Answers to Common Questions About Counseling and Therapy

Yes. We accept most major insurances, including Aetna, Keystone Health Plan East, Personal Choice, United Behavioral Health/Optum, Cigna/Evernorth, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medicare, and Carelon.  

If you do not see your insurance company, please call our office.  Please note we do not take Medicaid/Medical Assistance.

We also participate with several smaller insurance companies in addition to several employee assistance programs. Please call your insurance company if you want to confirm our participation. You can also feel free to contact us, and we can assist you.

We encourage all new and current patients to contact their insurance plans to learn about their benefit coverage. More specifically, we encourage you to find out about your co-pay and if you need to meet a deductible. We will give you our best estimate of what the co-pay should be for each visit based on what your insurance company tells us. However, for many policies, the co-pay may change during your course of treatment, and insurance plans sometimes change without notifying providers.

A complete financial policy for Psychology & Counseling Associates will be reviewed and given to you at your initial appointment. Please direct any questions to your therapist. If you have additional questions, please contact the billing department at 610-970-5234 ext. 203.

We offer daytime, evening, and weekend hours. We have therapists who work every day of the week, with each of our therapists maintaining their own schedules. We generally have therapists who schedule appointments from 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday and from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturdays/Sundays.

Our office staff is trained to match each new patient with a therapist who specializes in the problem area that is presented. You are more than welcome to look at our brief therapist profiles located on this website.

Please complete electronic paperwork that was sent prior to your first session. If you are unable to complete the paperwork prior to your appointment, please come 20 minutes early.  The information that you provide will help your therapist identify key pieces of information and will help direct them to establish an appropriate treatment plan with you.  During your initial visit, your therapist will primarily listen to you in order to learn more about why you chose to come in and how they can be most helpful. By the end of the initial evaluation, your therapist will be able to offer you some initial impressions of what your treatment will include. We view treatment as a collaborative process, so we encourage you to ask questions and share your goals. Your therapist will discuss with you if a psychiatric evaluation is recommended. We have psychiatrists on staff that evaluate individuals to determine if medication would help relieve their symptoms.

Yes.  We have 3 psychiatrists who primarily work with adults 18 and over. Our prescribers evaluate patients to determine if patients may benefit from medication. Our psychiatrists work collaboratively with the therapists in our practice to form a treatment team. Our policy is that all patients who work with a prescriber must also work with a therapist.

We strongly believe that medication management and psychotherapy go “hand in hand.” Our three psychiatrists form a team whereby treatment plans and goals are closely coordinated. Research suggests that people typically maximize benefits by combining these two disciplines.

One essential difference is that a psychiatrist can prescribe medication and a psychologist cannot. Clinical psychologists have specialized training in the practical application of psychological knowledge, including psychological testing and evaluation. In essence, this training focused on training in psychotherapy. Psychologists typically spend 4 years in graduate school plus 1 year of a clinical internship and another year of further training prior to becoming licensed. Psychiatrists attend medical school and then complete a 4-year residency in psychiatry. Some complete fellowships after residency to further specialize in their fields.

Ph.D.: Doctor of Philosophy (in Psychology)/Psy.D.: Doctor of Psychology. These two degrees are for doctoral-level psychologists. Psychologists spend 4 years in graduate school plus 1 year of internship.

MA, MS, MSW, MSS, and MEd: This indicates that a therapist has attained a master’s degree.

LCSW: Licensed Clinical Social Worker. This is a master’s-level degree that typically focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral issues. An LCSW helps people identify specific solutions to specific problems.

CADC: Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

CAADC: Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

LMFT: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. This is a master’s-level degree with a specialty in working with couples and families.

LPC: Licensed Professional Counselor. This is a licensure that can be obtained when one has a master’s degree in a counseling-related field. Counseling, in general, helps empower diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.

There is no one answer as to how long therapy typically takes. Every person’s problem is different. It depends on the presenting problem that brings you to therapy. Some issues can be treated in just a few sessions, but other issues are more complex or chronic and may require longer-term treatment. Please ask this question to your therapist so that he or she can talk to you about your specific situation.

Yes. If you have a joint custody agreement, both custodial guardians must sign consent for their child, 13 and under, to obtain treatment. Children 14 and older are able to consent to treatment for themselves. There are some grey areas that may require joint consent too. Our admin staff and therapists will help to answer any of these questions.

If a custody agreement indicates that you have sole legal custody, we require a copy of that agreement in order to schedule appointments.

The law protects the privacy of all communications between a patient and a licensed mental health professional. We can only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written authorization form. Some exceptions to confidentiality laws include suspected child abuse, if a patient is a danger to self or others, or if a court mandates that records be released (a complete list of these can be found in our consent form).

We take confidentiality very seriously. More information will be reviewed at your first session.