Common Questions

On this page you will find some common questions you may have about Precise Psychological and its practice. Below is a quick list of the questions on this page followed by the questions and answers in more detail.

Examples of presenting problems include: Do I have ADHD?, What is my IQ? How has trauma impacted my thinking? What is my diagnosis? Do I have a learning disability?

What should I expect for an ADHD evaluation?

ADHD evaluations consist of multiple meeting times and procedures. Prior to the first meeting there are multiple questionnaires to be completed online through the client portal.

First meeting will have a clinical interview of presenting problems and functioning in life. Expect to see activities conducted in the first meeting that are part of psychological testing. Discussions on identifying family members that understand you and the impact of ADHD symptoms on your life.

After the first meeting, there will be electronic questionnaires to complete as well as family member calls/questionnaires to complete. Once this part of the evaluation is completed, reviewing and evaluating the information will be done prior to an exit session.

Exit session will be held and is used to discuss results of the evaluations and answer any questions regarding the evaluation.

What is Dual diagnosis treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment has many names such as: Comorbidity, co-occurring disorders, COD or dual disorders.

The most direct answer to this question is to say that it means having both a mental health diagnosis and a substance use disorder diagnosis. This issue could me more complex with subclinical, or not reaching the threshold of diagnosis, issues. These issues could still be impactful and feel overwhelming but have yet to reach a stage for diagnosis.

Studies show about 50% of individuals who experience a mental illness in their lifetime also experience a substance use disorder and vice versa. Despite these numbers, low percentage of mental health or addiction treatment centers have the capacity to treat both disorders with integrated treatment.

Reference to above statistics and more information can be found on National Institute on Drug Abuse website

What COVID polices do you have in place?

Covid has had impact on us all. The number one consideration is keeping everyone well. With this in mind, I request that anyone that is sick or with symptoms suggestive of COVID not present to the office. Tele-health sessions can be used in place of in person sessions for those with symptoms.

Tele-health sessions can also be used on a regular basis if preferred due to concerns for COVID.

Staff is fully vaccinated

Furniture is arranged to allow social distancing while visiting office if in person meetings are requested.

When do I know I need to see an addiction counselor?

There are not right or wrong reasons to seek counseling, but the most often one I see is that substance use or drinking has made some disturbance in your life. This could be from friends and family members voicing concern about your drinking or use, physical injuries while under the influence, loss of enjoyment in areas of life, having choices of where you go or hang out depend on the inclusion of alcohol or drugs. Counseling is there as a tool to help you make changes in your life that are often difficult. Counseling and treatment have can even help prevent the development of addiction if there is concerns in this area.

Addiction treatment has high value and can be implemented at any stage or goals of substance use. It is never too soon to seek counseling when there are concerns about substance use, drinking or addictive behaviors. Often times one can be put off by just the names that can be used such as substance abuse counseling, addiction treatment or have fears of being labeled as an “addict” or “alcoholic” . The truth of counseling is that you are met where you are in the process to aide you with your goals.

What is cognitive behavioral therapy?

One of the primary therapies that is used at Precise is cognitive behavioral therapy, or often referred to simply as CBT. Below is the definition the American Psychological Association (APA) has listed on their website

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders, and severe mental illness. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications.

It is important to emphasize that advances in CBT have been made on the basis of both research and clinical practice. Indeed, CBT is an approach for which there is ample scientific evidence that the methods that have been developed actually produce change. In this manner, CBT differs from many other forms of psychological treatment.

CBT is based on several core principles, including:

1. Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.
2. Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
3. People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives.

CBT treatment usually involves efforts to change thinking patterns. These strategies might include:

• Learning to recognize one’s distortions in thinking that are creating problems, and then to reevaluate them in light of reality.
• Gaining a better understanding of the behavior and motivation of others.
• Using problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.
• Learning to develop a greater sense of confidence in one’s own abilities.

CBT treatment also usually involves efforts to change behavioral patterns. These strategies might include:

• Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them.
• Using role playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others.
• Learning to calm one’s mind and relax one’s body.

Not all CBT will use all of these strategies. Rather, the psychologist and patient/client work together, in a collaborative fashion, to develop an understanding of the problem and to develop a treatment strategy.

CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists. Through exercises in the session as well as “homework” exercises outside of sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions, and behavior.

CBT therapists emphasize what is going on in the person’s current life, rather than what has led up to their difficulties. A certain amount of information about one’s history is needed, but the focus is primarily on moving forward in time to develop more effective ways of coping with life.

Source: APA Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology)

What insurances do you accept?

Currently Precise is in network with:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
• Aetna
• Healthy Blue
• Coming very soon: Wellcare & Medicaid direct

Otherwise, Precise is either in process of credentialing, or out of network for others. Advekit is used to allow co-payment rates and use out of network benefits easily. You may have very similiar out of network rates as in network. Check by clicking book now on the profile page HERE or call us