FAQs
How long are sessions?
Individual sessions are 45 minutes. Couples sessions are 50 minutes. Group sessions may vary slightly.
How do I meet with my therapist?
Our practice is fully remote, so you will meet with your therapist via a HIPAA compliant video chat platform that does not require a download. You will receive a direct link to your appointment each week via email.
Do I have to be in NY?
Our therapists are licensed in NY state to work with NY state residents. Although the practice is fully remote, we can only treat you if your residency is in NY state. Students who are enrolled in a NY state college or university are eligible.
What if I live in New Jersey but work in New York?
Under telehealth regulations we are licensed to work with NY state residents, it does not matter if you are physically in the state during your session. However we do have some NJ licensed therapists that we can match you with if you are a NJ resident.
Can I come to sessions every other week (bi-weekly)?
We do not offer any other frequency of therapy besides weekly. However you can cancel up to 5 sessions per calendar year with no fee.
What is your cancellation policy?
We require 48 hours notice of any cancellation or rescheduling request to avoid a fee. This work requires a commitment to weekly sessions, so we also limit the number of cancellations throughout the year. You can discuss this with your therapist.
Is psychotherapy confidential?
Yes, what you talk about is confidential and we will take every measure I can to safeguard your information. It is unethical for us to disclose information about our work together with a few exceptions listed below where we are required by our profession to break confidentiality.
In the event there is clear and imminent danger to yourself or another person.
If you disclose information that provides evidence of current abuse or neglect of a child or an older adult.
You authorize your therapist to disclose information (e.g., to another treatment provider or family member).
In certain legal proceedings, which is very rare, and we are under court order.
Do you keep notes about what I say in session?
Yes. The laws and standards of our profession require that we keep clinical treatment records. We can prepare a summary for you if you request it within a reasonable time frame. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers. If you wish to see your records, we recommend that you view them in our presence so that we can discuss the contents. We do charge an appropriate fee for professional time spent in responding to this request.
Can I choose my own therapist?
You can inform us if you prefer a specific therapist on our intake form. However if they don’t have an opening that fits your schedule we’ll offer an appointment with another therapist that we think will be a fit for you.
What if I need to reschedule?
Reach out to your therapist directly via email and if they have an opening that works for you, you can reschedule.
Do you prescribe medication?
Our practice only provides psychotherapy. However we can refer you to a psychiatric provider who can prescribe medications if necessary.
How do I pay?
During the intake process you will be able to add one or more credit/debit/HSA/FSA cards to our secure client portal. This card will be charged each week after your appointment.
Do you accept Medicaid/Marketplace plans?
At this time we only accept Optum/United Healthcare Medicaid and Marketplace plans. We do not accept Medicaid plans from Aetna or Anthem or “straight Medicaid”. If you are on one of these plans you can opt for our sliding scale.
Why is the practice closed in June?
One of the tenets embedded in NYC Affirmative Psychotherapy’s philosophy is a commitment to serving queer communities of color. We express that commitment by not only providing psychotherapeutic services to historically marginalized populations, but by also creating job opportunities for those same communities that we serve. We continuously strive to ‘practice what we preach’ and we want to center and celebrate our staff through the lens of rest and celebration. Annually our practice will be closed from the Saturday before Juneteenth until the Monday after NYC Pride. For more information see here.