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HOW CAN I MAKE THE MOST OF MY COUNSELING VISITS?
Whether you are participating in individual, family, or couples counseling, these tips can assist you:
Arrive on time for scheduled appointments.
Set small, realistic goals for what you want to accomplish.
Set time aside between sessions to reflect on issues discussed during your visits and/or complete readings or homework assignments.
Address any concern about the process with your counselor or your partner or family as soon as you become aware that it is interfering with your progress.
If for any reason you find that you and your counselor are not a good match, discuss it with him or her, and we will arrange for you to see a new counselor. Don't feel bad about this as counselors are often like shoes--each one doesn't fit everyone and everyone has their own style. We want you to get the help you need and will gladly refer you to someone else rather than have you not make the progress you need to in order to address your difficulties successfully.
Remember that change is difficult and may come slowly. Be patient with yourself and go at a pace that is comfortable to you.
Please be sure that you have made arrangements for child care prior to your appointments. We are unable to watch young children while clients are being seen and we don't want to expose kids to "adult" discussions. In the event you do need to bring your older children to some appointments, please have them bring books, computer games, etc. to keep them occupied while they are waiting for you.
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WHAT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION?
A psychological evaluation consists of a battery of standardized psychological tests, interviews, gaining information from third parties, and reviewing records that provides the psychologist with information about a person's (child, adolescent, adult or senior) level of functioning. The Glenwood Testing Center offers psychological assessments that evaluate intellectual (I.Q.), academic, behavioral, emotional and social functioning. A COGNITIVE evaluation looks at the person's potential to understand and apply new information. For example, if a child is not doing well in school, they may have limited ability to learn, or a learning disability, or an attention deficit, or an emotional problem (or any of the four or some combination of those deficits). A cognitive evaluation will help to shed light on what the patient is needing to be successful in school, on the job, and/or in a relationship.
An evaluation of PERSONALITY or EMOTIONAL functioning looks at how the individual is functioning on an emotional level. For example, you may have a child in your home who is always oppositional or an adult may have anger issues. This can be due to a number of factors. It may be that the person is very angry and does not know how to express it. It may be that the individual is depressed and is acting angry because they do not understand why they are feeling bad. It could also mean that the patient is fearful or doesn't know how to form relationships. A psychological evaluation will shed light on the underlying feelings, so the person and their family will have more information on how to deal with their behavior.
WHO DOES THE EVALUATION?
The evaluations start with an intake session with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who then determines which battery of psychological tests and what other information data gathering procedures are appropriate in assessing the specific problems the client presents. The psychologist scores, analyzes, and interprets all the testing and prepares a written report of the findings which will include extensive recommendations for what the patient's family, school or work personnel, doctor, etc. might be able to do to help improve functioning.
HOW LONG DOES THE EVALUATION TAKE?
Right after the initial, intake session, all testing appointments and the interpretation session will be scheduled. You will leave that first visit with a printout that indicates what times and dates the appointments are set for and what procedures will be done on which visits.
In a typical psychological evaluation, all data can be obtained (testing, interviews, collateral information gathering) within about two weeks. If there is a need for a quicker turn-around time for an evaluation, this can be arranged. Following completion of all parts of the evaluation, an INTERPRETATION session is scheduled with the patient, parents (if patient is a minor) and/or spouse or other family members of the patient's choosing. In this session, all test scores and results, interpretation of all findings, diagnoses and the recommended treatment plan are reviewed, in depth, and any questions about the evaluation are answered. A formal, comprehensive, written PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORT is prepared and sent to the patient or parent after that interpretive session. Copies can also be made available, at the patient's discretion and direction, to primary care physicians, psychiatrists or other treating professionals, teachers, employers, attorneys or other interested parties. NO INFORMATION OR REPORTS ARE RELEASED WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED, WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PATIENT OR PARENT!
HOW DOES ONE PREPARE FOR THE EVALUATION OR HOW DO I PREPARE MY CHILD?
For adults, no preparation is needed other than to come to the testing sessions rested and with a desire to learn about oneself. Obviously, if you wear glasses for reading, bring them. Otherwise, simply show up and the examiner will guide the process for you. For many of the tests, there are no right or wrong answers and you cannot "fail" these tests. Just answer openly and honestly and don't worry about the process or the results. Remind the child that the purpose of the evaluation is to help him/her.
Children generally enjoy evaluations, because they are getting a good deal of individual attention. Parts of the evaluation consist of tasks children generally find enjoyable, such as drawing, puzzles, playing a computer game and making up stories. At the same time, they will probably be tired after the evaluation, just because they are spending so much time interacting with one adult. It is best to tell them that the evaluation is made up of a bunch of activities, and a lot of them are fun. Furthermore, tell them this is something that gives us information on how the child is doing, and on what their strengths are, so that we all know how to help them better.
Try to make sure the child gets a good night's sleep before each testing session, and eats a good breakfast on the days of the evaluation. This will help them to focus their attention, leading to results which are a better reflection of their functioning. The child can bring a snack, if desired, as breaks during the evaluation can be allowed for. The evaluation will take place in an office setting. The child should be brought to the evaluation by the care-giver. The care-giver does not, however, have to stay throughout the evaluation. Just arrange with the evaluator a good time to pick the child up.
WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER READING THE REPORT?
The evaluation is a tool to provide understanding and direction to better address the patient's or child's needs. If you have question after reading the report you can e-mail the questions to doctorcushing.com or call Dr. Cushing at (815) 968-5342 to have them answered.
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HOW SOON CAN I GET AN APPOINTMENT?
Typically, we should be able to arrange to have you seen within a few days or, in the case of an emergency, the same day you call. While you may be offered an appointment that is a week or two away, if this is not acceptable, simply inform the receptionist that you must be seen sooner and we will make arrangements to accommodate you.
HOW DO I GO ABOUT MAKING AN APPOINTMENT?
Just call the Glenwood Testing Center at (815) 968-5342 and tell the receptionist you want to make an appointment with Dr. Cushing. Normally, our office is open for scheduling from 8 a.m. to 6:30 P.M., Monday through Thursday, from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Fridays and most Saturdays from 8 A.M. to noon. We have a 24 hour live answering service who will contact Drs. Cushing if the office is closed and you must speak to someone right away.
WHAT APPOINTMENT TIMES ARE AVAILABLE?
Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. TO 5:45 P.M. for most services. Some testing services must be completed during the mornings or early afternoons but special arrangements can be made as needed.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL AN APPOINTMENT?
Your active participation is necessary for progress, and we urge you to attend all scheduled sessions. If you take psychiatric medications, follow-up visits are especially important in providing on-going, quality care.
If you need to cancel an appointment, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance by calling (815)968-5342. "No shows" for individuals, family or couples counseling or psychological testing appointments and late cancellations (less than 24 hours notice) may be charged up to the per session rate. Please understand that other patients could use the time set aside for your appointment and that if you don't show up, the doctor or counselor has 45+ minutes of unproductive time that might be wasted.
If we need to cancel an appointment, please understand that sometimes emergency situations arise that take precedence over non-emergency scheduled visits. If we have to cancel your appointment to accommodate an emergency or a patient in crisis, we will phone you to reschedule your appointment at the earliest available time.
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HOW DO WE PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY?
We are committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality to the fullest extent of state and federal law. We do not release information outside of Glenwood without written permission from the patient and/or parent/guardian except upon court order or where required by law (as, for example, in child abuse situations), or as required in our judgment to protect you or others from physical danger or need for an emergency hospitalization. When, in our judgment, there exists a threat to the life of an individual that cannot be managed through the normal counseling process or a situation where a patient cannot take care of him/herself because of a mental disorder, we may enlist the help of a family member or significant other in order to help resolve the crisis or assure safety. In the rare occasions when this might occur, the patient is informed of such a possible action in advance whenever possible.
Glenwood's Notice of Privacy Practices provides an exhaustive list of how clients' medical information may and may not be accessed or shared. This notice is given to every individual who accesses services at Glenwood. If you are under the age of 18, please discuss confidentiality with the staff member you consult with, as some additional considerations may apply.
If you have any other specific concerns or questions about confidentiality or privacy, please be sure to discuss them with your Glenwood professional during an appointment or via the telephone or e-mail. We work with all patients and our staff to ensure that all information obtained during visits and your records remain confidential. At Glenwood, confidentiality is extremely important and is honored and we will be forthright about any privacy limitation.
Authorization for Release of Information
If you believe that it would be helpful for your counselor or psychologist to talk with someone else about how you are doing or what you are dealing with in your work together, please discuss it with her or him. Together, you can decide what in particular might be helpful to share with whom and during what time frame. We will need your signed permission, using an Authorization for Release of Health Information which can be obtained in our business office.
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WHAT WILL PSYCHOTHERAPY OR PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING SERVICES COST ME AND WHAT PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?
There are usual and customary costs for psychological care, and this varies among communities. The most traditionally quoted average session fee is $125-225 per hour (depending upon the expertise, training and licensure of the professional) and the treatment/evaluation appointments are usually 45-50 minutes. Psychological evaluations can vary from very brief diagnostic assessments to complicated differential diagnosis evaluations of emotional or learning problems to complex forensic evaluations to neuropsychological assessments for brain injury and brain function. Thus, they may range from $500-$4500 with, again, the average being closer to the middle of that range.
However, what is often more important to the individual seeking services is what their "out of pocket" costs may be. In that all services are billed out under psychotherapy or psychological testing codes, we recommend that you contact your health insurance company and ask them what your "Outpatient Mental Health Benefit" is. This is usually quoted in terms of a percentage of the "usual and customary" fee (perhaps 10 or 20%) or a co pay dollar amount (such as $20 per session). If the doctor or therapist you want to see in not on your health insurance panel, ask the company what the "out of network" benefit is as often there is not a significant difference in coverage for professionals who are not on your company's preferred provider list. It should also be noted that many insurance companies have negotiated volume discounts with the Glenwood Testing Center professionals and thus, your percentage of co pay may be based on a significantly reduced fee compared to the fee for service charge.
Our experienced, dedicated reimbursement specialists will bill your insurance company and work with you and the company in any way possible to maximize your coverage for psychological services.
We encourage you to talk to the Glenwood professionals regarding possible payment plans as often, particularly for more extensive, intensive evaluations, payment plans that extend for 6-12 months are available.
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