have questions?

WE HAVE ANSWERS

How long are sessions?
OAO standard sessions are 45-50 minutes, but therapy intensives are offered. Please see the Q&A explaining what therapy intensives are and how you will know if one is right for you, for more information.
Do you accept insurance?

We are NOT in-network with any insurance companies at this time. Our therapists are considered private pay and out-of-network. We accept all major credit cards, HSA/FSA cards, checks, and cash. A credit card is required to be kept on file.

Payment is due at the time of service. Upon request, we provide superbills (session receipts) that our clients may submit to their insurance for possible reimbursement. Any portion of reimbursement, if any, is determined by your insurance company. We also provide Good Faith Estimates.

To learn more, please view our cost investment details for more information on using out-of-network benefits.

How much is the cost of a session?
Our therapist rates vary, reflecting licensure level and experience. Length of therapy sessions, in-office and teletherapy vs. community and home sessions also influence our rates.

What is the difference between licensure levels?

Independently licensed therapists who have their full license means they have completed all supervision requirements to practice independently, without oversight. All of our therapists are extensively trained in our practice specialty, anxiety and OCD.

All provisionally-licensed therapists must be supervised by an independently licensed clinician for an extensive period of time. For you, this means you get two brains and two clinicians fully invested in your care. All of our therapists are thoroughly trained in our practice specialties, complex anxiety and OCD.

Our general rates for independently licensed therapists:
Intake/first session (55 min): $290
Standard 45-50 minute session: $225
For home, community, and therapy intensive (extra time) sessions, please *contact us*.

Our general rates for provisionally-licensed therapists:
Intake/first session (55 min): $225
Standard 45-50 minute session: $175
For home, community, and therapy intensives (extra time) sessions, please *contact us*.

Due to the nature of OCD and anxiety therapy, clients are eligible to request 75 minute sessions, 90 minute sessions, or a more intensive track such as 2-3 hour sessions multiple times per week for accelerated functioning and healing. Alternative lengths in session are granted upon request, the need of the client, and current availability.

At-home and ‘out in the community’ session rates are determined based on a variety of factors (e.g. including travel time, etc.). Please ask us more about these rates if you’re interested in at-home or community based sessions.

For more information, please see our cost investment details.

What types of therapy do OAO therapists practice?

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): We help you expose yourself (or child) to your fears and triggers while gradually and thoughtfully reducing behaviors we engage in that make us feel safe temporarily but worsen OCD/anxiety over time. These behaviors typically include avoidance, distraction, reassurance seeking and compulsions/rituals.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): We help you to identify your values and what is most important to you in your life, commit to behaving in value based ways over fear-driven behavior, develop flexibility in your thinking, and help you learn how to observe your thoughts instead of getting tangled in them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): We help you understand how your thoughts, feelings, sensations in your body and behaviors are connected. Then, we help you to change your behaviors. By changing your behaviors, your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in your body also change.

Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) We help you understand how your obsessions were formed and how to regain trust in yourself, your senses, and your sense of reality so that OCD’s imagined possibilities do not carry so much weight. This naturally will help reduce compulsive behavior. Click HERE to learn more about ERP and I-CBT.

To learn more about ERP, CBT, and ACT, please click HERE.

How often do you recommend coming to therapy?
This will depend on the needs of the client, but we typically recommend weekly sessions initially with the intention to transition to biweekly and then monthly as the client progresses. Attending therapy consistently, particularly in the beginning of treatment, is vital to making progress and feeling better. That being said, we will see clients two-four times a week initially if this is clinically necessary and an OAO therapist has the availability to accommodate this need.
How long does therapy take?
Our goal is to teach you the skills you need to feel confident in your ability to manage any symptoms you may have on your own. Just how long that may take varies with each client, but we assure you, we want you to attend for only the length of time you need/benefit.

On average, our clients typically attend weekly sessions for (at least) the first 3-6 months. Our clients are with us for one year, on average.

Some clients desire to work towards a graduation from therapy. Others desire to continue at a cadence that works well for them for accountability and self-care.

What does an initial session look like?
An initial session is a time for you and your therapist to get to know one another and ensure that we are a great fit for each other. Your therapist will ask questions about you or your child’s history and gather an understanding of your goals for therapy. For child clients, initial sessions will be parent-only sessions.
Can a loved one join me for a session?
We are more than happy to designate sessions as needed to educate a client’s support system and provide recommendations on how best to support a client at home during therapy.

“You are not your OCD. You are not the thoughts and compulsions that torment you.” – Jeffrey M. Schwartz

Does OAO offer teletherapy?
Yes, teletherapy is offered to all clients. If your therapist clinically believes teletherapy to be ineffective for a client, we will take steps to find them appropriate care. We see people throughout the state of Arizona; you do not need to be local to the valley in Phoenix. We use a HIPAA compliant platform for web sessions.
Does OAO offer in-person therapy?

Yes, every therapist offers in-person sessions. Some therapists offer in-person daily while others are hybrid.

How do child sessions work? What is my role?
This will depend on the age and needs of the client. Parents are encouraged to be present for the initial intake for adolescents and required for children. Child intakes are typically with parents only. For children under 14, we recommend that parents/guardians have sessions once every 3-4 weeks without their child present upon consent from the child. For adolescents, family sessions are encouraged once a month. We strongly value parent and family involvement in therapy. We see children ages 6 and up.
Do you coordinate care with my child's school and providers?
Absolutely, as long as you and your child consent and sign a release of information. We prefer to do so for best care outcomes.
Do you leave the office for exposure work?

Yes, as long as we have consent from the client (and parent/guardian for minors). Exposures completed outside of the office are perfect for therapy intensives. You can learn more about therapy intensives under the Q &A about what therapy intensives are and how you know they are right for you. We are happy to meet people at stores, malls, coffee shops, etc. and potentially your home provided time, schedule, and circumstance allows. We are not able to drive any clients in our personal cars. Therefore, if a client is unable to drive, they will need someone in their support system to drive them to the destination of the exposure and back. Community and home exposure work will likely require our clients to book out a longer session length (therapy intensive). Please ask us about pricing for community sessions as it depends on length of time, time of day, and commute time. You can share your needs in our new client contact form.

What is your cancellation policy?
We reserve protected slots for our clients, meaning no other clients are able to schedule during your reserved time. We often have clients asking to schedule appointments from slots that become available from cancellations, and we often need to keep a waitlist for those looking to start treatment with us. Therefore, if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, a 24 business hour notice is required (Monday through Friday) from the time of your appointment. For example, if you are scheduled on Tuesday at 11AM, we need to be notified of the cancellation by Monday at 11AM in order to cancel/reschedule without your full fee for session being charged/applied. For Monday appointments, we need to be notified by Friday at 12PM to avoid late cancel/no show full fee charges. If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice or after Friday at noon for a Monday appointment or do no show for a scheduled appointment, you will be charged your full session fee, unless the cause for the late cancel/no show was due to a valid emergency.
What are therapy intensives and how do I know if it is right for me?

Therapy intensives are tailored, extended therapy sessions where you will be supported with unrushed time to do a deep dive into your exposure work and make a lot of progress in a shorter amount of time. Therapy intensives are tailored to the individual and their needs. Lengths of session and frequency of intensives will vary. Session lengths for intensives start at 75 minutes and go up to a 3 hour intensive. When might you consider a therapy intensive?

-If you would like faster relief from a long standing, impairing phobia or social anxiety.
-Need extra help to get out of your home and back into your life sooner due to panic attacks and agoraphobia making your world smaller and smaller.
-Need a jump-start to your OCD/anxiety therapy journey or would like to speed up the exposure process once you get your feet wet in weekly or biweekly therapy.
-If you or your child might benefit from home or community exposure work. Think about where you encounter OCD and anxiety triggers and if your therapist traveling with you out in public or to your home would help you overcome your real-life stuck points more quickly.
-And more!

Inquire about therapy intensives and pricing HERE.

“The only way to overcome OCD is by facing your fears.” – Jonathan Grayson
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

The two hallmark symptoms of OCD are obsessions and compulsions that induce distress and impair quality of life.

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, urge and images that cause significant duress. Some topics include fear of obtaining or spreading contamination, taking on an essence of someone else, intrusive thoughts, and more.

Compulsions and rituals are behaviors completed to help our body feel safe, in an attempt to neutralize obsessions or reduce anxiety, doubt, shame, guilt or disgust. Compulsions can be physical (e.g. excessive hand washing or asking a parent repeated questions) or mental (e.g. constant rumination).

People living with OCD find themselves in cyclical patterns of encountering a trigger in their external or internal world, conclusion of an abnormal doubt (obsession), distress (increased doubt, anxiety, disgust, shame, guilt), compulsion completed, and then temporary relief. The temporary relief soon ends once someone is triggered again.

Click HERE to learn more about Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which are evidence-based treatments for anxiety and OCD.

Click HERE to learn more about ERP and I-CBT. 

Do you have more questions?

We are here to help. Schedule your free ‘Good-Fit Discovery’ call today.

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