Frequently Asked Questions

We provide both in-person and telehealth services, depending on your needs, along with clinician availability and preferences.

Treatment delivery by video conference systems may be a preferred method due to convenience, distance, or other circumstances. Video conferencing is a flexible option and a method that people are becoming increasing comfortable using. Some clients with underlying health conditions or who live with people with health concerns prefer telehealth sessions. Some of our clinicians have similar reasons for offering telehealth sessions. Note that in some instances, teletherapy may not be clinically indicated.

The video conference systems we use meet HIPAA standards of encryption and privacy protection, but we cannot guarantee privacy. You will not have to purchase a plan when you “join” our online meeting, but you may be asked to provide your first name and where you are located (for safety reasons). Likewise, when using a video conference for your session, please be sure you are alone in a private location where you will not be interrupted and where others will not be able to hear or see you or your therapist.

Please be aware that although video conferencing may be used when the clinician and client are in different locations, licensure regulations only allow a session to be conducted in the state in which the clinician is licensed and the client is located. Some clinicians are licensed in more than one state, or for licensed clinical psychologists, they may be an approved PSYPACT clinician. PSYPACT Approved Psychologists are part of a program that allows them to practice teletherapy across state lines with one of the approximately 27 states that have enacted legislation to allow this type of practice mobility.

Many clients and clinicians prefer in-person sessions. We welcome you to our office and ask that you follow our safety protocols by wearing a mask inside the building and in our waiting room. Depending on vaccination status and the comfort level of both the client and clinician, masks may be removed in the therapy room if all participants agree and are comfortable and feel safe without masks. High touch areas are cleaned and sanitized regularly, including before and after client visits. We ask that anyone experiencing any COVID-related or other symptoms of illness say home if scheduled for an in-person session and either reschedule or use telehealth to participate in the session.

Many child and teen clients prefer and benefit the most from in-person sessions. Please talk with your clinician about your child or teen's preferences and what makes the most sense while prioritizing everyone's health and safety.

The more flexible your schedule, the easier it will be to find a time that an appropriate clinician is available for an intake assessment session. After-school and evening hours are currently very limited and book up quickly when an appointment slot becomes available for both intakes and regularly recurring sessions.

On average, depending on your availability, whether you are seeking in-person or telehealth services, the frequency of ongoing sessions you desire (which will ultimately be determined between you and your clinician and based on your treatment plan), it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for an appointment.

While we cannot guarantee wait times and availability, on average, our goal is to be able to schedule an intake assessment appointment within 2-4 weeks following your initial inquiry and after all of the intake and consent forms are complete and uploaded through the client portal, and your insurance is verified (as applicable.)

We do not provide crisis services and we do not have on-call clinicians. If you believe your situation warrants more intensive services, we suggest contacting an intensive out-patient program or pursuing in-patient hospitalization directly.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room.

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Our job is to work ourselves out of a job in the most efficient, timely, and effective way possible.

Therapy is a highly individualized process. No two people are the same, even if they have similar struggles or diagnoses. Sometimes you will feel quick relief, and sometimes things will get worse before they get better. You are likely to feel vulnerable and uncomfortable at times. Talking about your struggles is hard work, but you are also likely to feel stronger, more confident, more controlled, and happier overall.

With children and teens, parents might see their child's symptoms worsen or new issues emerge throughout the course of therapy. This is not uncommon. As children and teens grow, develop, and change rapidly during these years, they also begin to think, feel, and act differently. Adolescence is a time of self-discovery. Teens try on new identities. They become more independent and sometimes more distant. Their interests may rapidly shift. Their friendships often change. They may experiment and engage in some risky behavior. They may rebel. In all, they are finding themselves, and in this process they may say and do things that seem uncharacteristic, or that suggest that they are deteriorating. This could be true, but whatever the reason or situation, having a strong therapeutic relationship with a professional can help your teen experience an easier time getting through the bad times with the support they need.

So, how long will it take? Sometimes people participate in therapy for 8-10 sessions before they feel relief and have a good set of new coping skills to continue to practice outside of therapy. Other times, the therapy process can take several months to a year or even longer. Typically, sessions are held weekly, but depending on your needs, you may meet every other week, or at a later point, even monthly as you see improvements.

Your clinician will check in with you throughout the therapy process to assess progress, determine if the frequency of sessions can or should be spaced out, update your treatment plan and goals, plan for termination, or recommend or refer you to other services. In the early stages of treatment planning and therapy, your therapist will give you an estimate of how long they think you will need to participate in therapy to address your presenting issues.

Remember, our goal is to help you change, improve, and overcome your struggles. When our goals our met, our work is done. And, we want to meet our goals!

Separated parents must both provide consent for treatment of their minor child, unless there is a separation agreement in place that states otherwise.

Before we can schedule an intake assessment appointment or proceed with ongoing services for a minor of divorced parents, a copy of the custody agreement must be provided.

In most cases and based on the custody agreement, we need the written permission of both parents in order to provide services to a minor. This means both parents must complete all of the intake paperwork and forms.

In cases of separated and divorced parents, we will send all communication to both parents, unless the parents agree otherwise and it does not violate any provisions of a legal proceeding or legal determination.

Payment for services by one or both parents must also be clear.

If parents ever disagree about engaging in or continuing treatment for the minor, we will need to pause treatment until the parents can come to an agreement. If it is not possible for the parents to come to an agreement, we will have to stop treating the minor. 

Different clinicians approach communication with parents and legal guardians in different ways. There is no singular correct way to communciate. Some clinicians invite parents in before sessions to touch base about their concerns and observations, or they ask parents to join the end of every session to debrief. Other clinicians find this to be disruptive and to encroach on the sense of privacy and level of disclosure the child or teen is willing to risk. As such, these clinicians may ask you to schedule periodic sessions to discuss concerns and review progress, or they may invite you for a session with or without the child or teen from time to time to give you an update and hear your observations and experiences. Other times, clinicians may initiate or be available for a phone call to touch base on an "as needed" basis.

In all cases, parents and legal guardians have a right to know about the content covered in sessions at any point and for any reason. We urge you to try to find a balance that works between you and your child's therapist to help ensure that too frequent and detailed communication does not undermine the child's ability to benefit from the therapy, while also helping you feel comfortable that the child is being forthcoming about issues and treatment is moving in the right direction.

We often provide parents with a copy of the child or teen's initial treatment plan, as well as copies when substantive updates or revisions are made to the treatment plan based on the completion of goals, new diagnoses, or new issues that emerge. You can generally expect that an initial reasonably comprehensive treatment plan will be available by the second or third therapy session, and modified as therapy progresses.

All clients aged 18 and over are responsible for making decisions regarding their own treatment and have the sole authority to determine what information from therapy or their records, is or is not shared with parents or any other party. Even if a parent or guardian is paying for the client's treatment, this does not entitle them to access confidential information.

Parents do not have a right to the adult client's health information by virtue of being the client's parent, and we will not be able to discuss the client or respond with any confidential or other information without the explicit written authorization of the adult client. If we do not have a valid release of information on file that clearly delineates what we can and cannot share with parents or any other parties regarding the client, we will not and cannot disclose any protected health information. 

Our practice requires a written release of information to be documented in the client's file with a clear expiration date before we will share information. If there is any question when the clinician reviews the written release about whether or not specific content should be disclosed, we will err on the side of caution and our client's privacy, and we will not release information until (or if) we are able to clarify with the client. Exceptions to this policy include when, in the clinician's judgement, the current client is in imminent danger to self or others, when the clinician suspects abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or dependent adult, or by court mandate. Note that a clinician cannot make a clinical determination about a client's safety if the clinician is no longer treating the client or has not recently met with a client.

Parents and children should be sure to discuss how information will be handled regarding the client's treatment when a client turns 18 years old. Your therapist will also remind everyone involved about the client's transition to independent health care decision-making in anticipation of them becoming a legal adult, but everyone should be aware of this transition and plan accordingly.

Under the law, called “The No Surprises Act,” health care providers must provide patients who do not have insurance, or who are not using insurance, an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

Therefore, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services from our practice. In other settings, this typically includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. For mental health services, it presumably includes services such as psychotherapy, psychological testing, and any other services provided by mental health providers.

Your health care provider is required to provide you with a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your service. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

At Clarity Psychological Services, our Good Faith Estimate shows the costs that are reasonably expected for the anticipated services to address your mental health care needs. The estimate is based on the information known to us when we complete the estimate (the first of which is one day prior to your initial intake assessment appointment).

The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment (e.g., crisis services, requested family therapy to supplement individual or group therapy, etc.) However, we will provide you with an updated Good Faith Estimate as soon as we are aware of new information that might affect the cost of your treatment.

You are advised to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

Many insurance companies put considerable constraints on mental health providers that limit our ability to offer the highest quality care to our clients. Insurers require specific diagnostic codes for each session, and enforce strict controls on the frequency, length, and overall number of sessions allowed, often based on financial algorithms and charts that impose a maximum number sessions permitted for specific diagnoses.

Similar limitations are imposed by insurance companies for testing and as such, we do not take insurance for testing.

In addition, there are confidentiality issues with employers when providers are required to provide diagnostic information and treatment notes to insurance companies, with potential implications for pre-existing condition restrictions.

Our goal is to provide you with the optimal mental health treatment tailored specifically to your needs, rather than to be subject to an insurance company dictating your treatment and/or methodology and measures for testing, and requiring extensive record-keeping to justify mental health services. We want to spend our time with our clients and on matters directly related to patient care.

One of our values is to do our part to make quality, affordable mental health care accessible to more people. We recognize that some people may not be able to afford psychological services without using their insurance. We also value the knowledge, skills, education, and experience of our highly-trained clinicians who work hard and are dedicated to competently helping clients, and who should be fairly reimbursed for their services.

Therefore, we are selectively in-network with some of the insurance companies for which many of our clients are members. Currently, these include:

Being in-network means that we have a business contract with these insurance companies for steeply reduced rates for our services and that we have agreed to submit claims your insurance company for these services on your behalf after collecting your co-insurance payment per your plan. (Becoming in-network with an insurance plan is a very long, tedious, complex, and time-consuming process that typically takes 3 to 5 months.) Please note that we may stop in-network participation at our sole discretion, and will inform current clients in advance if/when we do. 

We are out-of-network with other insurance plans, often whose in-network provider rates are unreasonably low and thus not economically feasible, and who also require extensive record-keeping, frequent treatment justifications, and other cumbersome practices that take away from our time and ability to provide the best care to our clients.

Many of our clients who submit claims directly to their insurance company (with receipts which we will gladly provide upon request) receive some level of reimbursement for out-of-network benefits. You may want to contact your insurance company to verify your mental health benefits  and their out-of-network policies prior to engaging in treatment. We cannot guarantee the outcome or influence the insurance company's reimbursement decisions, as this is dependent on the specific terms of your policy.

All out-of-network costs are the full responsibility of the client or parents/guardians and are due at the time of service. We accept credit, debit, and flexible spending debit cards. Clients often use their Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for mental health not covered by insurance.

If you have health insurance and you express to our practice your intention to pay our direct rates and/or submit a claim for out-of-network services, we will provide a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) for costs covering the estimated duration of treatment based on the information we have at the time about your mental health and presenting concerns. If this changes, or if you have other issues that are identified during the course of treatment, we will revise the GFE and provide you with an updated estimate. The GFE is a requirement associated with a new law, The No Surprises Act, that became effective in January 2022.

Current clients can message Clarity staff and clinicians through their client portal account.

Email messages are a convenient way to communicate about simple non-confidential administrative tasks, such as sending forms for completion, to schedule appointments, or to provide notification of changes to appointments.

Due to ethical, privacy and many other concerns, we do not discuss clinical issues or provide clinical interventions via e-mail.

At times, email may be the most expeditious way for your therapist to provide a general update from a group therapy session or to send summary materials from an individual session. In these instances, if you would like to discuss more specific information related to these updates or materials, please make an appointment for a session.

If you elect to communicate with us via email, please be aware that email is not completely confidential. While we take precautions to protect information sent to us in email form, there is always the possibility that this information could be compromised. You will need to determine the security of your own email system. If clinical issues are described, please be aware that we are not able to respond substantively to the content, as we do not respond to sensitive issues, or provide therapy or other interventions over email.

For insurance-related billing questions, you can send a message to billing via your client portal account, or you may contact Robert by phone at 203-570-7378 or by email at robert.safeguardbilling@gmail.com to speak with him directly. If you leave a message, be sure to say that you are a client of Clarity Psychological Services. Please allow up to three business days for a response.

To request a superbill, statement, or for questions related to out-of-pocket payments for services, please send a message via your client portal, call the office at 703-261-4346 or email us at info@claritypsychological.com. 

Other billing questions for former or future clients can be addressed by sending an email to: info@claritypsychological.com

For questions related to your insurance benefits for those plans in which we are in-network, please contact your insurance plan directly. We can answer questions related to claims we submit to your insurance plan, but we cannot answer questions about the scope or cost of your coverage, your remaining deductible, etc.

You credit/debit card on file will be automatically charged on the date of service (or, in some cases, within 1-3 business days after the date of service, in accordance with our billing cycle) for all direct fees, copayments, deductibles, and any remaining balances due.