THERAPY FAQs

Video Call Therapy from Any Mobile Device, We are Ready

Therapy FAQs Answered: Telehealth provides many benefits to both client and provider.  First, therapy in an online platform is safe. When your therapist lives in another locale, it can be particularly refreshing to know that you will not unwittingly know similar people or frequent similar places. Also, you are safe from traffic, cleared from strangers crossing your path when you need space to process an impactful session, and physically removed from being alone in a room with someone new to your circle of trust.

Second, the therapist can join with you in a crisis right where you are, even if that is a closet or the car. This makes a particularly liberating moment in meltdown mode when you realize help can be available in a come as you are way, no shower, no drive, no worry of being out of your safe space.

Third, a great deal can be shared in sharing a view of your physical space. Your therapist can learn a lot about you and your current state from what you share in your space.

Finally, telehealth allows your therapist to practice self care during the day between sessions. This may impact the quality of experience we can provide given our own state of wellbeing. Click here or more information about telehealth by Simple Practice. 

Grotto is in partnership with Simple Practice.  This is where you will connect with your therapist, connect in telehealth sessions, access records, pay bills, review notes, and schedule or cancel appointments.  Download the telehealth by Simple Practice app (ios and google). 

For more information, the State of North Carolina guide is available here

In-Person and Telehealth Appointments

We do see clients in-person both at the Charlotte Office (227 W. 4th Street) as well as the Grotto Alchemy Manhattan Office (6 East 39th Street). 

Accelerated and Advanced Empirically Established Therapy Techniques

Therapy FAQs Answered: Each therapy session is specifically geared to address the goals you set forth in collaboration with your therapist. It may feel that the path is not always straight forward; because the therapist may focus on obstacles that need to be cleared to ready you on the therapeutic journey. Therapy can be directive, evaluative, gentle supportive listening, educational, or strategic. Therapy is centered on you and your needs. I equate it to a good massage for your spirit; it is relief and work combined. Gains are often  followed by plateaus, we may spend the larger portion of our time together overcoming the obstacles to be prepared to change. The change happens rapidly once the stage is set generally. 

The sessions are generally 50 minutes with the last 10 minutes of the hour reserved for record keeping.

Please feel free to contact us at admin@grottopsych.com or call (704) 292-6020 OR check with your insurance provider directly. When we are in network we bill insurance directly.

The sessions are generally 50 minutes with the last 10 minutes of the hour reserved for record keeping.

Case by Case Accommodation

Therapy FAQs Answered: Grotto offers a sliding scale on a case by case basis which is set by you and your provider.

We also honor “grandfathered” rate meaning your previous rate with a provider will be honored regardless of global rate adjustments unless the adjusted rate is lesser than your previous rate. We want you to receive care with the most reasonable rate possible.

The sessions are generally 50 minutes with the last 10 minutes of the hour reserved for record keeping.

Secure HIPAA-Complaint, Safe, Private, and Free of Distractions

Grotto streamlines the therapeutic experience from first contact to video connection and record keeping in Simple Practice. Simple Practice is a HIPAA-compliant eloquent solution to detangle the process of getting help safely online. All interactions are medical standard to protect your privacy and confidentiality.  

The human component is probably the most important aspect of your safety. All Grotto staff is trained in our privacy policies and HIPAA regulations. Your clinicians primary duty is to see that good and no harm comes from the experience which means vigorously protecting the sanctity of this experience. 

As we set forth in therapy, only information pertinent to your focal mental health concern is documented. We try to do so in the way that one would want ones own story told. 

We will discuss any release of information and attain your consent prior to sharing any information about you, even affirming or denying your status as a client.  

If you are a dependent on an insurance policy, the sponsoring insurer cannot access your notes without your consent. 

Therapy FAQs Answered: Sometimes, when you are considering a release, your clinician may advise against it if it may prove damaging to your therapeutic process.  If we agree to a release, we curate what information to release, how, for what purposes it would satisfy, to whom, for how long that relationship of disclosure can continue, and specifically what aspects would be most helpful to share and what to protect.

Bottom line: You are in good hands, in an encrypted HIPAA compliant medical grade space, with a trained staff who are recognized legally with added responsibility to protect you and your privacy.

Fit is one-third of the Mental Health Success Equation

When we meet a doctor (of any kind), we have to be cognizant of two things:

(1) Bedside Manner – How the doctor asks questions, spends time, and values what we have to say.  Most of us make a decision within the first 30 seconds of meeting someone; we decipher what we think about that person before we make it far past a handshake.  Surprisingly, this first impression is quite hard to change.  So, if you don’t like the way you feel with the doctor within the first 2 sessions, find a new one. We may ask for tips to improve, but if someone tries to sell you to stay, this is a red flag and your gut was right.

(2) Mastery of Skills – Sometimes, we have a very particular condition that requires us to visit someone with a unique set of skills.  If there is a limited number of doctors to help with the solution you seek, you may need to advocate for your needs a bit more thoroughly.  You may wish to hear the doctor’s overview of your presentation and/or what they view as the clinical goals.  Sometimes we need to spend a session simply connecting and figuring out how to remain on the same page.  I would recommend using half a session every quarter or half year to request a session simply about this topic.  Sometimes, when you have the right skill set, the practitioner just needs some guidance and insight into a need that they may not have fully picked up on.

Above all, you are the advocate for your own health AND you are the expert in you.  Please don’t let yourself fall into the trap of thinking your opinion or intuition isn’t valid.  We warm blooded mammals are all equally equipped with feelings that tell us a lot about the world.