Psychiatrists are medical doctors that have the ability to prescribe medications to their patients. They also often spend most of their time managing those medications and developing a plan that utilizes those medications for treatment.

A psychologist is different than a psychiatrist, in that they focus on psychotherapy, or talking therapy, and utilizing techniques that don’t require medication. In this way, emotional suffering in patients is dealt with using behavioral intervention.

While medication is sometimes the proper course of action, it is worth noting that it simply treats the symptoms, not the underlying cause (in most cases). When you work with us, you’ll learn more about your behaviors and discover ways to manage and interrupt patterns that aren’t healthy for you.

Quite the contrary, seeking help and taking the first step to work with a professional is a brave step. It’s not easy! Your initial response might be to work on it on your own, but consider how much more insightful meeting with a professional would be, and how much more productive your therapy will be with someone trained in helping you on your side.

The biggest difference between working with us and relying on friends and family is really significant. We’re trained in modern practices and techniques that help you get better results. Our sessions also allow for you to open up completely and honestly, without worry of it affecting your personal life. In this way, you can be unfiltered in the office and achieve much better results.

Everyone is different. When you meet with us, we’ll discuss how we can create a specially tailored program just for you.

That’s an excellent question, and as you might imagine, it’s completely different for everyone. The time it takes can vary depending on your goals, how committed you are to therapy, and the specific problems that you’d like to deal with.

Wanting to get the most out of your therapy really is one of the biggest things you can do for yourself. As long as you’re feeling that way, as long as you’re feeling willing and able, we can work together to make significant progress.

Ideally, we would all start together. However, if your partner is unwilling to attend, I can work with only one person in the relationship at a time. Since there can be trust issues when moving from individual therapy back into group therapy (the newcomer may feel they aren’t on an even playing field), we don’t often move from individual to group therapy.

Private Pay: Counseling Merced is a private pay practice. You can check with your provider and let them know that you would like to be seen by a “Out of network provider”. They will let you know if there are any reimbursement options available to you.

Insurance: We are not currently accepting insurance at this time.

Employee Assistance Program: We will work with some providers for EAP.

Direct Pay: We accept Paypal, major credit cards, check, and cash payments.

Sliding scale: This option may be available, please contact our office for more information.