Frequently Asked Questions

1) Do I need to speak with my primary care physician or get a referral before making an appointment?

Although it is a good idea to inform your primary care physician that you are considering therapy, it is not required. If your insurance plan is a network product and Knowlton, O’Neill & Associates is not part of your network, you may need an out of network referral to obtain maximum coverage from your insurance plan. You can call your insurance carrier for more information, or call our office and our staff will find out what is required.

2) My child is in therapy. How will I, as a parent, be involved?

You can expect to be actively involved in your child's therapy in several ways, including

• providing information necessary to understand the nature of the difficulities your child is having,
• working as a team member with your child's therapist to develop a treatment plan and
• carrying out interventions at home and in the community to help your child.

Research indicates that children and adolescents whose parents are involved in their therapy benefit more from therapy than those whose parents are not involved in their child's treatment.

3) Does therapy work?

By helping you clearly define your problems and teaching you to look more objectively at the behaviors, feelings and thoughts related to your problems, you can to learn more effective ways of dealing with your difficulties. There is no guarantee that therapy will help you, but a study by Consumer Reports found that 9 out of 10 people surveyed stated that psychotherapy had helped them.

4) Is what goes on between my therapist and me kept confidential?

Yes. Confidentiality is protected by law and also by and also by professional code of ethics. There are certain limits to confidentiality, such as suspected child abuse or imminent risk of suicide or homicide. These limits will be explained to you in writing when you come for your initial appointment. Except for the legal limits of confidentiality, we will not release any information unless requested to do so by you in writing.

5) Where can I go to find more information on therapy?

The American Psychological Association has a good web page that contains useful information on therapy and on finding a therapist. The address is http://helping.apa.org/.