When I reached out to my circle of friends to ask them if they had any questions about the therapeutic process, I was overwhelmed by the amount of questions people had about going to therapy. I had so many questions that I needed to add a part III to my blog topic of "Ask a Therapist". As always, if you have any additional questions that I can answer, please feel free to contact me at alicia.mittleman@gmail.com or by phone at (916) 425-7733.
Q: Can I bring people with me to therapy?
A: If the person you would like to bring to therapy is relevant to your therapeutic goals, it may be appropriate to bring an additional person to therapy. For example, I see many patients who are dealing with issues within their relationship and see me for individual therapy. There are times when it may be appropriate to bring your partner into therapy for a session or two to work through issues or to talk to them about issues you feel you need my support in order to help guide the conversation. I will often invite parents into therapy if I am seeing their teenager for therapy. I believe it is important to update parents on the progress of their child on a regular basis. I will also encourage parents to attend for family therapy if their child is having difficulty communicating their feelings at home and need my support. Generally though, I encourage people to participate in the therapeutic process alone, as I want my office to be a safe space to express your innermost thoughts and feelings and not feel the pressure of needing to consider your loved one's feelings or opinions.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: I am able to accept insurance through Aetna, Magellan and Sutter EAP. If I am not an in-network provider with your insurance, you might be able to see me if you have out-of-network benefits. If you chose to see me through out-of-network benefits, I can help you submit a super bill to your insurance company for reimbursement.
Q: Are you available after "normal" work hours?
A: I am available in the evening on Mondays and Thursdays. However, those sessions are consistently booked up and it might be difficult to secure an evening session with me.
Q: How far are you booking out for appointments?
A: If you have the availability to see me earlier in the afternoon or late morning, I can generally see you within a week of calling. There occasionally are appointments available within a business day or two.
Q: If I leave you an urgent message how quickly will you get back to me? Am I able to text you?
A: I check my voicemail throughout the day during business hours and will return calls as soon as I am able to. I generally return calls within a few hours. If you call me in the evening or on a weekend I will return your call the next business day. If you have a psychiatric emergency, I urge you to call a crisis line or go to your nearest hospital and not wait for me to return your call.
I am not able to receive texts on my business line. However, I do check my email frequently and that is often a quick way to reach me. I will also often return emails after business hours if you would like to schedule an appointment with me or have a quick, non therapeutic question. I encourage you to keep therapeutic questions to telephone calls or in person conversations.
