What is an initial session like?
The goal of an intake is for your psychiatrist to get to know you as well as possible. This helps to make a good working diagnosis and to create a treatment plan that helps you start working toward wellness. As you may have guessed, this means that your initial session will involve a lot of questions. We will discuss your history including your childhood, family history, medical history, how your psychiatric symptoms have affected you over time, and many other aspects of your life. We will also discuss what types of illness can cause these symptoms and how these illnesses are typically best-treated. We will work together to create a treatment plan that meets your needs.
If your psychiatrist feels that you would be best-served by ongoing treatment at the Maryland Anxiety and Depression Treatment Center, you will then schedule future appointments.
What are therapy sessions like?
At a 50-minute therapy session, you and your psychiatrist will sit opposite one another and discuss your concerns. Depending on the type of therapy that is best for you, you may perform mental exercises, discuss mental conflicts, or create plans to change problematic thought patterns.
Some forms of therapy that are used are very similar to a typical one-on-one conversation. Others are more one-sided, with you doing more of the talking and your psychiatrist making observations. In all cases, therapy is handled with care and compassion.
Therapy sessions are typically scheduled weekly or every other week at first. If this is not feasible, or significant progress is made, sessions may be spaced to monthly or every several months.
What is medication management like?
At a 25-minute medication management session, you and your psychiatrist will discuss your symptoms and how your medications are affecting them. You will also discuss any concerns that you are having about your medications. If your symptoms are under complete control and you have no side effects, your psychiatrist will most likely send an electronic prescription to refill the medications. Otherwise, your psychiatrist will discuss options to improve your symptoms or reduce problems with the medications.
In addition, you and your psychiatrist will discuss your ongoing treatment plan, which may also include the talk therapy you are receiving from another provider. If helpful, some brief supportive psychotherapy may also be provided.
What insurance plans to you participate in?
Unfortunately, insurance plans require psychiatrists to have very short appointments and do not typically allow psychiatrists to see patients for talk therapy. Because of this, in order to provide what we feel is the best care, we are not in network with any insurance plan. Paperwork is provided at each session to submit to your insurance provider. Most of our patients receive reimbursement through Out of Network benefits in their health plans and/or use Health Savings Accounts to pay for visits. However, not all plans have these benefits. If you are not sure about your health plan, we encourage you to call your insurance provider to ask before scheduling an appointment.
What should I bring to my appointment?
For an initial evaluation, you should bring any records available from previous treatment. You can also bring completed copies of your initial paperwork, which will save you time before your evaluation; otherwise, please plan to arrive 20 minutes early for your evaluation. In some cases, people feel more comfortable to have a close friend or family member at the evaluation; if this is the case, they may also be able to provide information that helps your psychiatrist in the evaluation. You will also need a photo ID and a form of payment.
For most followup sessions, a form of payment is all that you will need.
Who can be seen at the Maryland Anxiety and Depression Treatment Center?
All people 16 years of age and up can be seen for the treatment of anxiety, depression, or Bipolar Disorder. We are willing to see adult patients with other psychiatric illnesses as well; please contact us to discuss availability.
Do you provide treatment by telephone?
In urgent situations, we accept calls from patients on a private emergency number at no charge. In other situations we prefer to communicate by e-mail or through telephone messages.
We can, in some circumstances, have appointments by telephone. If you can not come to the office for a visit and are interested in a telephone appointment, please discuss this with your psychiatrist.
Do you provide treatment by video chat?
Yes! We use Google Meet for video appointments. These are available at the same cost as face-to-face visits. For instructions about how to set up Google Meet, please click here.
Do you see pregnant women?
Yes! We have providers with experience in treating women throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period in an evidence-based fashion, and are happy to treat women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.