Frequently Asked Question:
Mental Health Services
Are you licensed to practice in mental health counseling services?
I am currently under the supervision of Dr. Jaime A.B. Wilson, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist. I will obtain full state licensure in the first week of March 2018. After that, I will be an independent practitioner with full Washington state licensure to provide mental health services. My current state licensure credential is as a ‘Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate,” (LMHCA). But after March 2018, it will become, “Licensed Mental Health Counselor” (LMHC).
I am also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) since April 2016. The difference between NCC and LMHCA/LMHC occurs in their codes of ethics. The National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) encourages mental health professionals not to testify in courtrooms or to conduct any forensic evaluations, among many examples. LMHCA/LMHC come with their own state regulations that govern the professionalism and practice of licensed mental health providers.
My goal as a mental health professional is to not just offer my practice in Washington, but also in Oregon. I will receive my state licensure in Oregon in March 2020. My State of Oregon credential in licensure will be “Licensed Professional Counselor” (LPC) with the Oregon State Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Marriage Therapists. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, and/or issues you would like to discuss about my credentials. Thank you.
I am also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) since April 2016. The difference between NCC and LMHCA/LMHC occurs in their codes of ethics. The National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) encourages mental health professionals not to testify in courtrooms or to conduct any forensic evaluations, among many examples. LMHCA/LMHC come with their own state regulations that govern the professionalism and practice of licensed mental health providers.
My goal as a mental health professional is to not just offer my practice in Washington, but also in Oregon. I will receive my state licensure in Oregon in March 2020. My State of Oregon credential in licensure will be “Licensed Professional Counselor” (LPC) with the Oregon State Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Marriage Therapists. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, and/or issues you would like to discuss about my credentials. Thank you.
What kind of insurances do you accept?
- Regence
- Blue Cross, Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Premera
- Group Health
- Molina
- United Healthcare
- Tricare
- Medicare Part B
- Lifewise
- KPS
- First Choice
- Community Health Plan of Washington
- Uniform Medical
- Various EAPs
- Optum Health
What is your philosophy in mental health counseling?
Steven graduated from a CACREP accredited program at Adler University in Chicago, IL with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. His school training focused on the prominent psychoanalyst and psychotherapist – Dr. Alfred Adler’s – theories and frameworks, espousing both individual and community psychology.
Much of Steven’s work places an emphasis on the importance of “courageous will” to empower individuals to make choices that are useful and practical. After all, any given endeavor requires the courage to take the first step – including the courage to seek help. Maintaining personal interests and a sense of community are also an integral part of achieving self-actualization.
Much of Steven’s work places an emphasis on the importance of “courageous will” to empower individuals to make choices that are useful and practical. After all, any given endeavor requires the courage to take the first step – including the courage to seek help. Maintaining personal interests and a sense of community are also an integral part of achieving self-actualization.
What kind of counseling approaches you use?
After spending more than a decade engaged in various political endeavors, Steven decided to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and become an Adlerian therapist. His childhood influences come from his grandfather’s psychotherapy works that involve existential and humanistic psychologies of Otto Rank, Vicktor Frankl, Rollo May, Fritz Perls, Carl Rogers, Urie Bronfenbrenner, Abraham Maslow, and Albert Ellis. Steven’s interests also center on developing tailored, specific psychotherapy applications that benefit Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and hard-of-hearing individuals.
What areas or issues do you focus in mental health counseling?
The common issues in therapy I focus on are:
The common disorders/diagnoses I offer therapy services are:
Therapy approaches I typically use are:
- Anger Management
- Anxiety Management
- Alcohol Drinking Management
- Addictions (i.e., Gaming, Gambling, Internet Surfing, etc.)
- Behavioral Modification & Management
- Court Ordered Treatment Diversions (Depends on patients’ needs)
- Family Dysfunctions & Dynamics Issues
- General and Acute Phobias (Fears)
- Medication Management (I cannot prescribe medications)
- Major Depression, including Bipolar Types I and II
- Marriage Issues, including partnerships, domestic partnerships, civil unions
- Obsession Compulsive Disorder Modules & Interventions
- Sex Dysfunctions & Behavioral Concerns/Issues
- Sexual Offending Treatment Modules & Interventions (under the Courts’ supervisions)
- Schizophrenic Management & Interventions
- Stress Management
- Traumatic Management
The common disorders/diagnoses I offer therapy services are:
- Anxiety Mood Disorders
- Attachment Disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder
- Anti-Social Personality Disorder, including Conduct Disorder, Internment Explosive Disorder, and Dysregulation Behavioral/Emotional Disorders
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Obsession Compulsive Disorder
- Post Trauma Stress Disorder
Therapy approaches I typically use are:
- Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Choice Theory (CT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)
- Dialect Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Behavioral Modification Therapy (BMT)
- Mindfulness Therapies & Approaches (i.e., relaxation, visualization, etc.)
- Validation Process & Therapy
- Learning Support Psychotherapy
How can I request for services?
You can pull up the website, www.social58.com and then click on “Contact” on the top of right corner of the website. You will see the menu options under the “Contact.” You can click one of those and then fill out the blanks. When you are done, just click and submit! We will be in touch with you shortly!
Do you currently accept State Medicaid insurances?
Yes, I accept state Medicaid insurances. Apple Health, Molina, UnitedHealthcare, ProviderOne, etc.
Do you accept Medicare Part B insurance?
Yes, I accept Medicare Part B insurance. Medicare is a federal insurance program. It is usually under the authority of Social Security Administration (SSA). If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI), then you are more likely to receive Medicare B coverage.
What are the difference between co-payment and co-insurance?
Co-payment means you are responsible paying a portion of therapy costs. Usually, it is ranged from $10 to $50 per session, depending on your insurance coverage. I will let you know how much you are responsible to pay after I contact your insurance for prior authorization purposes.
Co-payment also means that you are ‘required’ to pay up front prior to beginning each session. I accept any method of payments (i.e., cash, credit card, debit, money order, cashier check, or personal check). If your co-payment is too high for you, then we can talk about a convenient payment plan.
Please note that if you have 4 sessions’ co-payments unpaid, then therapy must be temporarily put on hold until you have paid them off. Federal law requires me as a mental health provider to bill insurance companies AFTER all co-payments are paid. I cannot bill insurance companies until you pay all your co-payments.
Co-insurance means that insurance companies may have some additional “fees” that they will not pay regarding all or part of therapy sessions. Rarely, insurance companies have co-insurance fees. I will let you know if there are any alternative fees that your insurance company will not pay.
Co-payment also means that you are ‘required’ to pay up front prior to beginning each session. I accept any method of payments (i.e., cash, credit card, debit, money order, cashier check, or personal check). If your co-payment is too high for you, then we can talk about a convenient payment plan.
Please note that if you have 4 sessions’ co-payments unpaid, then therapy must be temporarily put on hold until you have paid them off. Federal law requires me as a mental health provider to bill insurance companies AFTER all co-payments are paid. I cannot bill insurance companies until you pay all your co-payments.
Co-insurance means that insurance companies may have some additional “fees” that they will not pay regarding all or part of therapy sessions. Rarely, insurance companies have co-insurance fees. I will let you know if there are any alternative fees that your insurance company will not pay.
What is 2018 Medicare Part B co-insurance payment?
Effectively started on January 01, 2018, new co-insurance payment is $26.90 per session. Prior year co-insurance was $42.13 per session.
What is the hourly private pay rate for mental health counseling services?
I offer pay scale for those who cannot afford since some patients are low-incomes or receiving SSA benefits. I offer $90 per hour for those populations who cannot afford regular charge in which is $120 per hour.
If you have insurance benefits, then you may pay co-payments or none. Better to have insurance benefits because medical expenses, including seeking for mental health services can be very expensive.
If you have insurance benefits, then you may pay co-payments or none. Better to have insurance benefits because medical expenses, including seeking for mental health services can be very expensive.
What is the intake diagnosis interview?
The intake diagnosis interview usually takes up to 2 hours. It is always done especially prior to starting therapy sessions. Intake diagnosis interview allows me to determine the most appropriate treatment plans and interventions you may need from my office.
Moreover, all insurance companies require me as therapist to determine the basic diagnosis so I could use it as a code in billing purposes. I will let you know what is the diagnosis and the rationale of the determination.
Moreover, all insurance companies require me as therapist to determine the basic diagnosis so I could use it as a code in billing purposes. I will let you know what is the diagnosis and the rationale of the determination.
How long intake procedures take?
Intake procedures take 2 or 3 sessions. It depends on the nature of paperwork and treatment formulation planning. We will work together and have all paperwork usually required by insurance companies and to protect your confidentiality and mental health records.
What are treatment plans?
Treatment plans include the diagnoses, issues/problems/concerns identified, and the objectives (how to achieve) treatment goals. We will create reasonable, convenient treatment measurable outcomes for you to achieve. In the end of treatment plan documents, you can either agree or not. Your signature is required, to accept treatment plans or not. Treatment plans usually are reviewed a year from the date of your signature.
