not go further. If you believe that your child has a specific learning disability that would be clear from these tests alone, and your goal is to document the disability so that your child can receive school-based services, I would recommend using the district evaluation.
Reasons to opt for a private assessment include: (1) you expect that your child's difficulties are complex or subtle, and a comprehensive evaluation including neuropsychological tests has a better chance of clarifying them; (2) interventions (e.g., extra tutoring) have not been working, and you want a clearer sense of why learning is so difficult for your child and what could make it easier; (3) you suspect that there is an emotional component (e.g. boredom, depression, anxiety) to your child's struggles, and you want to know how it fits into the larger picture; or (4) you care about getting answers within a few weeks, but your district tells you that their process will take several months.
For any questions not addressed here, please contact me at dr.rachel.waxman@gmail.com.