FAQs
We provide individual, couples, and family therapy for such issues as depression, anxiety, grief, family conflict, infertility, childhood trauma, and work/life balance. We provide coaching for parents struggling with their child’s behavior, families coping with pre and post adoption issues, young adults deciding on an educational or career path, adults considering a career change, and autoimmune patients who have been advised by their doctors to include dietary and stress management changes as part of their treatment plan.
Ash Psychological Services participates with several insurance companies including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and the Northwell Health employees’ insurance program. We’ve also helped people receive out of network reimbursement from companies including Cigna, NYSHIP/Beacon, and others. Both in network and out of network coverage is limited to medically necessary treatment for a mental health disorder. Please contact us to discuss your specific situation.
This is, of course, a very individual question. But many of our patients say they feel some relief after only one session because they believe we can help, and they are relieved they are finally addressing their concerns. Many patients have reported that they feel significant symptom relief after 4 to 6 months. We regularly review your progress to make sure our methods are addressing your therapy goals. Some patients stay in psychotherapy for years, either because they continue to experience stressors that they need help coping with, or because they decide to explore longer standing issues that may be at the root of their symptoms.
Psychotherapy is focused on relieving symptoms, understanding root causes, and teaching methods of coping with a diagnosable mental health disorder. Coaching is focused on one specific issue, can often be short term (1 to 5 sessions over several months), and is more present focused than past focused. Health insurance does not cover coaching as it does not involve medically necessary treatment of a mental health disorder.
Whether it is a crying baby, a tantrumming toddler, a surly teenager, or a floundering young adult, the secret for helping your child is remaining calm yourself. For example, when a toddler is having a tantrum, even though it is extremely frustrating and very embarrassing if you are in public, raising your own voice or stamping your own feet will usually lead to an increase in the child’s tantrum. But if parents can take a deep breath, think about how they want to proceed, and then calmly and quietly redirect the child, this will usually lead to a de-escalation in the child’s behavior. This sounds simple, but it’s not. In order to stay calm in the face of an out of control child, you need to have very good stress management skills, an ability to soothe yourself when you are upset, an ability to think before acting, and then an ability to act in a way that will bring about the change in your child that you want. These are exactly the things we work on during calm parenting coaching sessions.
Psychologists in New York State are not licensed to dispense medications. However, many of our patients have consulted with psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists, gynecologists, and internists to decide if medication would be helpful in addition to psychotherapy. We can help you find the right professional if you do not already have one in mind.