Frequently Asked Questions

Psychotherapy is a professional, helping relationship between a client and a trained therapist. This relationship is based on therapeutic and ethical principles of client self-determination and empowerment. Whereas family members or friends may provide comfort and advice in times of need, a therapist is truly impartial and works from an unbiased perspective.

Psychotherapy works based on establishing a productive relationship; one in which the client can trust his or her new therapist, who in many ways is a stranger. Building this trusting relationship can take time for some individuals, whereas others seem to open up more quickly to the process. Once a trusting relationship is established, the clinician works with the client on the treatment goals established by that client and/or his or her parents during the initial needs assessment process.

Many people experience an initial sense of relief once they start talking about what is bothering them. However, this initial relief can also be followed by more questions like,” how do I avoid those negative feelings again?” Or, “what can I do to keep feeling good?” We find that most people begin to get a sense that therapy is working when they find the answers to those very questions themselves.

Building any relationship takes time and the therapeutic relationship is no different. For some, a sense of trust evolves over a few sessions, whereas for others, really feeling safe to open up may take months. Child & Family Associates of Greater Washington (CFA) Associates strive to ask the right questions to unlock answers to our clients’ problems, but often getting to the solution depends more on clients truly trusting the clinician and being honest. Some clients have found that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or brief solution-focused psychotherapy has helped them enough to stop therapy after as few as twelve sessions. However, we also have clients that have been working in therapy for years. Ultimately, how long you are in therapy is up to you and when you decide you have met your goals. Our commitment is to work with you as fast as possible, without compromising quality of care, to help you achieve your goals.

Fees vary, depending on the CFA Associate you or your child may see; the services they provide and the extent of the assessment or intervention. Please call our client care coordinator at 703-533-3930, extension 1 for more information about our standard fees and rates.

Yes. Practically all of the clinical services provided by CFA clinicians are insurance reimbursable, and most of our clients receive reimbursement from their insurance carriers for services rendered by CFA clinicians.

Payment by credit card is due at time of service. CFA policies state that if a client or family has an account balance of two sessions, services will be suspended until the account is brought back to $0.00.

CFA Associates are fee-for-service, or “private pay,” providers. This means that we only accept our full fee for services, and do not accept any insurance allowable or reimbursed rate to clients as payment for our services. Whereas we are not a participating in-network provider for any insurance carrier, CFA clinicians may be available to complete Outpatient Treatment Records (OTR’s) or treatment plans as required by your insurance company for reimbursement. When completing OTR’s or other insurance related forms, clients are charged a pro-rated fee based on the clinicians regular session hour to complete such forms.

As a strengths-based and skill-building oriented practice, CFA Associates desires to identify and work with our clients’ strengths and aptitudes rather than to focus on diagnosing particular disorders or mental health conditions. This puts us at odds with some insurance carriers who require us to work from a more rigid, disease-based model of service delivery. Whereas we are trained and licensed to diagnosis and treat emotional and behavioral problems, we address such problems creatively and conceptualize interventions tailored to fit the client, and not necessarily employ the pathway a particular insurance company may mandate.

It is also important to note that insurance companies, at times, may require more information about an individual and family than may be needed to determine diagnosis of a particular condition. This demand for information may put our clients’ confidentiality at risk and may compromise trust in the working relationship. Moreover, the overhead required to maintain communication with insurance carriers, is cost-prohibitive.

CFA respects our clients’ self determination and chooses not to work with any particular insurance carrier. But we are willing—with our clients understanding and permission—to facilitate the exchange of any and all relevant clinical information needed for reimbursement from the insurance carrier to the client directly.