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How are you handling sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic?We are keenly aware of the impact of the pandemic on each and every person's life globally. We are committed to providing the same level of care for all our clients as we were doing before the pandemic. Currently, we offer in-person and virtual sessions for both weekly and IOP therapy. Our GOALS support groups for OCD are virtual at this time. We ask for proof of COVID vaccination prior to coming in for in-person sessions. For clients under the age of 16, we only ask for proof of vaccination from the parent(s)/guardian(s).
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What age groups do you work with?We see all ages, children through older adults.
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How long does treatment last?Length of treatment depends on a number of factors including but not limited to the number of co-occurring conditions, length and severity of the condition, how quickly you get on board with treatment, whether you do homework in between sessions, support from significant others/loved ones, and so on. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is usually shorter term than talk therapy. We will work on setting concrete and measurable goals. Therapy when working with younger children tends to be shorter in duration.
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How much will therapy cost?Our rates are competitive with those of other cognitive-behavioral clinical psychologists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our rates range from $230 to $450 per session. Fees will correspond with the level of training and experience of the therapist. Sessions with our behavioral specialists are rated at $140 per hour. In an effort to make excellent evidence-based therapy available to all, we offer low-cost sliding scale treatment when you see one of our doctoral trainees. Our trainees are supervised by licensed clinical psychologists. Sliding scale fees are based on yearly family income and number of dependents.
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Do you take insurance?We are out of network for insurance companies. We provide monthly superbills (statements for insurance reimbrusement) for the treatment sessions and you may submit them to your insurance company for reimbursement. It is your responsibility to inquire if prior authorization is required and how much your plan will reimburse you. Additionally, you are responsible for completing all the required paperwork for your insurance company.
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Why go out-of-network when therapy could be covered by insurance?Expertise –private pay therapists have specialized training for treating specific problems. At Willow Anxiety and OCD, we specialize in treating anxiety, OCD, and related issues. We’re experts at using evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Our training and experience sets us apart from generalist therapists who work with several different problems and are under insurance panels. Personal attention and approach – private pay therapists do not have to operate within the confines of insurance companies and as a result have more freedom to make personal connections and offer state-of-the-art treatment to all our clients. At Willow Anxiety and OCD, we strive to form warm and supportive relationships and to help you accomplish your goals. Treatment tailored for the individual client – we are at liberty for designing the treatment that works for you! We’re not at the mercy of insurance companies who dictate the type of treatment and the duration of treatment. We don’t have added pressure to conform to uninformed rules for making progress. We can work on accomplishing measurable and concrete goals on the schedule we choose.
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Good Faith Estimate (No Surprises Act)Under the No Surprises Act, health care providers are required to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. Before you schedule a service, you will be provided with a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your mental health care will cost. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.
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What is the cancellation policy?We require a 48-hour cancellation notice from the time of the scheduled session; otherwise, you will be charged the full fee for that session. This same policy applies to rescheduling requests. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please email your therapist. Our team's emails are listed on our contact page (https://www.willowcbt.com/contact).
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How long is an individual therapy session?Our sessions are 50 minutes long. There may be occasions when we may do longer or shorter sessions and the rate for those sessions will be prorated. When working with younger children and teens, the sessions are split between working with children/teens and parents.
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How frequently do you do individual therapy sessions?Typically, we see clients once a week. There may be times when we see clients more frequently depending on the level of care needed.
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What is Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP) for OCD?For some clients, a higher level of care is required. In such cases, we offer an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). An IOP ranges from 3-5 days of sessions a week, and each session may be up to 3 hours long with breaks (9-15 total hours per week). Clients meet with a primary treating clinician three days a week for 50-minute psychotherapy sessions. Depending on what is recommended, between 6 to 12 hours of additional sessions per week are provided by our behavioral specialists, who accompany and support the client to do exposure and response prevention (ERP) as assigned by the primary treating clinician. Clients see movement at a much faster rate with an IOP compared to standard weekly programs. We use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as our main treatment and use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) informed interventions. We offer only individual IOP at this time.
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How long is an Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP) session?Clients, families, and our team work together to determine the length of programs based on individual progress and circumstances. An IOP may range from 3-5 days a week and 9-15 hours of sessions weekly. Each session can be up to 3 hours/day with breaks. Psychotherapy sessions with the primary treating clinician are 50 minutes long, three days a week. Between 6 to 12 hours of additional exposure sessions with a behavior specialist may be scheduled weekly. When working with younger children and teens, the psychotherapy sessions may be split between working with children/teens and the parents.
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What is the process for starting therapy/IOP?After you contact us, we will schedule a 15-minute phone consultation free of charge to discuss our services and gather some preliminary information. You can also book a phone consultation here (www.willowcbt.com/book-online). Following the consult, we may schedule the first session, or you may be added to our waitlist if no openings are available.
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Do you prescribe medication?At the moment, we do not have a psychiatrist on staff so we don't have the ability to prescribe medication. Some of our clients take psychotropic medication as an adjunct to therapy. If you and your therapist ascertain that it would be beneficial to use a combination approach to treatment, we can provide you with referrals for psychiatrists. We encourage a collaborative relationship between your therapist and psychiatrist to ensure continuity of care for you. On the whole, we tend to be conservative about suggesting a combined treatment approach but in some cases, we recognize the need and benefit of adding medication to seeking regular therapy. We collaborate with psychiatrists well-versed in treating OCD and are happy to provide referrals.
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What is the GOAL support group for OCD?The GOAL group is a support group for OCD. It is not a therapy group. Clients find a support group for OCD really helpful to normalize and destigmatize their experience with the different themes in OCD. We have two GOAL support groups, one for adults and one for teens. The support groups are facilitated by our clinicians at Willow Anxiety and OCD. Our support groups are free of charge. Currently, it is open to adults (18+) and teens (13-18 years old) The adult GOAL group meets virtually every other Wednesday from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Pacific Time via Zoom. The teen GOAL group meets virtually every other Wednesday from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Pacific Time via Zoom. If you or your teen are interested, please fill out our contact form for screening.
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What kind of treatment outcome data do you collect?We collect data for the target symptoms and quality of life. These data inform our treatment plan and guide our interventions to improve your progress. When analyzing treatment outcome date for the center, we ascertain complete anonymity for our clients. We use PsychSurveys, a HIPAA compliant platform to collect data.
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What's the process for seeking clinical training/supervision/consultation?We offer training, supervision, consultations for therapists and for general audiences. Please contact us for more information.
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