FAQ

Where is your office located?

Our office is located in The Wilson building In Caldwell, New Jersey, across the street from Caldwell University:

307 Bloomfield Ave., Suite 301 Caldwell, NJ 07006

Where can I park?

There are two free parking lots (for 3 hours) nearby: (1) One to the right of our building, off of Personette St. on Cooks Lane, and (2) one to the left of Personette St., through our building parking lot.

What are your hours?

We can schedule sessions every day of the week, including weeknights, Saturdays, and Sundays.

How long are therapy sessions?

Therapy sessions are 45 minutes long.

Do you offer in-person sessions?

Yes! With safety precautions in place, such as wearing masks, a brand new air filtration system in our building, and an air purifier with UV light in our office, we are happy to meet with clients in person.

Do you offer virtual sessions?

Also yes! If you like the convenience of doing therapy in your own home or from your office during your lunch break, then virtual sessions can be easily scheduled. In addition, we have licensed therapists in NJ and NY, so we can virtually meet with anyone who lives in those states.

Once we make an appointment, how do I fill out the initial paperwork?

Everything you need is online. After setting up an appointment, we will email you a link through SimplePractice, our practice management software for scheduling, case management, telehealth, and therapy notes. You read over all documents, and if you agree, you just check off a box online – no need to print out any paperwork unless you want a copy for your records. And of course, you can always contact our office with any questions.

Do you take insurance?

Ra Wellness is considered an Out-of-Network (OON) provider. That means that we don’t bill insurance companies directly; however, if you have OON benefits, you may be able to submit for reimbursement of some of the costs.

You should be aware that most insurance companies require you to authorize us to provide them with a clinical diagnosis when using OON benefits. Sometimes we must provide additional clinical information such as treatment plans or summaries or copies of your entire clinical record. This information will become part of the insurance company files and likely stored in a computer.

Though all insurance companies claim to keep such information confidential, we have no control over what is done with it once in their hands. In some cases, they may share the information with a national medical information database.

If you choose to use your OON benefits, we are happy to provide you a Superbill (medical receipt). You pay us in full for services, and then you submit the Superbill to your insurance to reimburse you directly.

Typically, reimbursement is 50-80% of the cost of services depending on your deductible, etc. Ra Wellness makes no guarantee that you’ll receive reimbursement from your insurance company, so please call your insurance company to determine if and what OON benefits your plan has.

How do I know if I have Out-of-Network benefits?

To determine your out-of-network benefits, call the number on the back of your insurance card specific for mental/behavioral health benefits. Questions to ask your insurance company about out-of-network benefits for psychotherapy:

Do I have out-of-network mental health benefits?
What is my out-of-network deductible?
How much of my deductible has been met to date, and when does the deductible year begin?
What percentage of my bill will be paid by the insurance company? Is this percentage based upon usual, customary, and reasonable (UCR) rates or the actual charges?
What is my co-pay for a session if I see an out-of-network provider?
Do I have an out-of-pocket maximum? If yes, will the insurance company ever reimburse at 100 percent?
Does my insurance cover telehealth, if applicable? What are the CPT codes for telehealth psychotherapy?
How many sessions are covered, and in what period?
Is any pre-approval required under any circumstances before obtaining out-of-network mental health services to be reimbursed?
Are out-of-network services by a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) covered?
For psychotherapy, ask: Do you cover the maximum allowed amount for procedural codes 90791, 90834, and 90837?
For psychological testing, ask: Do you cover the maximum allowed amount for procedural codes 96130, 96131, 96136, and 96137?

Why don't you take insurance?

Rather than spending hours on the phone trying to get payment from insurance companies, justifying treatment decisions to insurance representatives who aren’t clinical professionals, and disclosing clients’ confidential information to be reimbursed for our work, we spend our time offering high quality, individualized attention to each client. Our goal is to provide the best quality of care to clients, and we can’t do that if we take insurance.

When in-network, most health care plans today offer little coverage or reimbursement for mental health services. Often, your sessions are limited and may need pre-authorization. Even if you need ongoing services, your insurance company may decline services.

When deciding not to go through your insurance when seeking therapy, you are in control of your care, including choosing your therapist, length of treatment, etc. In addition, you have increased privacy and confidentiality (except for limits of confidentiality) since you won’t be submitting personal details of treatment to your insurance company.

You also won’t have a mental health disorder diagnosis on your medical record, which can affect getting life insurance, getting certain jobs, and joining the military. You will also have the freedom to seek therapy for non-psychiatric issues that are important to you that aren’t billable by insurance. This includes coping with life changes, gaining more effective communication techniques for your relationships, increasing personal insight, and developing healthy new skills.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept credit cards, debit cards, FSA cards, HSA cards, exact-amount cash, and checks.

Do you offer a free consultation?

Yes! You can fill out the Contact form on this website, email, or call us to set up a free 15-minute consultation. We will ask you some questions during the consultation to learn more about you and then tell you about how we work. Then, if we are a good fit, we will schedule an appointment.

Do you have a cancellation policy?

Yes. The time scheduled for your appointment is reserved for you. If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, we ask that you provide 24 hours’ notice. Failure to give the 24 hours’ notice necessary before cancellation will result in the full fee. This fee will be your direct responsibility. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you.

What age ranges do you work with?

We work with children ages five and up, teens, and adults.

How often do I need to schedule therapy?

Typically, sessions are scheduled weekly. This gives you a chance to practice what you learned throughout the week but does not allow too much time to pass between sessions.

What do we actually do in sessions?

That depends on the reason why you are coming in for therapy. For kids, we often incorporate play and art, so they feel comfortable and engaged in sessions. For teens and adults, we discuss the struggles you have and discuss strategies to reduce your struggles and reach your goals. Art therapy may be incorporated into therapy at any age.

Do you assign homework between sessions?

Often, yes! But not in the typical way that you may be thinking. We may assign 5-10 minutes per day of meditation or ask that you jot down times you were happy and sad throughout the week. At our next session, we will talk about what was assigned and discuss it further.

What modalities do you use in therapy?

We use several different approaches in therapy and take techniques from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Somatic Experiencing to help clients work toward their goals. Art Therapy is also used in our practice.

What are the typical issues that are treated in your practice?

Our therapists are skilled in working with typically high functioning clients who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, motivation, lack of focus, ADHD, high functioning autism, and academic difficulties. Therapy for postpartum depression, family therapy, therapy for teens stepping down from an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and therapy for chronic health conditions are also offered at Ra Wellness.

What is Dyslexia?

The International Dyslexia Association’s definition is as follows: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected concerning other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”

More about Dr. Ra, the founder of Ra Wellness…

What do I need to know about Dr. Ra?

Clients often describe me as warm, friendly, trustworthy, and patient. I am extremely invested in helping you achieve your full potential. So I need you to be invested also. There will be some harder sessions than others, but we will work together so that you will see gains soon after starting therapy with me. But you have to be willing to participate actively and do the work.

Are you a neuropsychologist?

No. I am a Licensed Psychologist in NJ and NY with my PsyD in School-Clinical Child Psychology and a Certified School Psychologist in NJ.

If my child is having trouble learning or has trouble focusing, doesn’t (s)he needs a neuropsychological evaluation?

In most cases, no. When a child has difficulty learning or has trouble focusing, a psychoeducational evaluation may be the best way to determine if your child has Dyslexia, a learning disability, or ADHD. Although neuropsychologists can conduct evaluations for these purposes, they typically do not have experience working in a school setting.

I believe it is imperative that an evaluator must have experience in a school setting to understand what happens in the school environment after the evaluation is conducted. Having first-hand knowledge of the laws of Special Education and Related Services and writing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans provides insight into the recommendations that will be made when an evaluator has experience working in the school system.

Working in a school district as a school psychologist for the past 14 years sets me apart from neuropsychologists who do not have that experience.

Do you personally use the techniques that you teach?

Yes! I use a lot of the techniques that I teach to reduce anxiety, create organization, increase motivation, and improve time management in my daily life.

Have you been to therapy?

Yes! I have seen several therapists in different places where I lived throughout my life. My favorite part of therapy was getting validated. Often, we have strong feelings about situations, and others around us just don’t get it. I loved talking to my therapist, who listened with an open mind, validated my feelings, and guided me toward resolution. Therapy can be so freeing and cathartic.

Tell me something fun about yourself.

I was born in October and am the definition of a Libra. If my scales are tipped, I must seek out justice. Although I recognize that everything in life cannot be fair, I get very passionate about creating equity and fairness in the world. My Libra strengths include being cooperative, gracious, fair-minded, social, idealistic, and diplomatic. My biggest Libra weakness is indecisiveness, even about the smallest things, e.g., what flavor ice cream I want? It shouldn’t be this hard, lol.

What is one of your aspirations in life?

One of my goals has always been to expand my private practice to NYC. Having attended Pace University in NYC for my PsyD and completing my internship and post-doc at the Jewish Child Care Association (foster care agency in the Bronx and Brooklyn), I have always loved the city. I want to build a private practice there.