If you have any questions that weren’t covered here, please reach out.
USP is an out-of-network private practice. However, some insurance companies provide a range of reimbursement options for out-of-network mental healthcare.
Our Clinical Coordinator will work with you to help answer any questions you may have regarding your mental healthcare insurance benefits.
One essential difference is that a psychiatrist can prescribe medication and a psychologist cannot. However, the real difference is in their training and preparation.
Both have specialized training in the practical application of psychological knowledge. In general, this training focuses on psychotherapy.
Psychiatrists:
Psychologist:
We see psychiatry and psychology as having synergies but also with differences that allow for different perspectives and treatment options.
Many of our clinicians, including our nurse practitioners, social workers, and mental health counselors, have additional training after they obtained their particular license.
USP offers many types of therapies. We begin with a 60- or 90-minute evaluation to understand what type of therapy will likely be most effective for you.
The type of therapy is one piece of the treatment. Our strong belief is that your connection to the therapist is equally important. We have a diverse team of experts ready to help you.
Of course, you can look at our bios and come to us with your preference.
Or you can call our Clinical Coordinator and have a ‘smart screening’ conversation. This is our screening process to find you the best match based on your preferences, needs, and goals.
USP has psychiatrists (MDs) and nurses who have extensive training in mental health medication prescription and management.
We pride ourselves in guiding people through the process of figuring out what works for them. Medication can be one of many treatment options available.
We might recommend medication if it is most:
Union Square Practice believes that a great connection between you and your therapist makes for the most successful outcome.
USP believes in a 60- or 90-minute evaluation focused on your history to help us evaluate and identify how to help you feel your best.
It is most productive when first-time patients come with the following:
If you have taken psychiatric medication in the past please take some time to write down your medication history. This should include:
For an initial evaluation, we ask that the parent(s) attend a 90-minute evaluation session first, without their child or teen present. Then the child or teen will be seen for their own 60-minute initial evaluation on a different day. After these initial evaluations, sessions are usually attended by the child or teen alone.
For child and teen psychology or psychiatry, will you speak to my child’s school?
We will only communicate with a child’s school if the parents request it and give us signed consent to do so.
One essential difference is that a psychiatrist can prescribe medication and a psychologist cannot. However, the real difference is in their training and preparation.
We are happy to discuss your family’s needs and challenges to figure out what sort of treatment plan will work for you. USP employs both child and teen psychiatrists and psychologists, and many families appreciate the ability to explore both options under one roof.
For example, children or teens whose mental health is medically complicated (for instance, when anger management or depression is influenced by chronic pain, diabetes, or other medical conditions) may prefer to see a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists may be better able to address the medical component of these mental health concerns, and work with a child’s other medical providers.
Problems that athletes face in the big leagues are overwhelmingly similar to problems people face in their professional and personal lives: choking under pressure, lack of motivation to achieve a set of goals, an inability to perform well under stress, or just not being able to go that “extra step.” Sport psychology has developed a number of evidence-based methods to tackle these issues, such as visualization techniques, self-talk, and confidence-building.
Sport psychology is applicable for many because, in some ways, we are constantly asked to perform, mentally or physically.
The science is clear: sport psychology helps athletes perform better. Mental toughness, for instance, has been correlated with significant reductions in race times for runners. In another study, with collegiate basketball players, a package of imagery rehearsal, self-talk, and relaxation also led to substantial performance improvements. Coaches and team owners are taking notes of the benefits.
Successful mental skills training can help athletes push themselves harder, perform consistently under pressure, and better their overall performance.
Sometimes! Our job is to work with you to understand past patterns and experiences. Sometimes these patterns and experiences are most important in their uniqueness to you and your experience.
Sometimes, however, these patterns are familiar to clinicians from our training and from previous clients we have treated, therefore falling under the heading of a diagnosis. Some diagnoses are harder to treat and some easier but it is often the case that a diagnosis can be very helpful in explaining current difficulties and guiding efficient and effective treatment. Sometimes a diagnosis is clear and obvious, but often we think of a diagnosis as provisional. We use it as a model to guide treatment but only consider it accurate if it proves to be a helpful model for understanding a patient’s experience and guiding their treatment.
We do our best not to over-diagnose and reduce a complex situation to a simple one, but we also do our best not to under-diagnose and thus leave a situation more complicated than it needs to be.