- Why is therapy important, and why is it good for me?
- What type of therapy do you provide?
- How long will I need to be in treatment?
- How often will I need to see you?
- How long is each session?
- Do you accept insurance?
- How do I pay for my therapy sessions?
- What are your fees for a session?
- Is my therapy confidential?
- If you are treating my child, when will I have a chance to meet with you?
- Will you tell me what my child is saying during their therapy sessions with you?
- What is your cancellation policy?
- What happens if I arrive late?
- How can I reach you if we are outside of a session time?
- What should I do when I arrive for my appointment?
- What can I expect and do I need to bring anything to our first session?
- Are you able to provide sessions outside of your office location?
- Do you prescribe medication?
- How Can I begin?
The purpose of counseling is to provide a supportive and safe environment that allows you to explore areas of individual and family concern. It is a very personal process that can enhance your awareness of personal needs, feelings, goals and other individual concerns. Benefits of counseling may include (and are not limited to) improved mood, improved self-esteem, increased personal happiness, ability to regulate emotions, improve social relationships and cope better with stressful situations. You may also be able to make behavioral changes, learn to manage anger and reduce symptoms of mental health disorders. Additional benefits of counseling may be seen when specific problems are resolved.
I believe that the therapy you receive during your treatment should be as individualized to your needs as possible, and therefore do not offer only one type of treatment modality. When I am providing therapy to a client, I look at the unique strengths and challenges of that person and then tailor the treatment modalities I will use to provide them with support. Examples of treatment modalities used in my private practice include Play Therapy, Psychodynamics, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Art Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I may use one or more of these treatment modalities with you during your course of treatment.
Therapy is individualized to each person, couple and/or family; therefore a specific number of visits cannot be identified. The amount of time spent in counseling often focuses on whether you have a long term or short-term personal goal. You set your goal according to what you would like to work on in counseling. I may make suggestions on how to accomplish those goals, but only you are responsible for successfully achieving them. Therapy is voluntary and you are able to discontinue your treatment with your therapist at any time.
Therapy sessions are generally scheduled on a weekly basis. However this can also depend on what will be most beneficial to you based on your particular need. Together we will establish a schedule for how your regular appointments will take place. This schedule is agreed upon at the time of your initial visit.
Sessions typically last for 45-50 minutes. There may be times that sessions last for a longer or shorter duration depending on your treatment needs.
I am an out-of-network provider and am not currently on any insurance panels. I will provide you with the necessary receipts and documentation to submit to your insurance company in order for you to receive reimbursement for your treatment. Your insurance company is responsible for determining if and how much they will reimburse you per session.
Payment can be provided by cash, check or credit card. You will be asked to pay for each session at the time of your session. You will receive a receipt at the time payment is received. Monthly statements can also be provided to you at your request.
- Individual Therapy is $125 per 45-50 minute session
- Couples Therapy or Family Therapy is $175 per 60 minute session
- Phone Consultation lasting more than 15 minutes will result in the charge of an individual session fee of $100 unless otherwise agreed upon
- Group Therapy (when active) is $130 for a series of 5 sessions
Payment on a sliding scale may be considered and discussed with me depending on individual need and financial hardship.
Of course! Communications between a client and a therapist are privileged and confidential. No information is ever disclosed without the specific authorization of the client or parent/guardian of a minor client.
There are specific limited circumstances listed below, where your confidentiality would be breached:
- Therapist has been given written permission to share information
- There is clear and present danger to the health and/or safety of the client
- There are indications that a client is a danger to themselves and/or a danger to others
- When there are reports of a minor or incapacitated adult being abused, neglected or maltreated a therapist must report allegation to state authorities. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional/psychological abuse.
- Therapist has a duty to warn the police and/or potential victim(s) if client discloses serious threat or intent of physical violence to a person or property
- If therapist is a defendant to a civil, criminal or disciplinary action arising from therapy
- The client is a defendant in a criminal proceeding and use of privilege would violate the defendant’s right to a compulsory process
I am mandated to report to authorities under the following circumstances:
- Incidents reported of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect involving a child/adolescent
- Disclosure of intent to harm another person
I am permitted to breach confidentiality when:
- Incidents are reported involving emotional or psychological abuse of a child/adolescent
- Indications of a client being a danger to themselves, others or property
Although we will often see each other for a few minutes during your child’s appointment, this is often not the best time to have a detailed discussion about your child and/or their treatment. I recommend additional sessions be scheduled with the parent/guardian in order to be able to best discuss your child’s treatment at length, as well as assist you with any parenting needs you may wish to address. A parent session is generally scheduled after 4-6 individual sessions with your child. If you have a more immediate concern, you are able to correspond with me by phone and email prior to your next session.
Children and Adolescents are entitled to have a confidential relationship with their therapist both legally and ethically. I am happy to discuss your concerns and will provide you with verbal reports on your child’s progress during the course of their treatment and in our parent sessions together. However, I will not reveal specific confidential information without your child being aware, unless information obtained from the minor indicates danger to the minor’s well being.
I am permitted to breach your child’s confidentiality when they report incidents involving emotional or psychological abuse, and if there are indications that the child may be a danger to themselves, others or property. This can include reporting to you and legal authorities when necessary. Please also see answer to “Is My Therapy Confidential?”.
There will be times when you find the need to cancel and reschedule your session. Please cancel your appointment with at least 24 hours advanced notice. You will be charged your full session fee if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice before the time of your appointment. You will be charged your session fee if you “no show” and do not provide any reason for your behavior. I will always take into consideration emergencies and illnesses, pending individual circumstance.
If you are running late, please let me know what has impacted your ability to arrive to our session and how late you expect to be. We will still meet for the duration of your regularly scheduled session time. This means that we will end on time and will not run over into the next person’s/group session.
I am available by phone but may not always be able to answer at the time of your call; you may leave a message on my confidential voicemail and I will return your call as soon as possible. You may also feel free to email me at sarahgugluizzalcsw@gmail.com to communicate regarding your treatment, resources, to answer questions, or address issues between sessions.
Please have a seat in the waiting room. You will often find me waiting at the inside door to greet you, but sometimes I will be finishing up with a client and may need a moment.
Our first session will last about an hour. If you have completed the intake materials in advance, I ask that you please bring them with you to the session; if not, I will give you time to complete those documents before we formally begin our session. During the session time we will review your forms, discuss your reasons for entering treatment, identify our focus of therapy and establish your regular appointment schedule. If you are accompanying your child to their first therapy appointment, we may meet together for all of the session or I may meet with your child individually for part of the session depending on their level of comfort.
Yes! If you are not able to come into the office for an in-person session, I can offer you the option of facilitating your session by phone, FaceTime or Skype. Regular session fees apply.
No I do not prescribe medications of any kind, as I am not a physician. If medication is a part of your treatment plan or it is believed that it may benefit you, I can refer you to a psychiatrist for assessment and follow up. If a psychiatrist is already treating you, I will ask you to provide written consent to speak with your doctor so that we may collaborate together to provide you the most well rounded care.
You’ve already started! The first step is reaching out to me…You can pick up the phone and call me at (718) 986-7470, email me at sarahgugluizzalcsw@gmail.com or fill out the contact form through this website. Once we are able to directly connect, we can schedule an initial appointment to discuss your goals and determine a course of action. I look forward to hearing from you.