Questions About My Office

How do I make an appointment or get more information?

Please call (714) 538-9355.  My answering machine takes messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Please leave a message of any length and your day and or evening phone numbers with times when you can be reached.  I will generally get back to you within hours and no more than 24 hours.

Is what we talk about confidential?

All personal information and issues discussed in therapy are completely confidential and cannot be repeated to any party without your written permission, except where disclosure is required by law.

Do you have late afternoon or early even hours?  I have to come before or after work.

I do have evening hours on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and also on Saturdays.  I am also available by request for early morning appointments if you should want to come in before work.

Will my insurance cover any of your services?

I do not accept managed care reimbursement for mental health services for the following reasons: Reason 1: Lack of confidentiality. All managed care plans (MCP’s) involve direct clinical management by the plan’s case managers. If you access therapy through your MCP, it makes it necessary for your therapist to disclose anything and everything related to your case to your MCP. This information is used by the MCP for determining benefits, which they allocate at their own discretion. This impacts your right of confidentiality, and it is possible that your information will be stored in a computer system which could be accessed by anyone. Reason 2: Difficulty getting treatment authorized: Due to the direct care management by MCP’s and their desire to keep costs to a minimum getting therapy sessions authorized often becomes cumbersome and time consuming. Every plan has different requirements and standards for authorizations. Usually they require many hours a week of paperwork and phone calls by the therapist to get authorizations. Some will deny therapy in lieu of taking prescription medications. Some will even dictate the specific treatment plan which is often very subjective and may be anti-therapeutic. Some plans will determine when it is time to terminate treatment, even when the client continues to be in distress, or their problem has not been sufficiently solved. Reason 3: Mis-diagnosing and/or over-diagnosing in order to get treatment authorized: Some MCP’s will not cover treatment unless it is a “medical necessity.” This may mean the client may have to “pretend” they are “sick” or worse off than they are, in order to receive their benefits. Most MCP’s do not cover marriage counseling, family counseling, or adjustment counseling, unless they are part of the treatment plan for a serious mental disorder or drug/alcohol problem. This situation puts both the therapist and client in a negative situation. Often the “assessment” sessions that are initially authorized are not sufficient to give an accurate diagnosis, yet the MCP will not authorize more visits without one. The therapist may be inclined to “guess at” a diagnosis which is not in the best interest of the client
I can however, give you a “superbill” if you would like to submit the charges to your insurance company yourself.  You will however be required to pay for your appointment at the time of your appointment and get reimbursement at your convenience.

Are you convenient to major freeways?

I am centrally located in Old Towne Orange, very close to both the 55, 22 freeways.