Q: Do you accept insurance?

A: I accept Tufts Student Insurance (UnitedHealthcare StudentResources) at this moment. For other insurance plans offering out of network benefit, I can issue superbills that you can use to get proportional reimbursement from your insurance company. If you would like to know more about this option, please feel free to let me know.

 

If you are considering this option, I encourage you to check with your insurance company first, asking 1) does your insurance plan have any out of network benefit, 2) how the out of network work is reimbursed, 3) what proportion does the insurance cover out of network behavioral health service cost, and 4) what is the procedure of getting reimbursement of out of network service.

 

 

Q: Do you provide services in person or remotely?

 

A: Currently all therapy work is done remotely due to Covid-19 pandemic. Once the situation changes and is suitable for meeting in person, therapy work will be switched back to meeting in person, which is the normal service format. I usually use SimplePractice for virtual meetings, which is a secure platform. It is a little bit different from online meeting apps such as  Zoom, but it is also user friendly. The SimplePractice can be downloaded on your devices for free. General guidance on how to use it will be provided.

 

 

Q: How to contact you?

 

A: I can be reached by email (xuhua.qin@drqincounseling.com), or by phone ( 617-863-6752 or 857-419-7992). You can also choose to fill out the request service form on my website. If you choose to call me, please be aware of that I probably won’t be able to take your call right away. Please leave a brief message to me indicating your name, phone number, preferred calling back time, and the purpose of the call,. I will call back in the preferred calling back time window or as soon as possible.

 

Q: How long is the treatment length?

 

A: Depending on your counseling goals, the treatment length may vary. If we are new to each other, the first 1-3 sessions will be focused on getting to know each other and understanding the context of your experiences. The treatment may take multiple phases of work, with different focus in each phase. We will review our progress and adjust goals/focus along the counseling treatment. Please understand it take time for changes to happen. Different from seeing a physician and getting medication to treat a physical condition, mental health treatment takes relatively longer treatment process. In general, it may take about 5-8 session (or much longer in many cases) to see initial improvement. If you have any questions regarding the process of treatment, please feel free to let me know at any time. It takes the team effort of patient and therapist to make the counseling work. Discussion on treatment plan and collaborating on themes and efforts will make our work more effective, which is highly encouraged.

 

 

Q: What does the free phone consultation do?

 

A: Before the first official session, I offer new client to have a free 15-20 minutes phone consultation, in which we can get a chance to connect and talk about your needs in counseling. Once we schedule for a free phone consultation, I will send you a brief form through SimplePractice, which takes about 5 minutes or less to fill out. This form asks some basic questions, such as your preferred phone number for phone conversation, preferred language, and what you are looking for in counseling. 

 

 

In our phone conversation, based on your expressed needs, we can talk about options for treatment and decide whether or not we are a good match. If you have any questions regarding my practice, this will be a good time to ask about it as well.

 

 

If we decide to proceed with formal meetings, we will schedule date/time for the first meeting based on both of our schedules. Usually, we will meet once a week. It can be helpful to think about a regular time to meet and keep this meeting time during our work together.

 

 

Q: What I should expect in the first official meeting?

 

A: Once we schedule the first official meeting, I will send you some paperwork to fill out. These paperwork will introduce you to general guidelines of my practice, explain confidentiality and its limits, and ask you to provide some basic information (e.g., your current physical and mental experiences). Please make sure to fill them out before our first meeting.

 

The first meeting usually last 60 minutes, and following meetings usually last 50-55 minutes. Also, the first meeting can feel differently from other regular counseling sessions, in that we will have a broader conversation on your experiences rather than having in depth discussion on one topic. We will touch base on what brings you to counseling, exploring impactful experiences (including but not limited to growing up experiences), and forming initial understanding of your context. If you do have particular issue you would like to discuss in more depth, or things you would like to get out of the first meeting (e.g., resources), please feel free to let me know. I do want to make sure that your specific need will be covered in this meeting.   

 

At the end of this meeting, if we agree to proceed to the second meeting, we will schedule it. It will be helpful to set up a regular meeting time for both of us. If you would like to get reminders for our scheduled meeting, please let me know your preferred approach (e.g., text, email). If you agreed to set the autopay for service fee, your card will be charged on the midnight of the service date.