FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Our perceptions influence the way we feel and behave. For example, imagine you are walking down the street one afternoon, and on the other side of the street, you see someone you have not seen for some time. You enthusiastically shout “Hello!”, but they do know to return the greeting and instead continue on their way. You might think “They don’t like me…” and consequently feel sad (perhaps even deeply so). Another person might think “They didn’t hear me. That’s too bad – I would’ve enjoyed catching up with them,” and consequently, might feel disappointed, but not sad. Both persons experienced the same situation, but they felt differently because they interpreted the situation differently. This is the basis of Cognitive Therapy.
We all develop thinking habits and these habits impact our perceptions of events. Like all habits, these occur automatically and out of conscious awareness. Thus, we rarely stop to question our perceptions and instead assume they are correct. In Cognitive Therapy, patients are taught to become more aware of their automatic thinking habits and taught skills for evaluating their accuracy and usefulness. When we are emotionally distressed, we tend to be more susceptible to misinterpretations. When we modify our perceptions to be more accurate and helpful, we tend to feel better.
Importantly, the skills taught in Cognitive Therapy are not the same as simply learning to “think positive.” A positive thinking approach is too simplistic and is unlikely to be helpful in any fundamental way.
Behavior Therapy, like Cognitive Therapy, is based on scientific research and is often effective in a brief period of time. Behavior Therapy focuses on how people learn and how what they have learned affects their behavior in various situations. Behavior Therapy is used to change/modify unwanted behaviors and is also used to treat many kinds of problems and disorders.
Frequently, Behavior Therapy is combined with Cognitive Therapy to help people gain a better understanding of the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Frequently, this combined approach is referred to as “Cognitive Behavior Therapy,” or CBT.
Please visit the following organizations for more information about CBT:
2. Is cognitive-behavioral therapy effective?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the few forms of therapy that has been scientifically tested and shown to be effective in many clinical trials for many different disorders.
You can contact the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies at: www.academyofct.org or the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies at www.abct.org for up-to-date research information.
3. Can you prescribe medication?
Yes, we have several practitioners who can prescribe psychiatric medication.
4. Do you accept insurance?
Yes, we accept most insurance. We are currently in network with the following:
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield FEP
- Aetna – Open Access and PPO (We are not in network with EPO plans)
- Evernorth (formerly known as Cigna)
- UHC – Optum UBH
- Medicare
- MedCost
- NC State Health Plan
- Healthy State
- Crescent Health Solutions
- Healthgram
- Appalachian Benefit Associates
- WNC Health Coalition
If you do not see your insurance listed above, please feel free to contact our office at 828‑350‑1177 with any questions you have about your insurance coverage.
We do not accept Medicaid or Medicaid Replacement Plans as primary or secondary insurance.
5. Do you accept Medicaid?
We do not accept Medicaid or Medicaid Replacement Plans as primary or secondary insurance.
6. Is therapy expensive?
Therapy can be expensive. However, the benefits cannot be measured solely in monetary terms. Psychotherapy often provides people with skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Sometimes we can gain a clearer perspective on the value of psychotherapy by comparing the cost of therapy with the costs associated with other things we value. For example, consider what you pay for vacations, cars, and clothes. The monthly cost of therapy is roughly the cost of an average car payment and much less when utilizing health insurance. Do you value your emotional well-being as much as your car? Many people can undergo 5-6 months of therapy for the cost of an average week-long vacation. Vacations are nice, but which do you value more? Your marriage or a vacation? Sometimes this type of comparison can provide an alternative perspective on the costs associated with psychotherapy.