Welcome to my
practice. I appreciate the opportunity
to be of help to you or your family.
This information provides
answers to many questions that clients often ask about therapy. Please let me
know if you have any further questions.
This handout talks about
the following:
1)
How do I conduct psychotherapy?
2)
How long does therapy take?
3)
What are the risks and benefits of psychotherapy?
4)
Additional issues regarding privacy
5)
Notice of Sole Proprietorship in Independent Practice.
6)
What is a “PsyD” and what training do I have?
1. How do I conduct therapy?
There are many types of therapy, and the type that is
helpful for you depends on what issues you would like to work on. Some types of therapy have been shown to work
well for certain types of problems, and those are called “empirically validated
treatments.” I feel it is important to
use these types of treatments whenever possible (especially when conducting
Diagnostic Assessments or Psychological Evaluations, for which I only use empirically validated
measures). However, when it comes to
psychotherapy, every client is different, and sometimes empirically validated
treatments don’t work as well as we would hope.
There is also a lot about therapy that we still don’t fully understand
(and not every therapeutic approach has been rigorously tested, or “empirically
validated”). So, we’re often not really
certain what “works,” and what doesn’t.
So, while I do use empirically validated treatments, I also use other
types of therapy that have been commonly accepted by the mental health
profession as being helpful. In short, I
use interventions that I think will work the best for your particular
concerns. This approach is called
“eclectic,” which means “mixed.”
I also follow the American Psychological Association’s
guidelines on ethics and professional behavior, and I follow the rules and
regulations for Psychologists put forth by the State of California (who is
responsible for regulating my License to Practice Psychology). Therefore, I do not use “experimental” types of therapy. I also do not work with clients I do not
think that I can help or use treatments that I am not adequately trained to
provide. Some of the types of work that
I do not do: child custody evaluations, drug or alcohol
treatment, worker’s compensation evaluations, forensic evaluations, or primary
treatment for eating disorders (although I will work with clients who are under
the care of a physician or other eating disorders treatment program). I will only accept you as a client if I feel
optimistic about our ability to make progress.
I feel that you will gain the most from therapy if you
feel comfortable in your choice of therapist and type of therapy that we are
using. A therapeutic relationship is just like any other healthy relationship,
meaning that it is based on communication and honesty. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or if
you don’t understand what we are doing, please ask and I will be happy to
answer questions. There may be times
when I cannot answer all of your questions as it would be counterproductive to
your progress to do so, but I will tell you when this is the case.
During our first session, we will discuss your goals for
therapy. By the end of our first or
second session, we will discuss an action plan, or the best way to reach those
goals. That action plan may include a
Psychological Evaluation, which is a more in-depth evaluation of your concerns,
or a Diagnostic Assessment, which is formal testing. We will discuss how long I think your
treatment or testing should take, costs, and the risks and benefits of
treatment. We will re-assess progress at
every visit. I may take notes during our
sessions. You may take notes as well if
you like.
2. How long does
psychotherapy take?
Most of my clients see me once per week for a 50-minute
session for 3 to 4 months. After that
some clients may benefit from continuing to see me for a few more months,
although less often, maybe once every two weeks. Some clients feel it helpful to continue to
see me for a longer period of time. Then
therapy ends, called “termination,” and that can be a very important and
valuable part of our work together.
Either of us can decide that it is time to terminate therapy if we feel
it is in your best interest. If you wish
to stop therapy at any time, I ask that you agree now to meet for one last
session to review our work together, answer any questions you may have, and to
discuss any future work or referrals that might be helpful to you. If you would like to take a “time out” from
therapy, we can discuss that too, so that the “time out” can be more helpful.
3. The risks and
benefits of psychotherapy:
By engaging in psychotherapy, you may experience relief
right away and begin to feel better.
Hundreds of well-designed research studies have shown that psychotherapy
can be helpful for a wide range of symptoms and disorders, including
depression, anxiety, grief, sleep problems, relationship problems, behavior
issues in children, and stress, among other issues. You may feel more energized about your work
and life goals. Your family life or
friendships may become more satisfying.
You may clarify your values and feel more comfortable in your
identity. You may feel generally happier
and more peaceful. By reducing stress,
you may sleep better and take better care of yourself, which may improve your
physical health.
However, it is important to understand the risks of
psychotherapy as well. The benefits
noted above may not happen immediately, and it may take time to feel
better. In order to make the changes
necessary in your life or in your pattern of coping, you may experience a
temporary worsening of symptoms. By talking about the issues that are
bothering you, it may bring up uncomfortable feelings. You may experience sadness, guilt, anger,
hopelessness, frustration, anxiety, or other negative emotions. You may recall unpleasant memories. These feelings and memories may bother you at
work, school, or affect your sleep. Your
family relationships might be disrupted, possibly leading to estrangement or
divorce, or family “secrets” might be discovered. Friends, family or co-workers may not like
the “changes” they see in you as a result of therapy, or may even mistakenly
see you as “weak” for seeing a therapist.
This may heighten your distress.
Many of these risks are to be expected when people are making important
changes in their lives, and we can discuss how to reduce significant or serious
symptoms while you are making progress.
Finally, despite our best efforts, there is a risk that therapy will not
be helpful for you. If I believe that
this is the case, I will discuss it with you and make appropriate referrals to
other professionals who may be of help.
4. Additional
issues regarding privacy:
You may be referred to me by other mental health care
providers or medical providers in the community with whom I work. With your consent, I may share information
about your condition and progress with your mental health care provider or
medical provider in order to coordinate treatment. Only necessary information is shared in order
to provide you with proper diagnosis and treatment. Your privacy is protected under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPAA). See my Notice of Privacy
Practices for more information.
5. Notice of
Sole Proprietorship in Independent Practice:
I am a sole proprietor in independent practice. This means that even though I share a waiting
room and office space with other mental health providers, I do not practice as
part of a group. I maintain my own
records and billing, I use my own forms and letterhead, and I practice only
under my name, Laurie Ferguson, Psy.D. and my practice name, Spark Psychological Services. I
do not share any of your personal information with the other mental health
providers with whom I share office space, unless they are part of your
treatment team and you have given me permission to do so.
6. What is a
“PsyD” and what training do I have?
I am a Psychologist, which is a mental health provider who
has received a Doctorate degree in Psychology, which is what my degree “PsyD”
means. (Other Psychologists have “PhD”
after their name, which means they have a Doctorate in Philosophy of Psychology.) In the state of California, you must be
licensed in order to clinically treat patients as a Psychologist. My California
Psychologist License is PSY20842.
·
I began working in the mental health field in
1996, and I am trained and experienced in helping children, adults and
families.
·
In 2002 I obtained my Doctorate in Clinical
Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, which is accredited by the
American Psychological Association. My
training specifically involved clinical treatment, psychological evaluations,
and diagnostic assessment. While my
training included working with clients of diverse ages and backgrounds, I also
trained specifically to treat and assess children.
·
I trained at The Children’s Hospital in Denver,
Colorado, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association to
provide training to Doctoral candidates. I completed rotations in
neuropsychology, Consultation & Liaison services, in-patient child and
adolescent services, emergency evaluations, out-patient child and family
psychotherapy, and psychological assessment.
Following my training, I continued to provide psychological assessments
and therapy for the Child Development Unit, which specializes in pervasive
developmental disorders and other childhood mental health issues.
·
I completed a post-doctoral residency at The
National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, which specializes in
treating children with asthma, allergies, and other immunological
diseases.
·
I have also worked in other in-patient and out-patient
settings, including the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the San
Francisco County Jail, and the University of San Francisco Child and Family
clinic.
·
I am a member of the American Psychological
Association (APA). I am also a member of the Central Coast
Psychological Association, where I have been the Co-Chair of the Ethics Committee from 2010 to the present.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to
be of help to you or your family.
Please let me know if you have any
questions at any time during your treatment.
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