New Patients

CREATIVE PSYCHOLOGY WITH DR. DUG

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started with GI Health Psychology? Contact Dr. Dug and she will send you a screening questionnaire. If she thinks that what you are seeking is a good fit for her services, she will send you paperwork and let you know about next steps. Please note that that intake paperwork will also include brief paperwork for your GI doctor to complete.

What kinds of patients does Dr. Dug work with? Dr. Dug primarily works with adults and adolescents, but may accept some younger children who already have verbal skills. Dr. Dug gives priority scheduling to BIPOC and LGBTQI+ individuals.

How does treatment end? GI Health Psychology begins with a 7-session program of clinical hypnotherapy over the course of 13 weeks and then may progress into 7 weekly ACT sessions. However, treatment can end at any point at which the patient is satisfied with the symptom improvement.

Who is typically in the room during treatment? For patients under the age of 15, the parents/caregivers will participate in treatment. For patients aged 15 and older, they have the option of bringing in family members or significant others. It can oftentimes strengthen treatment when loves ones are actively participating in treatment and continuing to support the patient outside of sessions.

How do I get started with Clinical Hypnotherapy? Contact Dr. Dug and she will send you a screening questionnaire. If she thinks that what you are seeking is a good fit for her services, she will schedule an initial session.

What kinds of patients does Dr. Dug work with? Dr. Dug provides clinical hypnotherapy treatment to any patient with verbal skills. That typically means that patients must at least be toddlers with typical language development. For children under the age of 15, parents will stay in the room during the hypnosis (for teenagers over the age of 15, they will decide whether they want their parents in the room or not). This is not only for the comfort of the child (and the parents!), but also so that parents can remind the children of the hypnosis skills they can use in between sessions. Dr. Dug gives priority scheduling to BIPOC and LGBTQI+ individuals.

How does treatment end? Clinical Hypnotherapy treatment can end at any point at which the patient is satisfied with the symptom improvement - this is typically between 2-12 sessions. The patient is also welcome back for a booster session in the future.

When I'm in a trance, do I lose all free will? Do I black out? No, patients retain self-determination during hypnosis. When a patient is in a hypnotic trance state, they have the ability to speak and move. In fact, patients can pull themselves out of a hypnotic state whenever they want.

Are people asleep when they are in a hypnotic trance? No, although adults certainly can look asleep when they are hypnotized. However, research clearly indicates that brain waves show wakefulness when hypnotized. In Dr. Dug’s experience, no matter how deeply the person appears to be asleep, when Dr. Dug lets them know that the hypnosis is over, patients can immediately open their eyes.

What qualifications does one need to practice clinical hypnotherapy or hypnosis? The legal requirements differ from state to state; however, there is a general lack of regulation and therefore, people call themselves hypnotists or even hypnotherapists even though they have little-to-no legitimate training. One strategy for patients is to determine if a provider 1) has a degree and official state license in a healthcare field and 2) received training from one of the sites approved by the American Psychologist Association (i.e., American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, ASCH; Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, SCEH; The Milton H. Erickson Foundation; New England Educational Institute; Harvard Medical School; West Virginia University; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Pennsylvania Psychological Association).

Are there possible risks - is hypnotherapy safe for everyone? There are certain situations in which hypnosis should be approached with caution (and sometimes avoided), such as when patients have mental conditions with severe symptoms (e.g., psychoses, suicidal ideation, certain personality disorders, trauma, debilitating depression/anxiety). Dr. Dug may tell you that she cannot provide hypnosis due to your current symptoms or that you must be actively engaged in psychotherapy with another provider at the same time as hypnosis with her. Patients coming to Dr. Dug for medically-related hypnosis should already be engaged with medical providers for their condition and have notified their medical providers that they are going to engage in hypnosis. Dr. Dug requires that patients give her permission to share progress notes with their other relevant healthcare providers.

Can hypnosis be used to help me regain repressed memories? There are clinicians who do use clinical hypnotherapy for memory work; however, this is controversial because our memories are incredibly malleable and not completely trustworthy. Further, if those memories are from childhood, there is also the concern that the memories stored within the concrete and limited perceptions of a child could be inaccurate. Also, please note that if you are ever going to be engaged in any kind of legal proceeding, having a history of hypnotherapy for memory work can potentially be used against you.

In what ways is hypnosis with children different than hypnosis with adults? Fortunately, hypnosis with children has been shown to be even more effective and more quickly effective than hypnosis with adults. Children have more cognitive flexibility and imaginative skills, allowing them to easily access the parts of their mind that are integral to hypnosis.

What kinds of child problems does Dr. Dug treat? For child patients, Dr. Dug treats any mental challenge that is causing undue distress or impacting the child’s ability to function. This may include: phobias, fear of medical procedures, school avoidance, test anxiety, acting out, etc. Dr. Dug also provides treatment to help with GI disorders and chronic pain.

What is the cost of GI Health Psychology or Clinical Hypnotherapy? The initial 90-minute assessment for treatment is $250 and follow-up 55-minute sessions are $200. Shorter and longer sessions will be prorated accordingly. In addition to weekly appointments, I charge this same hourly rate for other professional services you may need, though I will prorate the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other professional services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 10 minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, preparation of treatment summaries, and any other service, even if the request comes from another party. If I am asked or required to perform in relation to any legal matters, I charge $500 per hour. I also charge a copying fee of $5 per page for records requests.

What is your cancellation policy? Appointments that are cancelled with less than 24 hours advance notice or patients who no-show for appointments will be charged the entire fee of the missed session – this will be automatically charged to the credit card on file. If you are ill, you are taking care of someone who is ill, or perhaps other circumstances beyond your control, I may make an exception and credit that amount to cover the fee of the next session. However, please note that if this happens more than once in any six-month span of time, the subsequent times will not be treated as exceptions. If it is possible, I will try to find another time to reschedule the appointment on the same day. If you think you are getting sick or not feeling well two days before the appointment, it is better to cancel. If you suddenly feel better, you can always reach out and I can see about getting you in.

Do you provide psychotherapy? Currently, the only treatment I provide is GI Health Psychology, Clinical Hypnotherapy, and therapeutic assessment.

Can you see me sooner if I’m in crisis? No, unfortunately my practice is not a good fit for people in crisis. I am a single practitioner and I do not provide crisis services. If you are in crisis, please contact your local crisis clinic, 911, or go to your local emergency department for assistance.

What type of cases will Dr. Dug not accept? Individuals who are actively suffering from substance abuse or dependence, have a history of chronic suicidal ideation or self-harm, have a recent history of suicide attempt, or have a serious mental illness (typically involving psychoses or significantly impaired functioning).

Do you accept insurance? I do not accept insurance; however, I am set up on Thrizer (see Tibits below) for people who would like to use their out-of-network benefits.

Assessments

What is the total cost? Each appointment is $500 and the assessment typically runs between 3-5 sessions That $500 covers: - Our appointment, which will typically run between 1.5 to 2 hours - Conversations/Consultations with other people in your life (other healthcare providers, loved ones or any other relevant people) - My analysis of test data and writing a brief 1-page summary of findings and a personalized letter to you describing the outcome - Potential additional costs: Follow-up sessions $220/hour Provision of a comprehensive formal report $500 Filling out paperwork for a leave-of-absence, short-term disability, or any other official documentation $220

Do you offer in-person assessments? Yes certainly! I would love to see you in-person at my office in Mooresville, NC (Langtree). Alternatively, I’m also happy to do a virtual or hybrid assessment.

How long does the assessment take? Comprehensive therapeutic assessments take 4-5 days and an assessment that is focused only on autism takes 3-4 days. Appointments are about two hours long. It is formatted this way so that you are not exhausted by each session and can actually go about your day afterward. These appointments are typically spaced one week apart; however, this timing can be adjusted, as needed.

What are the technical and setup needs for a virtual assessment? A good internet connection is imperative for assessment so that I can clearly observe what is going on. (If you do not have a good internet connection, please let me know and I can try to find an office near you that could be used.) You should have two devices with internet and camera abilities (e.g., laptop and phone, tablet and phone, tablet and laptop). One device will be directed at your face and will be the primary on we use to communicate. The other device will be directed at your hands or paperwork in front of you so that I can see what is happening. (Dr. Dug will talk with you about how to set up that second device just using items around the house.)

How to prepare for a virtual therapeutic assessment session 1.Prior to each session, make sure You eat well and hydrate Get a decent night’s sleep Do not use recreational drugs or alcohol for 24 hours Talk with Dr. Dug about the medications you are on so that you can discuss whether testing can happen prior to taking certain medications 2.Make sure you will not be disrupted and that you are alone in a quiet room. This means no animals, babies, partners, parents, etc. Also, this means that no one will be coming in or knocking on the door or scratching to come in. (At the beginning of each appointment, I’ll ask you to turn the camera around the room so that I can confirm that there are no distractions in the room.) You should have email/phone/texting/messaging turned off on all your devices. 3.You can have a non-alcoholic drink with you, but no food. 4.Log in 30 minutes early to make sure there are no technical issues. If there are, please contact Dr. Dug as soon as possible. 5.If Dr. Dug has said you’ll be using both devices this day, set them both up. 6.Make sure there is enough space behind you for you to sit a distance away from the camera because Dr. Dug will want to see most of you during part of each session.

Do I need a referral for an assessment? No, not for my purposes. However, if you plan to get reimbursed through your health insurance company, please check with them to find out if you need a referral in order to be able to file a claim.

How do I pay? You can pay using your credit card, bank card, or HSA/FSA card through the Thrizer website.

When do I pay? After many unfortunate experiences (my own and that of colleagues) I have finally come to terms with the high no-show rate of psychological assessments. It is easily three times worse than that of therapy. Therefore, I require a prepayment of each appointment at least 24 hours in advance.

What kinds of assessments do you do? Autism, comprehensive autism, relationship, and diagnostic/goals clarification assessments Please note that I only provide forensic assessments through my contract work (VA disability assessments and workplace fitness-for-duty evaluations) and do not offer those through my private practice. Also note that I do not offer learning disability assessments.

Can we talk before we commit to an assessment? Yes definitely, just reach out and request a 10-minute phone conversation. Please keep in mind, though, that the purpose of that brief call is just for you to ask me questions, not to talk about what is going on with you.

Can I take my psychiatric medication beforehand? My first take at answering this question involved a lot of if-then-but’s, so instead, let me just say that it depends and we should have a conversation about the specific types of medications and when you normally take those. Similarly, we will address regular caffeine use and pain medication. We will figure out all of that during the first session.

What about substance use? I would like to think that it should go without saying… but, I have unfortunately had the experience of clients showing up under the influence, so, let me say that… you should not arrive at our appointments under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or any other substances! Also, please note that I do not assess anyone who has an active ongoing substance use problem.

Autism Assessments

What happens during the assessment? Therapeutic assessment takes place over 4-5 sessions and each session is about 2 hours long. - Pre-Assessment You will fill out some paperwork and questionnaires - Intake Interview 1 sessions to discuss your history and what questions you are hoping to answer - Testing and Intervention 1-3 sessions of all different types of psychological tests, depending on what we are trying to figure out. We talk about the testing and we collaboratively explore what the results might mean and whether they are actually relevant to your life. We will also use this time to widen your options for how you might approach things differently moving forward in order to better be aligned with how you want to live your life. - Summary Discussion 1 session - I come to this session prepared with a big picture of everything we have learned and how I all seems to fit together. I will look to you to contribute your thoughts on this as a co-editor so that we can make sure that the summary is an accurate and validating reflection of you. - Post-Assessment I will send you a brief 1-page report of findings to share with others and a comprehensive letter for you that explains everything that we learned, what it means, and suggestions for moving forward. I will also invite you to reach out for follow-up sessions with me in the future to review our findings and to help you re-center on how to move forward. There you go, that is therapeutic assessment in a nutshell!

Will you be talking with other people in my life? Yes, thank you for asking! I will want to consult with your current relevant healthcare providers and ideally I will be able to meet with two people from your life: -One person who knew you when you were a child and has a pretty good memory of those years before adolescence (some ideas: parent or other older family member, friend of the family, neighbor, parent of a good friend, former teacher, former therapist) -One person who knows you well now Both of these folks should be willing to meet with me for about an hour each to answer questionnaires and have a conversation with me.

What do I do if I don’t have any people in my life for you to talk with? We can absolutely still do the assessment! However, we may have to be more creative about how to obtain that “outside perspective.” Just let me know and we can brainstorm together.

How do you make the assessment process inclusive for neurodiverse clients? I make the entire assessment process as concrete as possible and let you know what to expect every step of the way. My office (virtual and in-person) is stim-welcome areas, so please don’t hold yourself back from using a fidget toy, switching positions, pacing, or whatever else you need to do. Research is pretty clear that when autistic people try to suppress stimming behaviors, their anxiety and distress tolerance worsen. I want to get a true picture of what is going on for you, so I don’t want symptoms to worsen just because you are trying to abide by some kind of rules. I limit testing to two hours each day because otherwise I have noticed that neurodiverse folks will either be exhausted, overwhelmed, or it will wreck the rest of their day. I would like the testing process to not feel like a punishment – my hope is that even if you are tired, each of these sessions leaves you feeling hopeful, excited, and curious to learn more. And finally, the testing tools I use I have intentionally chosen because they are less overwhelming and cause less pressure. For example, I love using projective tests with neurodiverse clients because there is not right or wrong answer, there is just your answer. These tests allow you to just be you and to not feel like you have to fit into some type of preconceived box.

Do you only assess for autism? Yes, if you just want a tradition autism assessment; however if you would like a therapeutic assessment, that is comprehensive and you will be diagnosed with any DSM 5 diagnosis for which you meet criteria.

How do I prepare for the first session? During our first session, we will talk about your background and the purpose of the assessment. I will give you an overview of what to expect. During this session, we will also flesh out a list of questions that you would like the assessment to help answer. In preparation, I will send you a unique link to access your Pre-Day-1 homework, that will ask you questions about your childhood, academic history, initial thoughts on what you would like to get out of the assessment, and a short initial assessment. Session #1 will be scheduled a couple weeks out to give you time to complete the homework. This homework should be completed at least 7 days prior to the intake appointment; if it is not, we will reschedule Session #1 so that Dr. Dug has time to review it prior to the appointment.

I can’t get the Pre-Day-1 homework done but I want to get started. What do I do? We can absolutely work on that homework together during a session; however, you will have to pre-pay $250 for that extra 1-hour appointment. In preparation, please look over the homework so that you are mentally prepared for what we will be doing.

Relationship Assessments

Who do you work with? Cross-neurotype relationship assessments can help romantic/sexual relationships, friendships, work relationships, and family relationships in which the people have differing neurotypes. I strongly prefer working with clients who are BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+, or allies.

Do both (or more) partners participate in every assessment appointment? Most appointments will involve the participation of both+ partners with the exception of days when I am testing each partner separately (1 session for each partner).

Assessments to Aid Psychotherapy

Can I continue to see my therapist while I’m doing the therapeutic assessment? Yes, definitely. Before the assessment, I will consult with your clinician to get their take on things and then throughout the assessment, I’ll be collaborating with them (and you) regarding the findings. My hope is that your therapist will participate in the summary session at the end of the assessment.

Do I need to already have a therapist before doing this assessment? No, the therapeutic assessment has benefits outside of psychotherapy and will also allow you to provide your future clinician with treatment goals and other helpful information to guide treatment.

What is therapeutic assessment? Therapeutic assessment (Finn, S., Fischer, C., etc.) uses a combination of standard psychological tests and a collaborative assessment method, that has an overarching goal to empower clients to re-story their lives and move forward in their healing.

How is therapeutic assessment different from traditional assessment? In the traditional assessment model, the evaluator gathers and evaluates information about a client, the evaluation process is largely opaque, and it ends with a feedback session and report of findings. In contrast, although the therapeutic assessment model also involves the evaluation of gathered information, it also uses psychological testing itself as a potential intervention. Clients are actively involved in all stages of assessment, as collaborators, co-observers, and co-interpreters of certain test results. Assessments end with a verbal discussion, a written summary letter, and a report, if desired. Dr. Dug is also available to meet with your client months or even years after an assessment to review test outcomes and reframe how they are relevant to their current life.

When should I refer for a therapeutic assessment? Common times for making a referral are 1) at the beginning of therapy to help in diagnosis and/or treatment planning, 2) when you and your client are puzzled by their history or experiences, 3) when therapy is stuck and you want an outside event to move it forward, 4) when you feel a client is planning to terminate prematurely, and 5) as part of the termination process to document change and plan for the future.

What types of assessment does Dr. Dug conduct? Dr. Dug’s specific specialties are autism assessment of adults and older adolescents, assessment of cross-neurotype relationships, and therapeutic assessment to aid psychotherapy. Autism assessments may be traditional 2-3 day assessments or 6-8 day therapeutic assessments. Therapeutic assessments involve a full battery of subjective, objective, and projective tests. She does not conduct forensic testing in her private practice.

Will my client continue to see me during the assessment process? Yes, even though the therapeutic assessment has a therapeutic benefit, it is not psychotherapy. Also, clients find it invaluable to process their new learnings with their existing clinicians. Further, I find it invaluable to receive any pertinent information from the treating provider during the assessment process.

What will you expect of me as a referring professional? You can prepare your client for the assessment by discussing the specific questions you and your client would like answered. Early in the assessment we will contact you to get background information on the client. Dr. Dug aims for a close collaboration between she and the referring provider – she will provide updates and the referring provider should let Dr. Dug know about any relevant events/changes in therapy. She also asks that the referring provider be present (virtual or in-person) for the summary session (your office, if it is local) to offer support for the client and to also provide feedback about the evaluation findings. Dr. Dug will also ask for your feedback about the entire process.

How much does an assessment cost? See the Miscellaneous tab.

How do I refer my client? www.dr-dug.com/contact