FAQs

Dr. Priyanka will briefly discuss any issues with you that you are currently dealing with and would like work on. It’s always a good idea to ask any questions you may have about our practice. At the end of the consultation, you and Dr. Priyanka will determine the best fit for your particular needs.

During our first therapy session, we will go over the details of the problems and issues you have been facing, how you have managed them, any previous experience with treatment, the goals you have, your strengths, ongoing stressors and your vision for yourself. Of course, when we feel over-whelmed and stressed, thinking so clearly might be difficult.

So in this first session Dr. Priyanka guide you through an in depth conversation about these various topics. She will also provide education and information along the way that can help build clarity on your problems AND solutions. In this first session, Dr. Priyanka will also work with you on creating a therapy/treatment plan or a roadmap and go over “housekeeping” matters including fees, our cancellation/re-scheduling policy, privacy and confidentiality related matters.

Since Dr. Priyanka is available to provide sessions online, she will also go over the details of this process, either as an adjunct to your in-person sessions or as the primary mode of treatment. Consider the first ‘assessment of your needs’ session as a “meet & greet.” This session will last between 45-60 minutes and is a critical beginning to your therapeutic partnership with Dr. Priyanka.

You are unique and so are your needs and life situations. So a typical therapy session with be entirely customized to the areas you and Dr. Priyanka determine are areas for work.

Dr. Priyanka practices in an integrative manner; you will experience ‘moments of teaching’ and structured interventions to address your problems as well as more open-ended parts to your session, where talking freely to air emotions, thoughts and physical sensations will allow you to share things as they surface in the moment. You can also expect that Dr. Priyanka will incorporate techniques and mindfulness based exercises to help you ease stress. A therapy session that combines and mindfully integrates various principles of psychotherapy, healing and personal growth aims to help you foster insight and make changes through applying those skills in various areas of your life.

A coaching session on the other hand, is a therapeutic space in which you can partner with an expert like Dr. Priyanka to accomplish self determined personal, professional, health and/or wellness related goals. In a coaching session we would work on a roadmap including several steps, strategies and self generated solutions. Dr. Priyanka will guide and support you to stay on track, co-monitor your progress and re-calibrate strategies to address your targeted goals.

Dr. Priyanka is available at a variety of times through the week, including some evenings and weekends.

A therapy session is usually for 45-50 minutes, with an initial session being for up to 60 minutes.

A coaching session can last from 30-45 minutes.

At this time, Dr. Priyanka is licensed to provide services both virtually and in person in in NJ and in NYS. She is also available to see clients in person in her Northern NJ office and NYC.

In the beginning of either therapy or coaching, it is usually advisable to come in more frequent-ly. However, once you have come close to meeting your treatment or coaching goals, the fre-quency of sessions can reduce. Dr. Priyanka is happy to provide “check-in” or booster sessions, where you can drop in virtually or in person. These booster sessions are tremendously valuable for those who are busy, are practicing their skills and/or who have met their goal but need a “mental health and wellbeing” visit. Dr. Priyanka has extensive experience in doing both short term (8-12weeks) and longer term therapy with standing weekly appointments.

Connect with Dr. Priyanka by using our contact form or by calling us, if you are not sure what of your needs at this time. She will be happy to schedule a onetime paid ‘consultation’ session of 45 minutes to discuss the best fit for you and outline the various possibilities and solutions.

Dr. Priyanka has over 10 years of expertise in working with depression, anxiety, stress stemming from life transitions, difficult relationships and mind-body techniques for wellbeing. Dr. Priyanka has also done coaching to help her clients to stay on track and meet self-determined goals. If you feel any of the issues you are dealing with, would benefit from the integrative approach that Dr. Priyanka practices, learn more by visiting the “about us”, “wellness services” pages or simply connect with us by filling out our online form or calling us at NUMBER.

There are many benefits to engaging in therapy! Some of these include gaining a better understanding of oneself, figuring out life goals and prospects, improving personal relationships, developing coping skills, enhancing problem-solving abilities, making positive changes to problem behaviors, and boosting self efficacy and self-esteem.

Engaging in psychotherapy is not always easy. You may find yourself having to discuss very personal information. You could find those conversations difficult and embarrassing, and you might be anxious during and after such conversations. But change is disrupting status quo- the familiar for a new reality. As you learn more about yourself, how to alleviate problems, you might encounter that some things might get worse before they get better. Its all part of the process of change and growth.

Psychotherapy is also a journey, a process. Dr. Priyanka will work with you to move at your own pace, support and empower you through this process.

Being that fees are subject to several factors, we will be happy to discuss rates with you during your free phone consultation. However, please be mindful that the appointments we schedule together, whether they are standing weekly appointments, coaching appointments or “wellbeing visits”, they are “your dedicated time.” Therefore, if you are unable to attend your session, please be aware that you will be charged for a full session if you do not notify us within 48hrs and reschedule your appointment.

We accept all forms of payment including cash, checks, and credit cards at this time.

Both for in person and online therapy and coaching payment needs to be made prior to your session. You can choose to pay for a certain set of sessions in advance, especially if you are in a time limited treatment, or decide to prepay prior to each session by having your credit card on file in our secure payment system.

We are an out-of-network practice, which means Dr. Priyanka does not accept insurance. However, we would gladly assist you in providing all the paperwork needed to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

1. Ask about your mental health benefits – both for within and out of network.
2. Clarify if you have a PPO (which means you can choose your doctors), as opposed to an HMO (which means you can only see in network providers). If you have a PPO, you can usually get some reimbursement.
3. If you do have a PPO, do you need pre-authorization to see an out-of-network practitioner? If so, please speak with your insurance company to get authorization to prior to our sessions.
4. Also, another way to get reimbursed for you sessions is to utilize the benefits your employer might provide through your health savings plan.

Confidentiality is one of the most important components in therapy, as successful therapy requires a high degree of trust. With few exceptions, the highly sensitive material that is discussed between you and your therapist will not be shared with anyone else without your permission. For example, your therapist may share information with someone on your healthcare team (your Physician or Attorney), but by law will only be allowed to release this information after obtaining your written consent. In addition, therapists are legally mandated to make certain disclosures in cases where there is suspicion of harm to oneself, harm to others, or child abuse. All such disclosures will be discussed with you in advance.

Sometimes, it is a good idea to share your work in therapy with a medical provider, who is part of your “health team.” Dr. Priyanka will go over these aspects in detail during your initial session, and if you provide written permission, treatment related information can be shared for better and integrated care.

Yes. Dr. Priyanka offers treatment sessions for psychotherapy by telephone if you are unable to attend your regularly scheduled sessions. You will be charged your usual rate for your telephone session. Please explore the “Specializations” page for information on Online therapy.

No. Dr. Priyanka is a licensed psychologist. Psychiatrists, who are medical doctors with a specialization in mental health, prescribe medications. If you and Dr. Priyanka determine that you could benefit from meeting with a psychiatrist, we can assist with referring you to someone in our trusted network of referrals.

The expertise, time and resource commitment that you will get during your online therapy session is just like what you would receive if you were seeing Dr. Priyanka in person. Hence the cost of the therapy session is at par with the cost of an in-person session.