Frequently Asked Questions

I accept credit cards and debit cards!

No, sorry! Since I can't prescribe medication and I don't do therapy, I'm not eligible to take insurance for my services. All appointments cost $99, with or without insurance!

No, sorry! I am not a licensed therapist. However, I have a B.S. in Clinical Psychology from Tufts University. For that degree, I had to study various types of therapy to learn how they're conducted and what they're used for. If you're interested in finding a therapist, I can help you with that process! You could tell me about your therapy goals and what traits you do and don't like in a therapist. Then, I could find you a therapist who's a good fit for you and takes your insurance. And even though I'm not a licensed therapist, I'm still available if you need someone to talk to! We're all human, and I value having a personal connection with my clients; so if you'd like to schedule an appointment to talk about the things going on in your life, I'm always here to listen!

The free consultation is an opportunity for us to get to know each other! You can tell me about yourself and your symptoms, and what you're hoping to get out of working with me. Then, I'll tell you about myself and about what I can do to help you reach your goals! If you like what you hear, you can book an appointment with me (either a Psychiatric Assessment appointment or a Treatment Plan appointment). Or if you're not interested, you don't need to do anything else! This free consultation is completely free, even if you decide not to schedule an appointment with me. These free consultations are done over phone call or Zoom video chat. Email me at valerie@holisticpsychiatrictreatment.com, or text or call me at (201) 252-7367 to schedule a free consultation!

By now, I've already gotten to know you from the free consultation (and possibly the psychiatric assessment if you decided to have that appointment too)! Before this appointment, I'll create a customized treatment plan for you based on the information you shared with me during our previous appointment(s). During this appointment, I'll share this treatment plan with you and we'll go through it together. I'll explain the science behind all of my recommendations, and I'll answer any questions you have about it. Then, you can let me know if there's anything in the plan that you'd like me to change. For example, if one of the things I suggest is for you to walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes a day, but you hate walking, I can recommend some other exercises that will get you the same results! After this appointment, I'll make any changes to the treatment plan. Then I'll email your treatment plan to you.

The treatment process is different for each client based on their needs! The first step is scheduling a free consultation for us to get to know each other. After that, you can choose to either schedule a Treatment Plan appointment (where we'll go over your treatment plan together), or you can schedule a psychiatric assessment appointment first. After your Treatment Plan appointment, you could schedule follow-up appointments in the future if you have new symptoms or want me to update your treatment plan!

This appointment costs $99. However, I ask that you pay half of it before the appointment (when you schedule the appointment), and the other half after. The reason for this is because I've had people schedule an appointment, but then they cancel the appointment and ghost me; but at that point, I've already spent hours doing research and creating their treatment plan for them. When this happens, I do hours of work and I don't get paid for it. Because of this, I ask that you pay half of the $99 (which would be $49.50) before I start working on your treatment plan. That way, I know I'll still be paid something if you decide that you're no longer interested in having the appointment. I work really hard on these treatment plans! It takes many hours of research for me to look into research studies that have been done on various supplements, exercises, diets, lifestyle changes, etc. Everything that I recommend in my treatment plans is supported by science, and looking through all of the science is really time consuming! That's why it's important to me that half of the money is paid before I do this work. Once you schedule this appointment, I'll send you an email with a link to the payment portal. You can click that link and make your payment of $49.50. Once the payment goes through, I'll create your treatment plan before your appointment. And then after your appointment, you'll receive another email with another link to pay the other $49.50. Please let me know if you have any questions!

No, sorry! I can't prescribe medicine. However, I can help you find a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who accepts your insurance! They would be able to prescribe you medication.

During this appointment, I'll conduct an assessment. The results of the assessment will say if you meet the criteria for a mental disorder or not! There are specific criteria that a person must meet in order to be diagnosed with a mental illness. All doctors, therapists, and healthcare professionals use the same interview questionnaire to figure out if a person's symptoms meet these requirements. As an RN, I'm qualified to do this interview questionnaire with you and tell you the results. However, I cannot officially diagnose you with a mental disorder. The results that you'd get from doing the interview questionnaire with me would be the same results that you'd get if you did it with a doctor. That's because the questions are worded in a very specific way, and must be asked in that exact way every time. However, because I can't give you an official diagnosis, the results of this interview won't be added to your medical records, and won't have any legal implications. The name of the interview questionnaire is the SCID-5! It usually takes between 30 minutes and one hour to complete. The interview questions go through each mental disorder one at a time, and based on your responses, the results will say which mental disorders you meet the criteria for. If you schedule a Treatment Plan Appointment with me, I'll use your results to help me create the most effective plan possible to address your specific symptoms! These appointments are done over phone call or Zoom video chat!

There is a cancellation fee for late cancellations only. If you cancel or reschedule your appointment less than 12 hours before your appointment start time, you'll be charged a cancellation fee of $20. You'll also be charged the $20 cancellation fee if you're a no-show to your appointment. You'll be considered a no-show if you do not attend your appointment at all. If you join the phone call or video call late, there is no fee. However, you have to join the call at some point before the end of the appointment in order to avoid the cancellation fee. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, you can send me a text or email letting me know! My email address is valerie@holisticpsychiatrictreatment.com, and my phone number is (201) 252-7367.

It depends! If you're not sure whether or not you have a psychiatric disorder, then this is probably a good first step for you. The psychiatric assessment will tell you if you meet the criteria for any mental disorders. This could be helpful for when I create your treatment plan! However, it's not necessary. I could create the treatment plan just based on the symptoms you tell me that you're experiencing, if you'd rather do that. The psychiatric assessment is also good if you're just curious to see if you'd meet the criteria or not! I can't diagnose you with a disorder, so that means that these results won't be added to your medical record and won't have any legal implications. That makes it a great choice for people who are interested in learning more about whether or not they meet the criteria for a mental disorder, but aren't ready to see a psychiatrist to make it official yet. If you've already been diagnosed with a mental disorder in the past, then you might be better off saving your money and skipping this step! The only thing is, if your symptoms are a lot better or worse than they were when you got your diagnosis, or if you're experiencing new symptoms now that you weren't back then, then you should probably have this appointment so I can assess you to see if you currently meet the criteria for any disorders at this point in time. The choice is up to you though! If you want to talk more about your specific situation and whether or not I think it would be worth it for you to schedule one of these appointments, we can talk about it more during your free consultation.

It depends! Not everyone needs to have follow-up appointments. For some people, the treatment plan they receive during their Treatment Plan appointment works really well right away. For other people, adjustments might need to be made. If you're having new symptoms or you'd like to adjust your treatment plan, then definitely schedule a follow-up session whenever you'd like! But if everything is going well for you, then you don't need to worry about following up unless you'd like to!

I can see any client! Regardless of your gender, age, or life situation, I can create a customized treatment plan that works for you. Since I specialize in psychiatric and mental health issues, I see clients who's primary concern is mental health related; but I'll also help you treat your physical health issues as part of your health journey.

All appointments (except for the free consultation) are $99! Sometimes, one appointment is all you need. Some people choose to have a Psychiatric Assessment appointment before their Treatment Plan appointment, to make their treatment plans more accurate. Since each appointment costs $99, in this case you'd be paying a total of $198.

The first step is to schedule a free consultation with me! These consultations usually last around 30 minutes, and are done over phone call or Zoom video chat. To schedule a free consultation, you can email me at valerie@holisticpsychiatrictreatment.com, or text or call me at (201) 252-7367! I'd also be happy to answer any questions that you have!