Linda D Tillman, PhD
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use my health insurance for psychotherapy?
Although my services may be covered by your insurance policy, I am not on any managed care or insurance panels. However, if your insurance reimburses for out-of-network providers, then your health insurance may cover all or part of my fee.
Please check your coverage to see if this is available. If your insurance is an HMO or a POS (usually an HMO in disguise), they will only cover providers on their "list." However if you are part of a PPO, my services should be covered as out-of-network.
You'll need to find out:
- Do I have mental health benefits on my insurance plan?
- How much is my deductible and has it been met?
- What percentage of the fee does my plan cover for an out-of-network provider?
- How many sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?
When people do have out of network coverage and when the insurance plan is willing to send their part of the coverage to me, I am glad to file your insurance for you. Otherwise, I will give you a statement for you to file with your insurance company.
- How long does therapy take?
- How do I know my therapist is qualified to help me?
- How does psychotherapy work?
Sometimes I work with clients for a short period of time when they come in with a quick problem to solve. Sometimes people come in with one problem and along the way determine that there are some other goals they'd like to meet or struggles they'd like to address. Therapy is a process of working together collaboratively so that you and I can decide when it's time to end with each other.
First there are the basics:
Is the therapist licensed?
Where did the therapist get her/his education?
What degree does your therapist have?
How much experience does your therapist have?
Then there are the questions of how does your therapist work.
Do you feel heard and understood?
Does the therapist help you sort through your life and focus on you?
Do you feel respected and cared for by your therapist?
Psychotherapy is a process of connection, understanding, growth, and new life skills.
Essential to the work is the connection between you and your therapist. If you feel heard and understood by your therapist as well as respected by your therapist, then the process is off to a good start.
Understanding occurs both by your therapist, who makes an effort to understand you, and by you, through looking at your history and how you have come to be the person that you are today. Understanding includes attending to your life today and looking at the dynamics of the relationships in which you are involved both in work and in your personal life.
Growth is the process of incorporating the understanding which you and your therapist are gaining into feeling better about how you are choosing to live going forward.
Throughout the process of understanding and growth, you will begin to make changes in how you think about yourself in the world and in how you act with others. This may include adding life skills that you have not used in the past.
- Do you have a question about entering therapy with me that isn't addressed here?
Please contact me and let me know what you would like me to answer for you.