Therapy FAQs

Q: What is therapy anyway?

A: Therapy is a word received in English from Ancient Greece.  Simply, it means a healing service. 

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Q: What kind of therapy do you provide?

A: We provide psychotherapy, where the root psycho- is again from the ancient Greeks, meaning relating to the spirit, soul, or mind. 

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Q: What does it cost and do you work with insurers?

A: We are committed to universal access and affordability, and will work with you to create a manageable plan to get you started even if you are uninsured.  We are in-network with Aetna and Cigna, also accept Medicare/Medicaid, and work with all other insurers as an out-of-network provider.  For details, please see our Services and Rates Schedule (Google doc).

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Q: What makes psychotherapy with Technotherapy different?

A: One key thing distinguishes us: the root techno- comes again from Greek for methodical art, craft, or skill, so our approach to psychotherapy is purposefully methodical, artful, and skillful. 

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Q: What are your methods of therapy?

A: Most methods of psychotherapy until now have been based in theories very particular to a teacher, school, community, and culture.  We believe above all in the scientific method, and are allied with the progressive voices in the global medical and scientific community which call on us to both include and transcend personality and culture, so that we can get to underlying principles and practices of healing that unify across contexts.

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Q: What is your sense of the art and craft of therapy?

A: Within the framework of science, we believe the art and craft of therapy are essential to making a connection between people that serves as a healing service for the soul or mind.  Being human is to be of a particular place and people, each with their various ways of expressing timeless truths and their practices for experiencing those truths directly. In our present global culture and economy, the technology of the Internet and smartphones gives us access to myriad expressions and experiences of healing.  We believe that understanding how each of us is an amalgam of both local, personal experiences and global media culture is one key to great art and craft in modern therapy.  We call this approach apeirocultural counseling, where apeiro- is a Greek root signifying infinite.  Most cultural approaches in modern psychology are still rooted in monocultural or multicultural perspectives that do not fully apprehend just how individual, and infinite, our minds actually are in this age of infinite access to information from around the world, and our completely personal, individual experience of that global culture.  

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Q: What skills are important for therapy?

A: We believe the central skill of effective psychotherapy is empathy, which is a wordless language of recognition and acceptance. The precise and purposeful practice of empathy is one universal element in all effective healing service, of any kind.  Another important skill is articulation, or simply putting feelings to words. Skillful empathy and articulation between people in service of healing is good therapy. These two key skills of empathy and articulation are teachable and transmittable from therapist to client, person to person.  

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Q: So where does technology come in?

A: In the form of smartphone apps, Internet communication, and other computer-based technology, we have what can be a powerful aid to healing, just as it has been already used as a powerful aid to both positive and destructive causes. We are at the very beginning of an era of systematic, collective learning about just how computer-based technologies can assist us in psychotherapy.  What we already do know is that, although different, the relationship between a person and their therapist can be just as strong when they meet through live video online as it is in person.  For this reason, we do our therapy with a range of smartphone and Internet-based tools.  Two technologies you will experience right away when you sign up are our use of electronic forms and signatures, and live video communication via the web. 

 

Q: What does recovery everywhere mean?

A: Recovery everywhere is Technotherapy's mission. The term recovery is both a synonym for therapy or healing, and a broader concept which reflects a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential. Everywhere means—well you know what it means! Just know that we mean it: through technology-enabled psychotherapy, people anywhere, regardless of location, language, culture, or class, will have access to the opportunity to grow healthier and wealthier, and enjoy greater autonomy and fulfillment.  It also means you will have access everywhere you go via your connected device, not just when you are in a therapy office.

 

Individual Therapy FAQs

Q: How do I attend therapy?

A: All our sessions are via live video through our patient portal. Any laptop or smartphone with a working screen, front-facing camera, microphone, and plenty of battery should work fine. We also ask that you ensure the place you will be doing the session from will be completely private for you to speak freely, and with no ongoing distractions. 

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Q: How often do I attend therapy?
A: Individuals have the option to meet as little or as often as their present circumstance suggests is helpful.

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Q: How long is each session?
A: Typically, sessions last about an hour but this can vary widely depending on the needs of the person.

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Q: How many sessions do I need?
A: We develop a treatment plan together that meets your needs and reflects the time and energy you can give the work.

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Q: What is the cost and will my insurance cover this?A: We are in-network with Aetna and Cigna, and work with all other insurance companies by providing out-of-network courtesy billing, so you don't have to send in claims yourself.   We also price services so that everyone has access with our income-based sliding scale.

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Q: What about holidays?
A: We have therapy available during the holidays to support individuals during this time.

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Q: What is the therapeutic approach of Technotherapy?
A: While this varies by clinician, we integrate evidence-based approaches including positive psychology, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, mindfulness-based, and humanistic-existential perspectives with a progressive view of how smart use of technology can help in your growth process.

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Group Therapy FAQs

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Q: How often do I attend Group Therapy?
A: Individuals have the option to meet in our online group setting up to 2 times per week.

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Q: How long is each session?
A: 75 to 90 minutes.

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Q: How many sessions do I need?
A: Group participation length is tailored for individuals based on their goals and progress.

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Q: What is the cost and will my insurance cover this?
A: We are in-network with Aetna and Cigna, and work with all other insurance companies by providing out-of-network courtesy billing, so you don't have to send in claims yourself.   We also price services so that everyone has access with income-based sliding scale.

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Q: What about holidays?
A: We have groups during the holidays to support individuals during this time.

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Q: What is the therapeutic approach of the group?
A: The group approach is based on a Modified Interactional Group Process (MIGP) framework incorporating the Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral, Existential, and Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC).

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The first portion of group time will involve each participant checking in with the group facilitator(s) about how their recovery is progressing with other group members observing, the second will involve structured therapeutic discussion, and the third element is psychoeducation, typically focusing on the issues participants bring.

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