FAQ

The first appointment is a consultation where there is a detailed review of your concerns, with further  inquiries about parts of your history that would be relevant to making the best treatment recommendation we can. It is longer in duration, lasting around seventy-five minutes. At the end of the appointment, there will be a discussion as to what type of treatment is recommended and whether Couch & Cardigan can meet your needs. Medicine may not be prescribed at the first visit. 

Possibly, but not necessarily. This depends on the discussed treatment plan, and whether it’s clear we can meet your treatment needs. It’s not typical, but sometimes a consultation may need to extend to an additional appointment to clarify the issues. In these situations, extended visits will be billed as follow-ups. 

These appointments follow after the first appointment, after a treatment plan has been agreed upon. They tend to be shorter in length (20-25 minutes) and therefore cost less than the initial appointment. In these appointments, the treatment plan can be refined and changed to best meet your needs.

Follow-up appointments tend to occur more frequently at the beginning of treatment; one can expect follow-ups every 2-4 weeks in the first two or three months, sometimes more frequently based on the degree of symptoms. In time, the appointments become more spaced out.

At a minimum, follow-ups are recommended once every 3 months to ensure the best ongoing care.

Couch & Cardigan is currently out-of-network with insurances and therefore does not accept insurances, or directly bill insurances for services.

At this time, all appointment fees are collected prior to beginning that day’s appointment. 

Patients can receive a document called a superbill, which is a receipt that includes information about the services provided and the associated costs. Patient can submit this superbill to their insurance for partial reimbursement of the services. 

Patients will receive a good faith estimate (GFE), which is a list of expected charges for the year.

A psychiatrist is a doctor who completed either medical school (MD) or a school of osteopathy (DO), and then went on to specialize in the field of psychiatry through a program called a residency. Psychiatry residency programs are, for the most part, four years in length. A psychiatrist can then do additional specialty training in fields such as forensics (law), child and adolescent care, elder care, or specialized consultation/liaison services.

In treatment planning, psychiatrists can offer therapy, medication, interventional treatments, holistic-focused treatments, or a combination thereof.