New Patients
Getting Started
What To Expect
Children – up to age 12
If your child is under the age of 13, I use a series of three appointments to complete the evaluation.
The first appointment is for me to meet alone with the parents to understand the reasons for your concerns, go over all previous efforts at treatment and the history of your child's development. This first appointment lasts one hour.
The second appointment is for me to meet with your child. This appointment lasts 45 minutes and gives me a chance to get a personal impression of the child's needs, personality, strengths, and even the challenges that have led to our consultation. Please know, and share with your child that our conversation at this appointment will be confidential. This will allow me to get the most useful information and be of most help to you and your child. In-person appointments involve talking, drawing, playing games, and activities that allow me to see your child's information processing, attention, and focus abilities as well as highlight his or her personality. Video Call sessions are by necessity more limited in this way.
The third appointment is the informing session. I will present my diagnostic impressions, outline any additional areas in need of clarification, testing recommendations, or other medical assessments that may be appropriate (blood tests, EEGs, etc.). By the end of this 45-minute appointment, you should have a clear idea of the cause for your child's difficulties and what to do about it.
Please upload through the patient portal all of the history forms, previous evaluations, testing, IEP's, or other information you want me to have as part of the evaluation.
Please note: While I may not be able to read over every page before the appointment, it makes it possible for me to know what not to repeat and helps my information gathering. It is during this time that I try not to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes unsuccessful treatment efforts are clues to the correct diagnosis and the best treatment approach possible.
To get the process started or to learn more contact [email protected]
Insurance is not accepted. Detailed receipts are provided.
Adolescents - ages 13 to 18
For Adolescents, I use a series of two appointments to complete the evaluation.
The first appointment is 1 hour long and the second 45 minutes. I mix and match time with everyone together, time with the teenager, and with parents alone. Depending on the nature of the family situation, more appointments may be necessary, especially with divorced and blended families.
Time alone with the teen is always part of this first appointment. This gives me a chance to get a personal impression of your child's needs, personality, strengths, and even the challenges that have led to our consultation. Please know, and share with your teen that our conversation at this appointment will be confidential, and that will allow me to get the most useful information and be of most help to you and your child.
The second session is the informing session. I will present my diagnostic impressions, outline any additional areas in need of clarification, testing recommendations, or other medical assessments that may be appropriate (blood tests, EEGs, etc.). By the end of this 45-minute appointment, you should have a clear idea of the cause for your child's difficulties and what to do about it. I believe that engaging the adolescent during this session is almost always a good idea. Their engagement is often the key to implementing constructive change.
Please upload through the patient portal all of the history forms, previous evaluations, testing, IEP's, or other information you want me to have as part of the evaluation.
Please note: While I may not be able to read over every page before the appointment, it makes it possible for me to know what not to repeat and helps my information gathering. It is during this time that I try not to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes unsuccessful treatment efforts are clues to the correct diagnosis and the best treatment approach possible.
To get the process started or to learn more contact [email protected]
Insurance is not accepted. Detailed receipts are provided.
Young Adults ages 18 to 24
For Young adults, a single one-hour session is for the initial intake (evaluation), with the option of additional sessions if needed.
Please upload through the patient portal all of the history forms, previous evaluations, testing, IEP's, or other information you want me to have as part of the evaluation.
Please note: While I may not be able to read over every page before the appointment, it makes it possible for me to know what not to repeat and helps my information gathering. It is during this time that I try not to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes unsuccessful treatment efforts are clues to the correct diagnosis and the best treatment approach possible.
To get the process started or to learn more contact [email protected]
Insurance is not accepted. Detailed receipts are provided.
Adults – up to age 65
For adults, a single one-hour session is for the initial intake (evaluation), with the option of additional sessions if needed.
Please upload through the patient portal all of the history forms, previous evaluations, testing, IEP's, or other information you want me to have as part of the evaluation.
Please note: While I may not be able to read over every page before the appointment, it makes it possible for me to know what not to repeat and helps my information gathering. It is during this time that I try not to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes unsuccessful treatment efforts are clues to the correct diagnosis and the best treatment approach possible.
To get the process started or to learn more contact [email protected]
Insurance is not accepted. Detailed receipts are provided.
Please Review The Office Policies
Fees
My fees for services as of January 1, 2023, are as follows:
Initial Diagnostic Evaluation (60 minutes, first session) $485
45-minute appointment for psychotherapy, medication management, or family therapy $350
30-minute appointment for medication management $255
15-minute medication appointment $130
Payment For Services
Insurance
Tricare Insurance
While I am a Tricare Approved Provider (from the CHAMPUS days), I am not a Tricare Participating Provider. You will have to submit my receipts yourself for reimbursement, but you should receive some coverage form Tricare for my services.
Insurance (Other than Tricare)
I do not participate in Medicare, Medicaid, or any insurance company panels. My fees are covered as either an "Out of Network" or "Non-participating" provider. Insurance companies vary widely in how they handle my fees. Some pay little or none of my fees, while others cover my charges to some extent. Please check with your individual insurance company about their policies before scheduling. If you need to use your insurance coverage, the best way to access that is through your insurance company website.
Late Cancellation Fees and Missed Appointment Charges
If you cancel an appointment less than 24 hours ahead of time, and it is not because of a medical emergency, you will be charged the full fee. The same is true for missed appointments without any notice. Your insurance company will not pay for these charges.
This is the subject of a lot of questions, so let me explain the basis for this. It is useful to think of my practice as a time rental model. Once you schedule your appointment, I have set aside that time for you alone. If you do not use that time, it has still been set aside and no one else can use that time.
Conflicts like business meetings, sports practices and games, homework, and religious school commitments may create conflicts with your scheduled time. With enough notice, I can sometimes reschedule appointments within the same week, and if so there is no charge.
If the time can be filled by another patient, you will not be charged for the late cancellation. My staff and I are good at filling late cancellations, so please give me whatever notice you can, even if it less than 24 hours before your appointment. Email me ([email protected]) and my secretary ([email protected]) and we will do everything we can to fill the time and prevent a late cancellation charge.
Prescription Refills
Please ask me for all refills at the time of your appointment. If refill requests outside of appointment times occur regularly, a charge of $25 will be assessed for the time to process the refills.
Please know that prescriptions will NOT be filled without a scheduled appointment in place for follow up.
While many insurance companies ask that you have 90-day refills, I am not comfortable doing this until the medication has been shown to be both effective and safe for you or your family member. If there is any risk of self-harm, I may limit the amount of medication prescribed at any one time as well. This may not agree with your insurance company’s policy.
COVID-19 Notice
I appreciate your patience and understanding as we go through this pandemic. I am monitoring daily reports from the Virginia State Department of Health, the CDC, and the Fairfax County Health Departments. I am seeing patients in person on Wednesdays who are vaccinated and boosted, and have not been ill in the last 5 days.
Video Sessions
Inclement Weather
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