The first step is to set up a 15 minute consultation with me. I will get a brief sense of what you are looking for and give you more information about how I practice, fees and scheduling. If it seems like a good fit, we will schedule an initial intake appointment.

Intake sessions are 60-minute appointments in which I will gain a deeper sense of what has brought you into therapy, and obtain information about your upbringing, relationships, and current functioning. If you are an adult seeking treatment for a child under 18, there will be one intake appointment with a parent or guardian and another with your child. In the parent/guardian intake, I will ask you about your current concerns and collect relevant information about your child’s history. The child intake appointment is less formal, and is used to determine therapeutic fit.

I am an out-of-network provider, which means that I do not accept any insurance directly. However, many insurance plans have out-of-network benefits that reimburse up to 90% of therapy costs after meeting a deductible. The reimbursement process requires some paperwork and can be stressful. If you would like, I will submit your claims for reimbursement myself.

Call them! Ask your insurance company if your policy has out-of-network benefits for behavioral or mental health services. Ask them about the amount of your deductible, the percentage that behavioral health service will reimburse for out-of-network therapists, and if there is a limit to the number of sessions that will be reimbursed in your plan. I am happy to discuss these details with you further in our consultation or intake session.

This is the most important question to consider as you search for a mental health provider. Therapists are not one-size-fits-all, and finding the right one can be daunting and exhausting. However, you will get the most out of your therapy experience when you feel comfortable, safe, and trusting of your therapist. I have two pieces of advice here: shop around, and trust your gut. You can “shop” by speaking to others that you trust about referrals, reading different therapist’s websites and finding one that speaks to you, or speaking with different therapists about their approaches in the initial consultation. If it turns out that I am not the right fit for you, I will work with you to find reputable referrals that best suit your needs.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes and parent sessions are 60 minutes.

I see patients virtually on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I see patients in-person in my office on the Upper West Side.

Email or call me: mbernsteinpsyd@gmail.com, 9176480242. Please leave a message if I do not pick up!