FAQs

To get started, please complete the Contact form and enter your information. Doc B will contact you to give you an estimate on when we can begin and answer any other questions you may have. You can also call Doc B’s message line at 602-888-3724 or email docronb@gmail.com with any questions.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

In January of 2022, the No Surprises Act (HR133, Title 45 Section 149.610) began requiring providers to inform their clients they have a right to a “Good Faith Estimate” to help them estimate the maximum expected charges that they may incur.

You will receive your “Good Faith Estimate” within 3 business days of booking your first appointment. Your “Good Faith Estimate” will be sent to you via your patient portal.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Though support from all sympathetic avenues can be very helpful for people. A psychologist’s job involves much more than just listening and giving advice. Doc B doesn’t just “listen to your problems,” Doc B listens to your story empathetically and nonjudgmentally to help find avenues to adopt a solution from the client’s own values, starting with tried and tested new perspectives and approaches from the leading edge of psychological research. Doc B focuses on beliefs, actions, patterns, trends, and links in the client’s story that get in the way of them living life on their own terms. Above all, Doc B believes his clients have the strength and qualities necessary for success and that committed action to a life that is based on one’s own values is likely to produce desirable results.

The stigma around mental health has been among the most challenging aspects of seeking help and many have suffered unnecessarily as a result. No one’s life is perfect, and life can “come at you from all angles” with unexpected life events that cause distress. Doc B prioritizes acceptance and mindfulness strategies that target judgment, stigma, shame, and self-doubt to identify the elements that complicate living a full, productive, healthy and happy life.

Learning to live your life as consistently with your values is among the most helpful and reliable strengths one can develop. Doc B works with each client to understand what they feel is really important to them to help use values as both a motivator and a compass. Research never stops exploring the strategies and concepts that are most effective. Therapy can be an investment in your future and the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

This question depends on the number and severity of the issues you would like to discuss. Doc B is a solutions-focused, evidence-based practitioner. He is trained in a number of time-limited and effective strategies. For example, there are protocols designed for treating symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic pain, sleep challenges, and anger management that can be completed in 6-8 sessions or fewer. It is Doc B’s philosophy that his “job is to not be needed” and strives to work for results as quickly as possible. Again, the more effort a client makes, the faster and better the results are likely to be. Practicing and reading the topics and strategies discussed between sessions is a strong variable in treatment success.

In most cases clients meet weekly, although more/less frequent appointments can also be arranged. I offer both short and long-term therapy. Current guidelines for short-term therapy are typically 6 – 24 sessions. Long-term therapy has no time limit, although we review your needs as we go along.

As a psychologist, Doc B earned a PhD in clinical psychology. Psychiatrists have medical degrees and as such they are qualified to prescribe medication. Therefore, in most cases, psychiatrists focus on medication management and psychologists focus on providing therapy that would make medications unnecessary for many and improve the lives and experiences of those for whom medications remain an effective part of their mental health.

Psychologists are experts in psychological assessment and the treatment of mental health challenges or “disorders.”

Many people have negative feelings about taking medications for their emotional challenges. Whether medicine is necessary really depends on your symptoms and your relative level of distress. If you are coping well with your daily demands, you are likely able to work on your concerns without medications. If it seems your level of symptoms may benefit from medications, Doc B can refer you to a prescriber and discuss with you how, when, and why medications may be a good option for you.

This is a question that is unique to you and your situation. Most couples would benefit from some forms of support. If the challenges you are facing seem generally isolated to the relationship, couples therapy can be very helpful to have a neutral and supportive third party to help each person navigate their feelings, or to help them communicate their emotions, needs, wants, boundaries, and frustrations in a productive way.

When working with couples, Doc B strives to help each person realize, explore, nurture, and utilize their own values to strengthen and improve their relationships, their communication, and their interactions so they can enjoy a successful relationship, if that is their goal.

Individuals may also benefit from having an individual therapist as they engage in couples therapy. Individual therapy helps each person focus on their contributions and lives in a way that can help them process the conversations in couples therapy, due to support and a neutral third party to help someone work through those challenges.

Many couples seek couples therapy when they reach a point where the decision to stay or go arises. Doc B will help each couple focus on communication and conflict resolution strategies that help all couples discuss the challenging topics related to their relationship. If the couple can discuss challenging topics as objectively as possible, work with Doc B can help bridge the gap for some or help navigate the end of the relationship in hopefully mutually respectful ways. Our work can also be vital for couples trying to navigate child concerns, custody, divorce, etc.

Privacy and confidentiality are essential features of psychotherapy. In face-to-face therapy, Doc B ensures a private space. When working online, both you and Doc B take steps to ensure that all communication is private and cannot be overheard/seen/intercepted by third parties.

Doc B does not have any supervisors or partners, so what you say to Doc B stays with Doc B. There are three main areas where confidentiality may be different and these include 1) the requirement to abide by court orders if they were to arise (like any other business), 2) mandated reporting concerns when a client discloses the serious intent to hurt themselves or someone else, 3) mandated reporting concerns about the current abuse of someone that cannot protect themselves is occurring (current abuse of children, nursing homes).
These instances are very rare and any concerns with confidentiality or privacy would be discussed with you prior to any disclosures. Please contact Doc B if you have any questions or concerns.

Tips for effective privacy:

• Meet from a private location, where you do not have to worry about being overheard or interrupted.
• Never use a public computer or device for therapy.
• Ensure that there is a virus scanner installed on your device and that this is kept up to date.
• Keep your computer up to date with security and other updates.

Online therapy is a relatively new field so there are limited large, controlled studies of efficacy. However, the research that has been done is promising and suggests that online therapy may have distinct advantages. There is good evidence that it is a safe form of treatment for mild to moderate distress. In certain cases, severe distress may be better managed with face-to-face treatment. If I think that you are likely to benefit more from working face to face, I will discuss this with you and help to arrange an appropriate referral.

Clients report the following advantages of online therapy:

• Access to treatment from the comfort of one’s own home (or other space of your choice).
• Access to treatment for clients that live remotely, travel frequently, or are housebound.
• Scheduling flexibility: online therapists are more likely to have availability on weekends or outside working hours.
• Clients with privacy concerns often prefer the anonymity of online consultation (i.e., not having to request time off work, or risk bumping into acquaintances at a therapist’s office).
• More introverted or socially anxious clients often prefer online therapy, particularly text-based forms that use email or instant messaging.
• Some clients report that they feel more comfortable and empowered in the therapy process when they are in their own space rather than a therapist’s office.
• A good therapeutic alliance is one of the best predictors for successful treatment in therapy.
• Clients rate online alliances as highly as face-to-face alliances.