FAQ For Equilibria Mental Health Services
How Do I Make an Appointment?
You can either email us through our contact us form or call our office at 267-861-3685, option 1. Our Referral Coordinator will help set you up with a therapist who you feel will be a good fit with your needs.
Does Psychotherapy Really Work?
Yes. There have been numerous studies done over the past several decades that have shown that psychotherapy is beneficial in many ways for many different types of challenges and issues. If psychotherapy is not the best fit for you, we will be happy to provide you with referrals that may be more appropriate.
Do You Offer Long-Term, More Open-Ended Therapy Services?
Yes. At the onset of treatment, we will work with you closely to figure out the source of the problem to target treatment and to address your needs. Frequently we engage in brief therapy, as some problems and issues tend to be resolved in a short period of time. If it appears that what you are coming into therapy for will not be amenable to short-term treatment, you will be informed of that and we will work together to design appropriate treatment services.
Do You Offer Brief Therapy For Targeted Problems?
Yes. At the onset of treatment, we will work with you closely to figure out the source of the problem to target treatment and to address your needs. Frequently we engage in brief therapy, as some problems and issues tend to be resolved in a short period of time. If it appears that what you are coming into therapy for will not be amenable to short-term treatment, you will be informed of that and we will work together to design appropriate treatment services.
Do You Take Insurance?
Yes, we are in-network with many insurance plans including:
Aetna (includes some Meritain, Coresource, and Trustmark plans)
Highmark (includes most of the BCBS out of state plans, like BCBS of Illinois, Horizon of NJ, Capital Blue, etc.)
IBX/IBC (includes Personal Choice, Amerihealth, Amerihealth Administrators, Keystone Health Plan East and many Independence Administrator plans)
Medicare
Quest Behavioral Health
Imagine Health
Geisinger Health Plan
We recommend that you check with your individual health insurance provider to be certain. Even if we are not in-network, you should ask if you have any out-of-network benefits. If so, you may receive reimbursement by your insurance company, even if you have to pay out of pocket at first. Some feel that this is a good strategy for finding a provider of their choosing, rather than being forced to stay within their insurance network.
Since we are not in-network with all insurance plans, those clients choosing to pay out of pocket must pay for services at the end of each session or assessment service. We will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have with regard to reimbursement from your insurance carrier. A statement that contains all of the necessary information needed for you to submit to your insurance company will be given to you or mailed directly to you on a monthly basis. It is your responsibility to complete your claim form, attach the statement from Equilibria, and forward it your insurance company. Reimbursement from your insurance carrier for money you have already paid to us for your treatment should be sent to you directly. Please feel free to ask your therapist any questions you may have regarding filing with your insurance company. For your records, always keep copies of your statements and claims that are sent into your insurance company.
What is your Fee?
INDIVIDUAL/FAMILY THERAPY: $220.00 per 50-minute session ($195 for initial appointment).
GROUP THERAPY: $50.00-75.00 per group session.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION: Psychological assessment and evaluation varies depending on testing/evaluation requirements. Please contact us to discuss your testing/evaluation needs.
PARENT/CO-PARENT COACHING: $425 per month, including three 50 minute sessions, email and check-in communications.
We do offer a sliding scale for people with financial hardships. Please call us at 267-861-3685 or email us at [email protected] for more detail regarding our rates.
Is Therapy Confidential?
Therapy is confidential; however there are a few exceptions to that rule. If the therapist learns that a child has been or is currently being abused, he/she must, by law, report it to the authorities. Also, if someone is in danger of hurting themselves or others, the therapist must take necessary precautions to keep them safe.
Will I Be Allowed to Know What My Child Says in Treatment?
It is important to keep information in the child sessions confidential whenever possible. This assists with trust and allows your child to be comfortable sharing, which is especially true with teenagers. However, we are legally obligated to share with parents any cases of children being hurt or wanting to hurt themselves or someone else. We do our best to encourage and support children and teens to be honest with their caregivers regarding things that are bothering them in order to help facilitate growth.
What Kind of Therapy Do You Offer?
At Equilibria Psychological and Consultation Services, we offer several different types of therapy based on our clients’ needs. Below is a brief description of some of the therapy that we offer:
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY: Equilibria Psychological and Consultation Services offers one-on-one therapy to address concerns that range from temporary problems to issues of a more complex nature. We help our clients understand and resolve their emotional, behavioral and/or social issues in a way that increases their self-awareness and satisfaction.
FAMILY THERAPY: Family therapy helps family members find constructive ways to communicate, understand each other and problem solve. By acknowledging the contexts of people’s families and other relationships while sharing and respecting individuals’ different perspectives, beliefs, views and stories, family therapy helps to explore possible ways to move forward so that everyone benefits.
COUPLES THERAPY/MARRIAGE COUNSELING: When two people join together as part of an intimate relationship (marriage, dating relationship, life partnership, couples, et cetera), various issues and struggles may arise as they strive to attain and maintain satisfaction in their relationship. Equilibria’s therapists help couples negotiate these obstacles. The relationship counseling experience is aimed at increasing empathetic understanding, improving effective communication, and providing an opportunity for mutual growth in your relationship.
GROUP THERAPY: Group therapy can be extremely beneficial to children because it allows them to learn from other children as well as an adult. Learning how to cooperate and problem solve with others challenges children to develop their interpersonal and relating skills, qualities that are imperative to emotional, behavioral and learning success. We offer a wide variety of groups focused on social skills, learning, behavior and emotion management, and specific topics such as divorce, loss and teen issues.
PLAY THERAPY: Play therapy allows children to express their feelings and thoughts in a way that is best suited to their developmental level. By allowing children to play in a safe environment with a trained therapist, children can be helped to cope in more adaptive ways with issues and to work through problems and decision-making. Play therapy helps children learn to express their feelings, improve their communication skills, modify problematic behavior, learn different ways to relate to others, and develop more successful coping and problem solving strategies.
How Do I Contact My Therapist?
Each therapist has his/her own voice mailbox that is confidential. If you need to leave a message for your therapist, call the main number (267-861-3685) and then follow the prompts to leave your therapist a voicemail. Remember to always leave your telephone number even if you think your therapist may have it.
I Have a Very Busy Schedule, Are Your Hours Flexible?
Absolutely. We understand that family obligations and responsibilities can be difficult and time demanding. Therefore, we work with you to find appointment times that fit into your demanding schedule.
How Long Are Sessions?
Individual and coaching sessions are usually 50 minutes long. Family and group sessions may be longer, depending on the needs of the children and families involved. Assessments and evaluations vary a great deal with regard to time, depending on the needs of the individual(s) being assessed or evaluated.
