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New
Clients
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Getting Started:
You can
call or email me to arrange an appointment. If you send an email please
limit personal information since email cannot be guaranteed to be
confidential. The best way to reach me is calling, during weekdays I
make every effort to return your call within twenty-four hours. When we
talk I will want to know what insurance you will be using, what your
requests are for times or locations and a brief description of your
reason for seeking help. If agreeable, we will arrange a time for you
to come in for an initial consultation.
What to Expect: Adults
l Children/Adolescents
Adults
Before we
meet there will be some paperwork
I will need you to fill out. You can
download the paperwork and bring it to the session, or I can give it to
you when you arrive. In the first session I will want hear about what
brings you in for help at this time, and gather some
background information about your concerns.
Psychotherapy
is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on
the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular
problems you are experiencing. There are many different methods I may
use to deal with the problems that you hope to address. Psychotherapy
is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active
effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful,
you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions
and at home.
Psychotherapy
can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing
unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable
feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and
helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to
have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships,
solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings
of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.
Our first
few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of
the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of
what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you
decide to continue with therapy. You should evaluate this information
along with your own opinions of whether you feel comfortable working
with me. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and
energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select.
If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them
whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help
you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a
second opinion.
Child/Adolescent
Before we
meet there will be some paperwork
I will need you to fill out for your
son or daughter. You can download the paperwork and bring it to the
session, or I can give it to you when you arrive. In addition there is
some additional forms I may have you fill out, depending on the nature
of your child or adolescence's difficulties.
I
recommend that you prepare you child for the visit by telling him or
her that I am a psychologist, not a medical doctor and that I will not
be doing an exam, giving shots or prescribiing medication. You can also
say that the purpose of the visit is to address concerns or problems
they are having with the goal of helping them and you- as their parent,
make things better.
I
generally conduct the first consultation with the child and parent(s)
together. I find that children are often most comfortable having their
parent present for the first meeting. Having you and your
child together allows me to see how everyone views the problem, and
helps me get background information that will help us make a decision
on how to follow up. For adolscents, I offer the possibilty of meeting
with them and the parent(s) separately for the first session if they
prefer. Further evaluation will include an individual meeting with your
child, a parent meeting and possibly a family meeting.
As with
adult therapy, treatment recommendations will be based a variety of
factors related to the nature of the problem and its context.
Recommendations may include: individual meetings for the child or
adolescent, parent consultation, family meetings, and in some cases
referral for medication consultation if needed.
Insurance:
It is
helpful to call the insurance prior to coming in, to see if you need
authorization and/or to find out about your benefit (some plans have a
large deductible that you need to pay out of pocket before the
insurance starts paying). I am also willing to accept out of pocket
payment for your sessions and can negociate a limited sliding scale.
I am on
the following insurance panels. If you do not see your insurance on
this list call them and see if they will authorize seeing me as an
outside provider.
Blue Cross
Blue Shield
Health New
England
United
Behavioral Health
Pioneer
Aetna
TriCare
Medicare
Paperwork:
At your
first visit I will need you to fill out a few forms. You can download
them here and bring them in, or I can make them available to you when
you arrive.
Initial
Visit paperwork:
Privacy of
Health Care Information
Confidentiality
Insurance
Form
Psychotherapy
Contract
The
following forms will give me important information about you and your
problem, and help you prepare for your first session:
Background
History
For
parents of children/adolescents:
Developmental
History
Symptom
Checklist
The
following questionaires are commonly used for assessing ADHD, one is
for parents to fill out and the other for teacher(s)
Vanderbilt
ADHD Assessment- Parent Form
Vanderbilt
ADHD Assessment- Teacher Form
Directions:
Northampton:
51
Locust Street,
Northampton,
MA 01060
Directions
for 51 Locust Street, Northampton from Google Maps
When you arrive part on the left of the building. Go in the main
entrance and walk up the short flight of stairs. My office is the last
office on the right of the hall, and my name is on the name plate. You
can walk right in and have a seat in my waiting area.
West
Springfield:
380 Union
Street, Suite 21
West
Springfield, MA 01089
Directions
for 380 Union Street, West Springfield from Mapquest
Please note, if you are coming from the north, you will have to take a
right on a small service road off of Union street. If you are coming
from the south, for example, from Memorial Bridge, or Rt. 147, and
going up Union Street, you will take a left on the small service road
at 380 Union Street. My office is office number 17 in the basement
level. Go in the front door of the 380 Union Street building. Walk
straight down the hall. Take the stairs down and go throught the glass
door at the bottom. Walk down the hall, bearing right until you see
Office 17 on your left. It will be the last office on the left, and the
name on the plaque will be Rebecca Ashe. Walk right in and have a
sit in my waiting area.
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