Becker Psychology, LLC

 Choosing the right person to work with you and/or your family is  important.  As such, I am happy to speak with you on the phone prior to  scheduling an appointment to briefly discuss your concerns and goals and  to see if I will be a good fit for you and/or your family.  Following  this, I typically meet with you for an intake interview,  which takes about 90 minutes.  For younger clients, I conduct the  intake interview with the parents.  I find it most helpful to meet with  both parents, as parents often have different views.  In addition, I  prefer to meet without the child or younger teen  present, as it allows for a more open discussion of the parents'  concerns.  With older teens, I feel it is important that they are  involved in the process from the very beginning. Your child's history  and presenting concerns as well as family history are discussed during  this appointment. 

Please bring copies of past evaluation reports, report cards,  results of standardized testing as well as other relevant information.

Following this initial appointment, we will decide together on the best way to proceed.  

In my work, I strive to bring together clinical expertise, research  or evidence-based treatment, as well as an understanding of the  pressures children and families face living in today's fast-paced and  stressful world.  My goal is to provide a place where families feel  comfortable and safe discussing their concerns and receiving help with  the difficulties they are experiencing.  I try to bring warmth and  respect as well as a sense of humor to what I do.  

My  therapeutic approach is solution-focused with a strong background in  cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) techniques. I aim to explore and  process emotions while weaving in CBT strategies.  CBT emphasizes how  thoughts, behaviors and feelings influence each other.  Challenging and  changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors has been found to  resolve problems and boost happiness.  

I work with families through:

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Individual therapy with a child, teen or young adult to address difficulties and to promote healthy development,

Parent and child therapy to improve communication and interactions, and

Parent Coaching to help parents better manage difficult behavior, teach emotional self-regulation and reduce conflict.

To learn about my approach with different age groups, please scroll down.

They call it the terrible 2s but 3 and 4 aren't so easy either.

Watching  your preschooler grow is amazing and exciting, but can also be quite  challenging.  Their little brains are exploding with growth, and while child development usually follows a known and predictable course, it can  be confusing to parents when children show strength in one area while  another area is slower to emerge.  Further, when it comes to social  functioning and behaviors such as appropriate inhibition, activity  level, and attention, the expected time frames for reaching these  developmental markers can be harder to determine.  And let's not forget  that a child's temperament and personality play an important role.  Help  with clarifying these issues and addressing the difficulties can make a  world of difference.

I strongly believe that  intervening early can provide substantial benefits to the family,  positively impacting the child's self-esteem, competence, and social  functioning.  Further, addressing difficulties in preschool can  help prepare a child for elementary school, and most importantly, play a  role in preventing and minimizing problems down the road.

Through parent coaching, I work closely with parents to address a broad range of issues, including:

•         tantrums,
  
•         sleep problems,
  
•         anxiety,
  
•         problematic social interactions,
  
•         behavioral issues at home and in the preschool or childcare setting

Common goals are reducing conflict and helping the child develop better emotional regulation skills.

The elementary school years bring lots of fun.  It is such a joy to  watch your child try new activities and to cheer him on and to celebrate  her successes, whether it be playing sports or an instrument or other creative endeavor.  At this age, children become more aware of  themselves and of others. In addition to celebrating and building on  strengths, achieving success can often be preceded by frustration and  sometimes learning to accept one's weaknesses.  

As  children move away from the younger years of needing constant  supervision and are now ready for more independence, they can find it challenging to learn to make good choices and to exercise self-discipline.  Further, having to navigate academic and social demands along with their athletic and creative pursuits can feel  stressful and tumultuous, at times.         

With  this age group, I strive to provide a safe place for the child to explore his or her feelings and to help identify and learn more effective coping skills.  Through a combination of age-appropriate  activities, play and talk, I am able to engage kids in therapy and help them make gains in understanding their emotions and in changing  their behavior.  Therapy often involves a combination of individual and  family work; meeting with parents, with or without the child present, as  well as working individually with the child.  I find that therapy is  most effective when parents are informed and involved.   

Contrary to previous thinking that the brain is fully developed by age 5 or so, more recent research indicates that brain growth continues throughout adolescence.  Similar to when they were toddlers, there is  significant neural outgrowth as well as pruning in the adolescent brain, just in different parts of the brain.  

That the teen years are full of growth and exploration isn't news to any of us, but understanding that teenagers' brains are still developing and that  there are ways that parents can continue to influence the wiring of their child's brain is quite important. These brain changes can also help explain why the behavior of your teenager is so perplexing at times, with vastly different and unpredictable levels of judgment, impulsivity, and maturity displayed.  

All of these changes in your teen can make it difficult to recognize the child  you used to know.  As such, helping parents to support, communicate and reconnect with their teen is an important goal of therapy.   Depending upon the presenting issues, teens may be seen individually or  in joint therapy with a parent or parents.

In my  individual work with teens, my aim is to create a trusting and  meaningful alliance as well as to provide a safe and comfortable  place for teens to express and explore their feelings and to develop  effective coping and decision-making skills for balancing autonomy and  independence with their responsibilities.  Parent participation in  this process is essential.  The degree to which parents are involved,  however, depends on the family and their therapeutic goals.  Issues of confidentiality and the limits to this are discussed at the outset with both parents and teens. In my work with families, I strive to openly communicate with everyone involved throughout the therapy  process. 

Comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation  is a formal assessment of thinking and behavior using standardized  tests and procedures as well as parent and teacher checklists.  Areas  assessed usually include:  intelligence, academic achievement, language,  attention, learning and memory, visual-perceptual skills, and executive  functioning.  A screening of social and emotional functioning is also a  part of the evaluation.  

Some of the most common concerns that result in a parent(s) seeking an evaluation include:

• academic struggles or underachievement in reading, writing or math
  
• weaknesses in sustained attention
  
• problems with overactivity or impulsivity
  
• difficulties with planning, organization and time management 

The evaluation is individualized  and aimed at uncovering the child's strengths as well as weaknesses, in  an effort to identify and understand problem areas.  The evaluation  consists of an initial interview with the parent(s) in which background  information is obtained, several hours of one-to-one testing with the  child or teen, as well as scoring and integration of all testing  procedures.  Following completion of the formal testing, a feedback  session is conducted (typically within 2-3 weeks) with the parents in  which the findings and recommendations of the evaluation are discussed.  A comprehensive report delineating the results of the evaluation with  specific detailed recommendations is provided. Feedback with children  over the age of ten can also be scheduled, with the goal of highlighting  the child's or teen's strengths and helping him or her to understand  potential weaknesses and ways to address these (e.g., recommendations). 

Admissions testing is conducted with children two and half years and older as part of the application process to independent schools.  Such testing involves administration of a standardized intelligence test and/or as needed academic achievement.  Following testing, a narrative report is sent to  the parents and to each of the schools they have designated.  Private consultation with the parents regarding the findings can also be scheduled. 

Screening
Completion of parent and as appropriate, teacher questionnaires, often provides a better understanding of a child's or teen's strengths and weaknesses and helps determine the need for additional, more comprehensive evaluation.

School Observation ​
An  observation of your child at school can be scheduled in order to gather  information regarding behaviors of concern within the classroom  environment and to make recommendations.  This is best done before  a child has met me.

Educational Advocacy ​
I  am available to consult with parents and as appropriate, school  personnel as well as to attend school meetings (IEP, 504 plan, team  meetings, etc.) to advocate for your child's educational, emotional, and  behavioral needs.

 Below is a description of  my fees, insurance and billing procedures.  I am happy to answer any  additional questions you may have and to provide a list of questions you  may want to ask your insurance company

Hourly rates apply to initial sessions,  psychotherapy, in-person or telephone consultations, record review,  school visits, report writing, and consultation with other  professionals.  There is no charge for brief (15 or fewer minutes)  treatment-related phone calls or emails with clients or collateral professionals  (other treating clinicians, school staff, etc).  More in-depth telephone consultations will be charged on an hourly prorated basis.

• 45 minutes - $230  (45-min psychotherapy session billed as CPT code 90834)
• 60 minutes - $300 (60-min psychotherapy session billed as CPT code 90837)
  

I do not accept direct insurance payment for services and do not participate in any insurance provider  network.  My services are covered by most health insurance plans that  cover out-of-network providers.  It is the responsibility of the client  to communicate directly with his or her insurance company regarding  coverage or reimbursement issues.  If you would like to submit to your  insurance company, I will provide you with a receipt or billing statement with all of the information insurance companies typically  require.  You can submit this bill to your insurance company and receive  directly any reimbursements for which you may qualify.  

Payment is expected at the time of service. Payment in the form of check, cash or credit card is accepted.  In addition, a credit card is kept on file for payment. 

Should you fail to show up for an  appointment and/or do not notify me 48 hours in advance that you need to  cancel, you will be required to pay the full fee for the appointment  you missed.  Exceptions are made for unforeseen illness/emergency and  uncontrollable circumstances (e.g., inclement weather).