FAQ about therapy
General questions about therapy
Q. What’s the first session going to be like?
A. Intake sessions are the same length as other sessions (50 minutes) with the same session fee. Here are some things that usually happen during an intake session:
Go over practice policies and answer any questions you have about scheduling, payment, or anything else
Talk about why you’ve decided to seek therapy and what your goals are
Discuss your history, current symptoms, and other relevant details
Talk about your past experiences in therapy and what has been helpful or unhelpful to you
Schedule your next appointment
Q. What is a parent coaching session like?
A. In the first parent coaching session, you’ll discuss your family’s needs and your child’s history and set clear, achievable goals for the coaching process. In subsequent sessions, you might:
Brainstorm strategies for improving communication and resolving conflict between you, your child, and your family
Discuss your anxieties and concerns about parenting an LGBTQ child
Explore your self-care strategies and help you figure out ways of getting your own support needs met
Identify gaps in your knowledge about LGBTQ identities and provide information and resources
Reflect on your family’s religious, spiritual, and moral values and how your child’s identity fits into that framework
Q. How many times a week will we meet?
A. You can adjust the frequency of your sessions based on mutual availability, your budget, and your preferences. Weekly is the most common, but some clients meet as often as twice a week or as little as once a month.
Q. Is therapy confidential?
A. Yes. Please see this page for more info about confidentiality.
Q. Can my spouse, partner, or family member come to therapy with me?
A. This practice offers both individual therapy and couples’/relationship therapy. However, for ethical reasons, you won’t be able to have relationship or family therapy with the same therapist you’re seeing for individual therapy, and your therapist can’t see your romantic partner for individual therapy. Feel free to ask for a referral to another therapist at this practice or to an outside therapist.
Q. What kind of therapy do you practice?
A. The practice is led by an existential psychotherapist who uses tools from ERP, ACT, and IFS. Staff therapists share similar treatment philosophies and training and work closely with practice director Andrew Triska in supervision. Click here to learn more about our treatment approach.
Questions about scope of practice
Q. can you prescribe medication?
A. No. This practice employs only psychotherapists who are licensed to treat psychiatric illness and psychosocial issues using psychotherapy, not to prescribe medication. Mental health professionals who can prescribe medication include psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners (not psychotherapists, counselors, or psychologists). If you think you might need medication, feel free to ask for a referral.
Q. Can you provide me with a psychiatric diagnosis?
A. Yes, if you request it. However, while many people find value in being able to apply a label to what they’re experiencing, no diagnosis can provide full picture of what’s happening to you or what kind of treatment you need. Diagnostic labels are imperfect descriptions of what’s going on in your brain and your life, and the criteria used to apply diagnoses are often controversial. You won’t spend a lot of time in therapy talking about whether you fit a set of arbitrary criteria in the DSM-5. Instead, you and your therapist will focus on what you can do in therapy to mitigate your symptoms and improve your functioning.
Q. Can you diagnose autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodevelopmental conditions?
A. While we’re experienced in working with neurodivergent people in therapy, these conditions should be diagnosed by a specialist who can provide a neuropsychological evaluation. Please ask for a referral if you feel you need these services.
Q. Can you testify in court or conduct a custody evaluation?
A. No, this practice not provide these services.
Q. I am transgender. Can you write a letter of support for gender-affirming hormones or surgery?
A. Yes. All of the therapists at this practice are qualified to write these letters, either during ongoing therapy or as part of a limited-time surgery or hormone therapy readiness assessment.
Q. Is anyone at this practice a notary?
A. Practice director Andrew Triska is a New York state notary public. Current clients at this practice may arrange to bring documents to the office to be notarized free of charge.
Location and teletherapy questions
Q. Do you provide teletherapy?
A. Yes, we offer teletherapy sessions using a secure telehealth platform called SimplePractice. You do not have to install any software unless you are signing into your appointment on a mobile device, in which case you need to install the client portal mobile app.
Q. In what states or countries do you provide teletherapy?
A. We offer teletherapy in any state in which a particular therapist is licensed or registered to practice. For most therapists at this practice, that includes the states of New York and New Jersey. We also have therapists licensed in Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida. Each therapist has different state licenses; see the staff page for the most updated information about staff therapists’ licensure. The relevant state is the state in which the client is physically present at the time of the session. Your home address or the therapist’s location do not matter.
If you live outside the United States, we may be able to provide you with therapy depending on your local laws. Some locations do not regulate the practice of psychotherapy at all. Get in touch with the director to ask about your options if you’re a non-U.S. resident looking for therapy.
In some cases, we may be able to provide letters of support for gender-affirming surgery or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to clients in other states that allow out-of-state telehealth practice when the care provided is considered “episodic” or if the consultation is requested by a healthcare professional licensed in that state. If you’re in a state where our staff are not currently licensed or registered and you’re interested in obtaining a letter of support for surgery or hormone therapy, please send a message using the contact form.
Q. Do you offer in-person sessions?
A. Yes. Our office is Manhattan, NY. You can find directions here.
Q. Can I mix teletherapy sessions with in-person sessions?
A. Yes. Many of our clients do just that.
Q. How do I get to your office?
A. See this page for info about the office’s location and how to get into the building.
Q. Have you changed your gender-affirming healthcare services based on recent anti-trans state legislation?
A. No. We continue to provide services to clients whose ability to receive gender-affirming healthcare has been affected by anti-trans health legislation.
If you or your minor child has been impacted, or anticipates being impacted, by state laws that restrict transgender care or impose costly requirements on receiving such care (such as those in Florida and South Carolina), Andrew or a staff therapist may be able to provide you with a no-cost gender-affirming hormone or surgery readiness assessment via telehealth. Please use the contact form to inquire about these services.
Financial questions
Q. How much does therapy cost?
A. Each therapist charges different rates. See this page for staff therapists’ biographies and rates.
Q. Do you offer sliding scale rates?
A. Some therapists at this practice have sliding scale slots available. Please inquire with individual therapists for our current sliding scale rates and availability.
Q. Do you take insurance?
A. We are not in-network (sometimes called a “preferred provider” or “participating provider”) with any commercial insurance companies. However, if your insurance plan offers out-of-network benefits, these benefits can be used to cover your sessions. You can also use HSA/FSA funds.
In some cases, if you don’t have out-of-network benefits, we may be able to offer a single-case agreement (a special agreement with your insurance company to make an exception to cover out-of-network therapy) depending on your plan. You would be responsible for any amount your insurance does not cover.
Q. How do I know if my out-of-network insurance benefits cover your services?
A. If you have out-of-network benefits at all, they almost certainly cover individual psychotherapy. The best way to find out if you have out-of-network benefits is to visit your insurance plan’s online portal or call the phone number on the back of your card. If you’re not sure about your reimbursement rates or have questions, feel free to ask the therapist you’re interested in working with.
Q. When I use my out-of-network benefits, do I pay up front or does my insurance pay you?
A. You pay up front and your insurance pays you back. Here’s how it works:
After your session, you’ll get an email with your invoice attached. You can then pay your session fee using a credit card, debit card, HSA/FSA card, or cash.
You’ll see a document called a “superbill” when you log into the client area of the practice management system.
You’ll download the superbill and submit it to your insurance company for reimbursement. (This process varies by insurance company. Many insurance plans have apps or web sites where you can easily upload your superbills.)
In 2–6 weeks, you’ll receive a check for the percentage of the bill your insurance company has agreed to cover.
Q. What if I don’t want to submit my own superbills?
A. You might consider using a service like Reimbursify, which takes care of claim filing for you for $3.99 per claim. The first claim is free.
Q. Can I pay for my sessions using worker’s compensation benefits?
A. Andrew Triska is a New York worker’s compensation authorized provider. Contact Andrew for details on how to use your benefits.
Scheduling questions
Q. How do I schedule an appointment?
A. You can request an appointment with Andrew online using the form on this page or call (212) 203-7072. You can schedule an appointment with a staff therapist on this page. You can also use the form at the top of that page to be matched with a therapist.
Q. How do I cancel or reschedule an appointment?
Contact your therapist using their individual phone number or email. Do not call the practice director or administrative assistant. Staff therapists’ contact info can be found on this page. Practice director Andrew Triska’s contact info can be found on this page.
Q. What’s your cancellation policy?
A. Each clinician sets their own cancellation policy, which will be communicated to you via your intake documents. Please ask your therapist if you are not sure of their policy. Cancelled/no-show appointments are not eligible for insurance reimbursement.
Q. Do you have evening or weekend times available?
A. Each therapist at this practice sets their own hours, and some work on weekends or evenings. Please contact the therapist you’d like to work with and ask for their current availability, or use the therapist match form to be matched with a therapist with evening or weekend availability.
Q. What should I do if I have questions before scheduling an intake?
A. Contact Andrew or the staff therapist you’re interested in working with.
Accessibility questions
Q. Is your office wheelchair accessible?
A. Yes. The office is in an elevator building with a wheelchair-accessible restroom.
Q. Do you offer therapy in languages other than English?
A. Yes, some staff therapists can conduct therapy in languages other than English. Sonal Govila speaks Hindi and Urdu. Jessy Dong speaks Mandarin.