more about psychotherapy
I'm in a crisis and need help right away. Who can I call?
Call 911 or the 24 hour Access and Crisis Line at 888-965-6647. If you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and you’ll be connected to a trained counselor near you, day or night. I don’t know much about psychotherapy. Where can I learn more? It’s important to be informed about any service you engage in. Here are two good resources on psychotherapy: One is published by the California Board of Psychology and the other by the American Psychological Association. You’ll learn about why people pursue psychotherapy, its effectiveness, tips on choosing a mental health professional, your rights as a client, and much more. During our meetings, I’ll encourage you ask any questions you have about psychotherapy. What will we do in our first meeting? In our first meeting we’ll focus on getting to know your present concerns, evaluate whether psychotherapy is a good match for those concerns, and complete some paperwork. I’ll also provide you with basic information about psychotherapy. How long are sessions and, for that matter, how long will I need to be in therapy? Sessions are usually about 50 minutes once a week. How much therapy will be necessary? It depends. Research shows that many people experience considerable relief just a few months but that some issues will require more time. In any case, how long you are in therapy is up to you. Part of my job is to help you develop a treatment plan, track your progress, and help you determine when it’s time to end. How confidential is this? Everything we discuss is confidential unless you give me written permission to release your private information. There are some exceptions dictated by California law. As few of these are: If you tell me you may hurt yourself or someone else or that you know of a child or an elder that is being abused. In the cases, and a few others that we’ll discuss in our early meetings, I am mandated to take actions that will protect you or another person. By law, I am obligated to protect your privacy, a responsibility I take seriously. For more information, see my “Notice Of Privacy Practices.” How will I know that I’m getting better? An important part of therapy is tracking improvement. To this end, we’ll set several goals and monitor whether what we’re doing is helping you achieve those goals. I’m also likely to give you some paper-and-pencil questionnaires related to your goals and share the results with you. What if I need medication? Medications can be quite helpful and in some cases are essential. Since I am a doctor of psychology and not of medicine, I do not prescribe medications. However, I can assist you in learning more about medications, finding a psychiatrist, and coordinating your treatment with him or her. What forms of payment do you accept? At the moment, I only accept self-payment. For a discussion of whether to use self-payment or insurance for psychotherapy, see here. |
© Joseph H. Obegi | 2055 Anderson Road, Davis CA | 530.302.7304