FAQs

How do I pick a therapist?

Picking a therapist is difficult because you are looking for someone with whom to share some of your most personal and private thoughts. A therapist/client relationship is an intimate one and finding a good fit is important. My best advice is to look for someone who you wouldn’t mind spending time with in real life (not that you will, we have very strict boundaries about such things) but you shouldn’t see a therapist that you couldn’t imagine even grabbing a cup of coffee with. You should have some sense of rapport. My second piece of advice is to pick someone who seems like they have good boundaries. A therapist should be personable but not share a ton of personal details about their life with you. Once you are speaking with a therapist try to get a sense of how comfortable you feel sharing. While trust is built slowly over time do you get the feeling that the person you’re speaking to is listening? Are they receiving what you’re saying? Do they have the ability to create a safe space in which to share? Do they seem calm, attentive, and curious? If you can say yes to the above questions you’re off to a good start.

What is the process of getting started with a therapist at CAPNYC?

We feel strongly that the therapeutic relationship is at the core of good therapy. Therefore it’s important that both the therapist and the prospective client feel like they have a good fit. To begin with, just send us an email with a little information about what you’re looking for. You can either send it through our contact page or to one of us directly. From there we will recommend one or more clinicians in our practice whose work we think might align with your needs. We then will schedule a brief phone call to get a better sense of why you’re coming in and give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. Once you’re ready to get started then we can schedule an ongoing appointment.

Does insurance pay for therapy?

The answer is both yes and it depends. We offer an invoice or receipt that you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. This varies from person to person depending on which insurance plan they have. A good way to get a sense of what you are looking at paying out of pocket is to first see if your plan offers any out-of-network reimbursement. Then you want to look at what percent the plan covers (so for example, if your weekly therapy cost is $275 and your insurance offers 80% OON reimbursement, then your cost after they reimburse you would be $55.00 per week). Finally, you need to check your deductible and see if you have an OON deductible and if it has been met in the calendar year.

How long does therapy last?

Again this varies from client to client but you should think about committing to at least a short-term course of therapy (3 months-1 year) to get a real sense of how it’s helping you. I’d say most people stay in therapy anywhere from 1-10+ years but after about 3 months you should have some idea if the process is for you. Results take time. Therapy is a combination of insight-building, relationship-building, and observing the process itself. It is layered and complicated. Therapy can dramatically shift peoples self world view or it can simply provide people with support and awareness.