Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a list of answers about our practice and our services. If you have a question that is not answered here, send us a note by clicking here.
Click on any of the links below to jump directly to a question.
(1) How do I set up my first appointment?
(2) How long does therapy take?
(3b) Do you offer single-case agreements for insurance coverage?
(5) Do you prescribe medication?
(6) Do you write WPATH letters for gender-affirming surgery and HRT?
(1) How do I set up my first appointment?
Contact us at info@princetonmindbody.com or call us at (609) 375-8727.
Our intake coordinator will schedule a brief, 15-minute phone consultation with you to discuss how the PCMBH can help you achieve your therapy goals. All issues discussed remain confidential and are only relayed to the clinical team.
Upon being matched with a therapist, all intake documents will be sent digitally via Simple Practice, our HIPAA-secure EHR (electronic health records) system. No need for a printer, scanner, paper, or ink!
(2) How long does therapy take?
While each client is different, many clients experience relief quite quickly and an ongoing shift in symptoms with consistent sessions. Treatment usually begins on a weekly basis and decreases to once a month or as needed. As we work together, we can have a better gauge of the course of your treatment.
There’s no “magic number” of sessions. While improvement may be shown rapidly, sustaining these improvements require diligence, commitment, and honesty. Instant gratification, sadly, is seldom lasting. We encourage all new clients to stick with it and continue to explore deeper, fundamental growth over time.
(3a) Do you accept insurance?
Currently, we only participate in Medicare Part B of New Jersey and the Princeton University EPN for Students. We will be exploring enrollment in other subsidized, need-based insurance networks for the future.
We are out-of-network with all other providers, but we are always able to provide documentation for out-of-network reimbursement from your insurance provider, subject to your policy determinations. You can see more details about our insurance arrangements and fees at this link on our website.
For all other networks, please call the office manager who can assist you in assessing your out-of-network benefits. All out-of-network clients are solely responsible for obtaining reimbursement from their insurance provider.
Here are four questions to ask your insurance provider to determine your benefits:
What is my coinsurance (reimbursement) rate for out-of-network mental health services?
Do I have a separate deductible for out-of-network expenses?
Are there any specific licensing requirements of the clinicians they will reimburse? (e.g. do they need an LCSW or LPC? Or can they have an LSW or LAC?)
What is the maximum allowable amount?
(For couples and family:) Do you cover “Family Psychotherapy (CPT Code 90847)”?
(3b) Do you offer single-case agreements for insurance coverage?
If you find out you have no out-of-network benefits (or insufficient out-of-network benefits, you may qualify for a single-case agreement (SCA), where the insurer treats us as temporarily in-network, just for you! SCAs usually have to be initiated by the client by calling the insurance. It is wise to be ready to ask for one in the same call as these five questions.
SCAs are most readily approved for marginalized populations, including (but not limited to)…
LGBTQ+ (especially transgender) clients
BIPOC clients
Trauma survivors (of any and all forms)
Disabled clients
Please note that we also offer access to free and reduced cost therapy services for clients through our work and partnership with the Princeton Foundation for Elevating Equality. Clients that fall into these demographics often need to seek specialized outpatient care (and/or a provider that identifies with one of the above demographics) that is normally unavailable in-network. Commercial insurers often lack the providers and tools necessary to identify providers that can effectively treat members of these demographics, hence the higher approval rate.
NOTE: Generally, most insurers will only offer single-case agreements to providers with an “LCSW,” “LPC,” or similar “advanced” certification. Exceptions are very rarely made. If the provider you are interested in obtaining and SCA for is an LSW or LAC clinician, please reach out to us. for alternatives.
For clients who do not apparently fall into a marginalized population, multiple “unsuccessful” treatments with prior in-network clinicians are usually required to demonstrate “medical necessity” for a single-case agreement. Traditional CBT and DBT (two of the most common, older evidence-based modalities) that are usually required by insurance may fail when used inadequately or inappropriately for clients with unseen or unidentified traumas. If these traumas are identified, they may lie outside the specialty of the in-network clinicians you have seen OR are unable to be sufficiently addressed within the limits of in-network care, if you have a session limit. Thus, you may be successful have requesting a single-case agreement on the grounds of requiring trauma-informed and/or somatic treatment techniques that some PCMBH clinicians offer.
PCMBH offers no guarantees of approval for any client, but does its best to provide advocacy and evidence in order to help clients get the treatment they deserve.
(4) What is sex therapy?
A form of psychotherapy that specializes in clients' sexual selves. Sex therapy does not involve any touch between client and therapist. We often begin with a medical consult to rule out underlying medical issues. Then we work together to identify patterns of behavior, emotion, and communication and develop a course of action to alleviate symptoms and heal underlying issues. Sex therapy can include, but is not limited to, the following concerns:
painful sex
difficulty with arousal
uncontrolled ejaculation
infidelity
negotiating sexual agreements
gender dysphoria
understanding sexual orientation
navigating "kink" in your life
(5) Do you prescribe medication?
Therapists, such as clinical social workers and counselors, cannot prescribe medication in the State of New Jersey (in fact, only five states allow this). Only a licensed psychiatrist holding an M.D. (or a psychiatric APN supervised by one) may prescribe psychiatric medication; additionally, psychiatrists generally do not provide any therapy sessions. At this present time, we do not employ an in-house psychiatrist who can prescribe medications. However, we have a carefully curated list of outside psychiatrists whom we work with to delivery holistic care to our clients. We can also coordinate care if you have an existing psychiatrist. We support all healthy and sustainable pathways to healing, and that may include medication management for some of our clients.
For transgender clients seeking HRT, an endocrinologist or other doctor (including general practitioners, advance practice nurses, etc.) with specialized training may prescribe hormone therapy and blockers. We also refer our transgender clients out to a carefully curated list of providers who specialize in the treatment of transgender individuals. Minors have a more limited list of practitioners they can access due to higher standards of training and experience required for their hormone treatments. We are able to provide WPATH clearance letters for hormone therapy and surgery where informed consent treatment is unavailable.
(6) Do you write WPATH letters for gender-affirming surgery and HRT?
Yes, we do write these letters (and fairly often)! If you are already seeing one of our clinicians, just ask— most of our clinicians already have experience evaluating, treating, and advocating for gender dysphoric clients, and this includes writing WPATH letters.
If you are a prospective client interested in just a letter (rather than ongoing therapy), we can generally furnish a letter within 1-3 visits, depending upon age and recency of coming out. Merely an evaluation is needed for a letter, not necessarily ongoing therapy! We are committed to minimizing gatekeeping, but also try to ensure we are offering the necessary support, advice, and advocacy often needed before embarking on the next chapter of transition. If you require a second letter for another procedure in the future, we generally are able to furnish those with only one check-in visit.
For minors and adults who need it, we offer a family session (without patient present) to educate family members on how to best support you in both transition and surgery recovery, taking on some of the emotional labor on behalf of our clients so you don’t have to do as much work. We are also able to write follow-up letters and collaborate with other therapists and medical providers to ensure you have all the necessary documentation to proceed with gender-affirming medical treatment.
If you already have an outside therapist you work with regularly and would like to stick with, we may be able to advise and/or train your regular therapist on the requirements for writing their letter (it’s MUCH simpler than most people think!), since most insurance companies require two behavioral health letters.