Manhattan Therapist - Counseling FAQs - Paul Aaron, LMHC, CASAC

Paul Aaron, LMHC, CASAC
Frequently Asked Questions About My Therapy Services

Why should I seek professional mental health counseling?
Are you licensed to provide mental health counseling?
Are you credentialed to provide alcoholism and substance abuse counseling?
Who are your clients?
The process of therapy/evaluation and scope of practice?
What is your approach to therapy?
How long does therapy take?
What about privacy/confidentiality concerns?
What about scheduled appointments?
What are your fees for counseling, and what forms of payment do you accept?
Do you offer any initial free phone consultations?
Will you accept my insurance?
Where is your office and what are your office hours?

Why should I seek professional mental health counseling?
You can seek counseling from a therapist for any reason you choose. People use therapy for personal growth, for help with stressful life situations or for more chronic or serious problems. Please feel free to consult with your potential therapist to make sure you are comfortable with your choice of provider.

Are you licensed to provide mental health counseling?
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) #000192. I am licensed by the University of the State of New York Education Department for the independent (private) practice of mental health counseling.

Are you credentialed to provide alcoholism and substance abuse counseling?
I am a credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) #18226. I am credentialed by the State of New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to practice alcohol and substance abuse counseling.

Who are your clients?
Potential clients come to therapy to improve their lives in many different areas. Perhaps you have a special issue which needs immediate attention. My clients are people who want more out of life, who may have certain life transition issues, relationship problems, anger management or addiction problems. I work with adults who need self-directed assistance in these important areas.

The process of therapy/evaluation and scope of practice?
Participation in therapy can result in a number of benefits to you, including improving interpersonal relationships and resolution of specific concerns that led you to seek therapy. Working toward these benefits, however, requires effort on your part. Psychotherapy requires your very active involvement, honesty, and openess in order to change your thoughts, feelings and/or behavior. Your therapist will ask for your feedback and views on your therapy, its progress and other aspects of the therapy and will expect you to respond openly and honestly. Sometimes more than one approach can be helpful in dealing with a certain situation.

During the initial session or therapy, remembering or talking about unpleasant events, feelings, or thoughts can result in you experiencing considerable discomfort or strong feelings of anger, sadness, worry, fear, etc, or experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, etc. Your therapist may challenge some of your assumptions or perceptions or propose different ways of looking at, thinking about, or handling situations, which can cause you to feel very upset, angry, depressed, challenged or disappointed. Attempting to resolve issues that brought you to therapy in the first place, such as personal or interpersonal relationships may result in changes that were not originally intended.

Psychotherapy may result in decisions about changing behaviors, employment, substance use, schooling, housing or relationships. Sometimes a decision that is positive for one family member is viewed quite negatively by another family member. Change will sometimes be easy and swift, but more often it will be slow and even frustrating. There is no guarantee that psychotherapy will yield positive or intended results.

Paul Aaron, LMHC, CASAC provides neither custody evaluation recommendations, nor medication or prescription recommendations, nor legal advice, as these activities do not fall within his scope of practice.

What is your approach to therapy?
During the course of therapy, I am likely to draw on various psychological approaches according, in part, to the problem that is being treated and my assessment of what will best benefit you. These approaches might include, but are not limited to, client-centered, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, existential, system/family, developmental, humanistic or psycho-educational. However, I encompass therapy by focusing on techniques that link your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. This approach can help you achieve your goals faster than more traditional therapy techniques which focus on past events and traumas.

The focus of my approach to therapy is on the present, helping you to facilitate change through challenging negative thoughts, and replacing them with more positive, appropriate references. Action leads to insight. Therapy works best when you take an active role in the change process. I want to engage you in this process.

How long does therapy take?
That's an important question that often comes up for discussion during the course of therapy. Clients want to know how long will it take for a particular issue or ongoing problem to be resolved. That question can not be answered with any degree of certainty, at least during the first few sessions.

Problem resolutions depend on your perception of the issues, your motivation to work through problems, and the kind of relationship you have with the therapist. The length of therapy and the frequency of appointments are determined by you and your therapist.

The process of therapy can range from one or two sessions to several months or longer depending on the nature of the issues needing resolving. You often know during the course of therapy when your issues are resolved or not. I provide you with the necessary support to help facilitate progress as quickly as possible.

What about privacy/confidentiality concerns?
Clients often ask questions about how their rights as consumers of mental health services will be protected by the therapist and by applicable State and Federal laws. There is legal privilege in the State of New York protecting the confidentiality of the private information you share with me.

As a New York State licensed and credentialed professional, I strive to maintain the strictest ethical standards of confidentiality. Your privacy is important and is guarded with all legal limits. If you have questions about the limits of confidentiality, I will be glad to respond either by phone or in person.

What about scheduled appointments?
Individual appointments are usually scheduled on a weekly basis for treament consistency, continuity and effectiveness.

What are your fees for counseling and what forms of payment do you accept?
The fee for a 50 minute session is $100 and is due at the beginning of each session. Payments in cash, check or credit card are accepted. Please make checks payable to Paul Aaron. Payments by credit card through the PayPal link on the website must be purchased at least 48 hours in advance of your appointment. You have the option of paying for multiple sessions in advance if you wish. Should you not be able to keep your scheduled appointment, please be sure to contact me at least 24 hours in advance, otherwise you will be charged the posted hourly rate for the missed session.

Do you offer any initial free phone consultations?
I offer a brief no fee telephone consultation in order to assess whether my counseling services are compatible with your needs and expectations. Please email or leave your name and telephone number with my office and I will return your call.

Will you accept my insurance?
Many people decide to pay for therapy from their own financial resources. Some insurance policies have high premiums, deductibles, and/or co-payments, and many managed care policies allow you only a limited number of sessions. Therefore, it is important to weigh long-term costs, concerns about confidentiality and considerations of continued access to services in deciding whether self-payment is viable.

At the present time I do not contract with any insurance firms. Taking primary insurance coverage for mental health treatment may violate your privacy rights since other non-professional staff may have access to your confidential records. Another disadvantage is that your insurance coverage might limit the amount of sessions you are allowed within a specific time period. Also, your insurance company will mandate the therapist to label you with a primary psychiatric diagnosis which you may not agree with or want noted in your medical records. However, upon request I will provide you with an itemized receipt which you can submit to your insurance company for possible third party reimbursement. Please be sure to contact your insurance company for their rules and regulations regarding reimbursement policies.

Where is your office and what are your office hours?
My office is conveniently located in midtown Manhattan. My independent practice is limited to those clients who can reach my office. I suggest using public transportation. Parking is limited. Office hours are arranged at mutual convenience.

If you need to contact me, please call my office and leave your phone number and a brief message. You can also contact me by providing your E-mail address. I will get back to you promptly.