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Managed Care A note to the insured about privacy and managed care: The best way to insure the confidentiality and privacy of your psychotherapy is pay out of pocket rather than using your insurance. But when you do use insurance, the best option is to use indemnity insurance or your "out of network benefits." Under these circumstances, the provider needs only to send a diagnosis code on the claim form. The diagnosis for most people is depression or anxiety. This information is not very revealing personally and shouldn't cause much embarrassment should the information become available to a third party. Managed care is another story. The information required by managed care companies is quite extensive. It includes not only the diagnosis, but a description of what brought the "patient" to therapy, prior psychiatric history, a list of symptoms and a list of treatment goals and procedures. In other words, there is nothing that is confidential and neither the therapist nor the patient has any control over where that information may end up. I feel strongly that this is not in the best interests of my clients and I am no longer on any managed care panels with the exception of Medicare as noted previously. For a good discussion of this issue, go to therapynetwork.net and read the "payment options" section of "Therapy Information." Couple's Counseling When I work with couples, my approach is holistic. That is, I work not only with the relationship, but with the individuals within the relationship. There are three aspects that need to be focused on if any relationship is to function well. This is 1) how the partners communicate with each other, 2) the issues the partners are having difficulty resolving and 3) the factors within each individual that create the particular dynamic of their relationship. When you start working with me, we will evaluate your situation by meeting first as a couple and then I will meet with each of you individually. When we reconvene on the fourth session, goals are developed and a plan of how we will conduct the therapy process will be worked out. After four sessions, you will also know if you are comfortable working with me. I have studied many approaches to relationship counseling in the more than 30 years I have been a therapist. While it is fashionable to say one is an expert in one approach or another, I prefer to tailor my approach to the individuals I am working with. I try to be as sensitive as I can to each of the persons in the partnership and I find this works best for ultimate success in creating a relationship that works. |
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Judithann H. David Ph.D. at King's Park 8996 Burke Lake Road, Suite L101 Burke, VA 22015 703-978-0471 |