Donald C. Bliss, LCSW

Online Psychotherapy Sessions

Face-to-Face Psychotherapy Sessions

Therapeutic Intensives

Online or Face-to-Face Clinical Consultation

Program Design, Review and Evaluation

Please note:

I make every effort to respond to enquiries within 48 hours, although this is not always possible due to my schedule.

The fee for Email Psychotherapy assumes a minimum of 30 minutes, reading and responding.  If your question or issue is more complex, keep in mind that one session may not be sufficient to address your concerns.

The maximum number of contact hours per day for each Therapeutic Intensive is six, which could also be an average, depending on our advance, written agreement.  For example, we could spend ten hours together one day and two hours the next day, for an average of six.

The Intensives consist of observation, conversation, feedback - in short, psychotherapy - exactly what we would do in face-to-face  therapy but instead taking place wherever we happen to be, while fully respecting your boundaries and your privacy, of course.

The minimum package ($750 for individuals, $950 for couples, and $1,150 for families) includes six contact hours, a psychotherapy session (face-to-face, telephone or online) as well as a written report, and as previously mentioned, all travel-related expenses.

All fees are quoted in US dollars.

Finally, please contact your insurance company first if you are considering using your insurance plan to pay for any of these services.

The posted fees are the minimum fees I will accept from you out-of-pocket in order to provide the service.  My standard fees are $60 per email and $120 per session for text and face-to-face psychotherapy, and your insurance company will be billed accordingly.

Regardless of what your insurance company reimburses, you will not be required to pay more than the out-of-pocket amounts.  Any overage will result in a credit to your account toward future services, or reimbursement to you in the event that you have terminated services.  Any shortfall I will take as a business loss.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.  Thank you!

SOME ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE PSYCHOTHERAPY:

1.  It provides a level of personal space, comfort and safety if you have difficulty discussing your issues directly with another person.  It is easier for some people to express themselves in writing than face-to-face or on the telephone.

2.  You are able to set the pace of therapy in a way that you can't in face-to-face therapy.  With email therapy, for example, you can take as much time as you want to compose your thoughts, reflect on your responses and those of your therapist, and you can respond when you are ready to do so.

3.  It provides an excellent way for you to track your progress and review past session notes.  No more trying to remember what the therapist said (or meant) because there is always a written record to which you can refer.  This can contribute tremendously to your feeling supported by your therapist, because in a sense your therapist is "always there" for you via the written record.

4.  Similarly, misunderstandings and misinterpretations that might occur in face-to-face therapy can be minimized using online psychotherapy, because of the existence of a written record - both in the moment as you are typing, if you are using text chat services, and for future reference, since all email and text chat communications are (or can be) recorded for review later.

5.  It provides access to services if you might otherwise be unable to access treatment.  For example, you might have speech, hearing or mobility challenges or you may live far from where service providers are located.

6.  It provides access to services if you would otherwise would be resistant to seeking services out of concern for the opinions of others who might see you entering and exiting a therapy office.  For example, you might be another behavioral healthcare professional; you might work in a high-level capacity in another profession; you might live in a small town or rural area where "everybody knows everybody"; or you may be a public servant or other public figure.

7.  The availability of therapists or services can be much greater - day or evening, any day of the week, with no waiting for an appointment.  With many online psychotherapy providers, you can simply connect and see if the therapist is online, or connect and wait for the therapist to sign in.

8.  Similarly, the flexibility of services can be much greater, because you can choose to meet with your therapist for 15 minutes one day, 90 minutes later in the same week, and 45 minutes the next week, and so on.  This works because most online psychotherapists do or will charge by the minute (including me).

9.  Online psychotherapy may be a perfect adjunct to what you are already doing.  Perhaps your therapist is physically unavailable, temporarily.  You can stay connected and that way keep the work moving along during the hiatus.  In the event that your therapist is unable to do that, you can use online methods to interact with whomever is covering for your therapist or even to find someone who is able to provide a bridge for you during that time.

10.  Finally, it can be much easier and much quicker to get a second opinion if you are unsure about the direction of the face-to-face therapy you are already pursuing, or about any other issues that may have come up in your current therapy.

Please feel free to contact me if you feel that online psychotherapy might be right for you.