Frequently Asked Questions

Insurance & Payment

No, we are out-of-network providers, which means we do not work directly with insurance providers and that you are fully responsible for your session fees at the time of service. Check out the “Being Out of Network Providers” page for more information.

No, we do not offer payment plans.

Getting Started

The first session, or initial consultation is a 45-60 minute appointment with your therapist. We will talk about what brings you to therapy and usually ask a set of routine questions to get a comprehensive sense of who you are and your primary concerns. Then we may share preliminary impressions of how we would approach your concerns in therapy. This is an opportunity to feel out the fit between you and your therapist and a great time to ask questions - especially if this is your first time in therapy!

Yes, although it will depend on scheduling and if that specific therapist is accepting new patients. If we can, we will do our best to honor your preference; however, we encourage you to be as flexible as possible.

It depends, we are open to discussing this on a case-by-case basis. Generally we don’t recommend that you work with two therapists long-term, especially if each therapist takes a different approach to the same concern - but we understand there can be unique situations where seeing two therapists for separate reasons can be beneficial.

Depends on you! We find that most of our patients make substantial progress on their initial therapy goals between 3-6 months of weekly sessions, however many patients choose to set new goals or continue working well past that timeframe. Since we are goal-directed in our approach, your length of time in therapy will depend on the goals you set. We celebrate our patients’ successes and believe ending therapy because you’ve met your personal goals is a wonderful experience!

No, our team of psychologists only works with adults 18 years old + at this time located in New York state. If your adult child would like your assistance in starting therapy, we are open to coordination with you as the parent during the initial process. However, we will only directly work with your child as the primary patient once sessions begin, and will empower them to be responsible for their own therapy. All confidentiality and privacy practices will be enacted upon the start of therapy (i.e., we cannot speak to anyone about their care without explicit written permission). Please encourage your adult child to fill out our New Patient Inquiry Form on our website on their own.

Yes. Some young adults appreciate some support starting therapy, especially if it’s their first time, or if they’ve moved elsewhere to start college. We are open to some coordination with you as the parent during the initial process, but we will encourage your adult child to get involved as soon as possible and speak with us directly. We have a lot of experience with first-timers in therapy and want your child to feel empowered from the start! Please bear in mind that once therapy begins, all confidentiality and privacy practices are enforced (i.e., we cannot speak to you about their care without consent). As a first step, we encourage your adult child to look over and fill out our New Patient Inquiry Form on our website.

Scheduling Policies

No, we do not offer weekend appointments at this time. Our psychologists can offer session times Monday - Friday.

To honor your time and your therapist’s time, we have a 24-hour advance notice cancellation policy, which is standard for most practices. If you do not notify your therapist of a need to cancel your session 24 hours before your scheduled session (this includes rescheduling your session to a different time the same week), you will be charged your session fee. This also applies if you do not show to a scheduled appointment.

We encourage you to speak to your therapist about this - as changes in the frequency of therapy may reflect a change in your circumstance that can be helpful to talk about (e.g., financial, work schedule, progress in therapy goals). We are flexible on a case by case basis depending on your therapist’s availability, but initially recommend scheduling weekly sessions to get the most out of therapy.

Other

The term therapist is generic and can refer to a mental health professional with graduate-level training (either a master’s degree or doctoral degree) - but it’s a term that also gets used in professions other than psychology (e.g., a speech, physical, or massage therapist). The word counselor is more broad and doesn’t usually come with the connotation of having completed graduate school (e.g., peer counselor, camp counselor).

Psychologists have completed a doctoral program in psychology (either PhD or PsyD) and possess the highest level of academic training; only doctoral-level therapists can call themselves psychologists in most states. A licensed psychologist in the state of New York has likely completed 5-7 years of graduate level coursework, research, and clinical experience. Upon graduation, they must also work for an additional year or two (or the equivalent of 1750 hours) with a limited permit and under supervision before applying for independent licensure. Sometimes the post-graduate work is in a specialty area and is called a postdoctoral fellowship. By the time psychologists are fully licensed, they’ve likely completed 6-8 years of training and clinical work.

A psychiatrist has completed medical school (4 years) and a residency program (often 4 years) in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication for mental health concerns. While psychiatrists may also be trained to provide psychotherapy, the majority of their training is grounded in the medical model of health and wellness. In some states, psychologists can also prescribe medication if they complete a few additional years of specialized training.

Our practice is distinctive in a few ways. We are team of doctoral level therapists - which means that each therapist has completed the highest level of clinical training possible for our field. We have a mission statement that guides our team on a daily basis and a larger vision and giving initiative we’re passionate and proud of. Every psychologist on the team is well versed on at least one evidence-based therapy approach (if not multiple ones) and committed to multiculturally responsive therapy through ongoing training, consultation, and self-reflection. As a team, we also have a social justice orientation to mental health care. While this can mean a lot of things, some of the ways that it shows up is that we don’t aim to be “blank slates” or carefully neutral as therapists when it comes to being actively anti-oppressive. We do think it’s our job to help patients process the effect of power, privilege, and marginalization on mental health or debunk dehumanizing ideas that are really common (e.g., grind culture, colonization of psychology). We also don’t emphasize a top-down hierarchy in the therapist-patient relationship and instead elevate collaboration and co-creating therapeutic progress. If you’re curious about more, don’t hesitate to ask.

Our psychologists have been trained in a number of psychotherapy approaches, many of which are “evidence-based”, and some that have been around since talk therapy began. An evidence-based therapy means the approach has been tested through research and has proven positive outcomes with patients. If you are interested in learning more about different types of therapy, check out our Types of Therapy page. We give short descriptions of each of the therapy approaches we offer and how they may show up in a session.

No, psychologists do not hold privileges to prescribe psychiatric medications in the state of New York at this time. However, if you are interested in consulting with a psychiatrist about the possibility of taking medication (or making changes to a current regimen), let us know and we can make a referral. Our views on medication will vary on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes medication can provide tremendous relief and be an untapped resource for your mental health. Sometimes research shows that medication works best with talk therapy, and sometimes we will encourage you to try coping skills first because medication may not be recommended as a first-line response for whatever you’re coming into therapy for (e.g., sleep, body image concerns). We will always collaborate with you and professionally advocate for what we believe is in your best interest according to the latest research.

Yes, we offer HIPAA-compliant video sessions at this time. Some of our therapists offer a hybrid scheduling option (combination of teletherapy and in-person sessions). For more information about teletherapy, check out our Online Therapy page.

No. Hamilton comes to work with Dr. Loo and you may see him around the neighborhood on his daily walk. If you are a patient of Dr. Loo’s, you can request that Hamilton be nearby during your session.