Below you will find information on treatment, the cost of therapy, insurance, and other helpful information you will need to begin treatment.

What to Expect:

Scheduling a First Appointment

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please call my private voicemail at 661-753-3987 or contact me by email at MWitkin@drmichellewitkin.com. I begin with a free phone consultation of 15-20 minutes in length to learn about your situation and determine if my services seem to be an appropriate match.

Your First Appointment

In office: When you enter the office you will see my name plate on the wall with a button next to it. Press the button to turn the light on. This will notify me that you have arrived. You are welcome to have a seat in the waiting room. I will come out to greet you at our appointment time.

For telehealth appointments: I will provide you with a secure link for our meeting so that you may join at our scheduled time.

Assessment and Treatment

Our first meeting will be a 60 minute/1 hour initial consultation. Meetings after the initial consultation are usually 45-50 minutes in length. In our first few meetings we will discuss your concerns (or your child’s) and their history, as well what resources you may have already engaged. I will share with you my recommendations for treatment. In treatment, I utilize approaches that research has demonstrated are most effective for anxiety disorders and OCD. These may include: cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as principles of mindfulness, and other modalities as appropriate for you.

Treatment involves active participation from you outside of our sessions. In most cases, I begin treatment by meeting with people once per week. During those sessions we may:  review how you are progressing, learn or review concepts, and engage in practice. Your achieving your treatment goals will involve you doing regular practice between sessions. My goal is to teach you the skills you will need to be able to live the life you choose.

While sessions frequently occur in the office, many times it is important for us to do practices in actual situations where you are struggling. We will discuss those situations if they are important to your treatment.

Cost of Services:

Current Fees

My current fees are as follows:

• $240 per hour/60 minute initial consultation
• $200 per 45-50 minute individual or family session
• $240 per hour for attending meetings (and pro-rated for portions of hours for non-standard amounts of time)
• For sessions occurring outside of the office, I may also charge for travel time on a pro-rated basis
• $240 per hour (on a pro-rated basis) for report or letter writing
• All other services, including consultations to professionals and non-professionals are billed at my hourly rate of $240 (on a pro-rated basis for increments of less than one hour)
• Late Cancellations/No Shows. Your session time is reserved especially for you. If you need to cancel a session, please call my office at 661-753-3987 a minimum of 24 hours ahead of time. Except in the case of emergencies (which are determined at my sole discretion), it is my policy to charge my full session fee for sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice (as well as for “no shows”).

Payment

Payment is expected at the time of each session. I accept cash, checks, and credit cards. Telehealth/video appointments/consultations are by credit card only.

Insurance:

My services are on a fee-for-service/private pay basis. I am not in-network with any insurance plans. I have found that this allows me to make the best treatment decisions for and with my patients, without limitations imposed by a third-party. I aim to provide you with effective, results-oriented treatment.

If you wish, I will provide you with a statement that is suitable for insurance reimbursement. Some health insurance plans allow you to submit a claim for reimbursement for services provided by an out-of-network provider. You may wish to contact your insurance provider to determine if you have this benefit and how to access it.