Payment and Cancellation Policy: Office visits are one hour in duration and are billed at $100/hr. Home visits and school observations and meetings are billed at $125/hr. Cash and checks are accepted and expected at the time of service. Special arrangements can be made between me and families if a payment system is needed.
I do not work directly with insurance companies. However, I do provide statements of service to patients who have PPO plans and other coverage that provide out of network mental health benefits. Families are encouraged to check with their insurance companies to determine eligibility.
Families must notify me of cancellations at least 24 hours prior to their scheduled appointments in order to avoid being charged for the session.
Phone Policy and Report Writing: I frequently check in with families between appointments by phone or email. These conversations typically last 5 or 10 minutes for which there is no charge. However, when phone consults are 15 minutes or more, the hourly fee of $100/hr will be charged. Scheduled phone consults are also billed at $100/hr and can be broken down for periods of less than 1 hour.
When I am asked to write reports for legal or educational purposes, my fee is generally $250 per report. If I am requested to attend meetings at court or schools, my hourly fee is $125/hr.
Initial Visits: The initial visit is a 60 minute session for parents only. During that time, I gather important background information regarding the child’s health, development and behavior relevant to working with the family and creating a treatment plan. Parents are given behavior strategies to implement immediately with children in order to begin achieving treatment goals.
The second appointment is typically a home visit, during which I meet and observe the child in his natural environment and where he feels most comfortable and at ease. If difficult behaviors are interfering with school performance, I observe the child at school and meet with teachers and other school faculty or administrators and parents, to determine a behavior plan for the school setting.
After I have met and observed the child, I meet again with the parents to determine the best course of treatment going forward. Depending on the age, stage of development and behavioral issues of the child, I occasionally work solely with parents. Other times, I work with both children and parents.