Psychology FAQ

Do you offer psychotherapy?

No.  At the present time, I only offer ADHD assessments to new clients.  Executive functioning training may also be available to new clients who either have a regular psychotherapist or do not have any other difficulties than ADHD.  

But does therapy work?

Yes. Many decades of scientific research has proven definitively that psychotherapy is effective in treating emotional difficulties of all types.

What is a psychologist?

People are often confused about the different types of mental health professionals. I am a psychologist. Psychologists have a doctoral degree in clinical psychology (not medicine). Although there are many career paths for psychologists, most of them specialize in providing psychotherapy or doing psychological assessments. Psychologists have advanced training in assessing, diagnosing and treating mental illnesses. Since there is so much to know about mental health treatment, many of us have areas of expertise, as well as certain groups that we do not treat (for example, I do not work with children or teenagers).

What are the other mental health professionals?

In a nutshell, here are some other mental health professionals that you might learn about:

• Licensed counselors have a Masters degree in psychology, counseling or occasionally other associated mental health fields like art therapy (this is a less advanced degree than a psychologist has).
• Social workers have a Masters degree in social work.
• Marriage and family therapists have a Masters degree in marriage and family therapy.
• Psychiatrists are trained medical doctors (M.D. or D.O. doctoral degree) who specialize in mental illness. Most of them prescribe psychotropic medication and do not do psychotherapy.

What about medications?

Many people have negative feelings about taking medications for their emotional problems.  Whether medicine is necessary really depends on a person’s level of distress.  If you are coping ok with your daily demands and getting some decent sleep, chances are you can work on your problems without medications.  After I get a good understanding of your situation, we can discuss whether medicine would be helpful.  For people with ADHD, medication is very helpful in the large majority of cases.  I would be happy to explore any concerns you may have about medications with you.  

What concerns should I have about getting mental health care?

You should never go to see anyone who advertises themselves as a “psychotherapist” and who does not have a license as a mental health professional. The term “psychotherapist” is not regulated by law, and thus, untrained people can call themselves “psychotherapists” with no penalty. For your own protection and to obtain appropriate care, insist on being treated by a licensed mental health professional. The only exception to this is that it is ok to see a psychotherapist who is a student in a graduate training program, and who is being closely supervised by a licensed mental health professional.

What are your office hours?

I see clients on Mondays and Tuesdays. I do not have any evening or weekend hours.