Lifespan Wellness Marriage and Family Therapy PLLC FAQs

Interesting name for a therapy site! What does it mean, exactly?

Thanks! Lifespan Wellness Marriage & Family Therapy provides psychotherapy services to clients of all ages across the lifespan, and specializes in working with couples and families. Lifespan recognizes that there are many issues that affect couples and families such as mental/medical illnesses, pre-marital questions and compatibility concerns, couples conflicts, infidelity, sexuality, developmental issues in children, parenting issues, divorce, trauma, loss and grief, and more. Lifespan’s treatment approach is offered to the couple and family systems to enhance support and wellness as part of the psychotherapy. In cases of mental/medical illnesses, family therapy is provided to all members impacted by the illness to facilitate stress management, stability, and wellness practices for all the members.

Does Lifespan Wellness MFT accept my insurance?

Insurance programs require that you to agree to have a psychiatric diagnosis associated with your treatment. If you want to use your insurance coverage to pay for your treatment, you will need to have your primary care physician or psychiatrist formally issue a diagnosis for you to Lifespan Wellness MFT. Lifespan Wellness may serve as an Out of Network Provider, but if your insurance provider does not provide reimbursement then you will be personally responsible to pay the unpaid fees.

If we do not currently accept your insurance, we will work on becoming a provider under your plan. If you have health insurance, call your insurance company to find out if your health coverage also includes mental health coverage. Some helpful questions you can ask them include:

What are my mental health benefits?

What is the coverage amount per therapy session?

How many therapy sessions does my plan cover?

How much does my insurance pay for an out-of- network provider?

Is approval required from my primary care physician?

Does Lifespan offer psychiatric medication services?

Lifespan does not provide psychiatric medication services. Lifespan can provide psychotherapy support to medication users in collaboration with your prescribing medical providers, with your written consent.

Does Lifespan provide psychological evaluations (for court, surgery procedure, etc.)?

Lifespan does not provide psychological evaluations. Lifespan provides psychotherapy and psychoeducation about topics pertaining to Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and Play Therapy that include relationship issues, parenting, dealing with aging parents, dealing with how medical issues affect family members and family functioning, and more areas within the scope of MFT work and Play Therapy.

I am worried that my child is being sexually abused. Does Lifespan assess for sexual abuse?

If you are concerned that your child is being sexually abused, consider consulting with your child’s doctor to have the appropriate examinations done, as well as reporting your suspicions to the police. Like school counselors, pediatricians, and other health professionals, Lifespan staff members are mandated reporters and any suspicion of abuse and neglect is required to be reported to New York State Office of Children and Family Services Child Protective Services, and they will conduct an investigation in response to the call to determine if any abuse has occurred. If abuse and neglect has occurred, proper investigation protocols need to be followed before psychotherapy begins. If you are seeking an assessment for suspected past or present abuse, consider contacting a clinical forensic therapist. One organization that assists crime victims is Safe Horizon (1-800-621-HOPE, 24hr hotline).

Does Lifespan handle cases where there is active substance abuse?

Lifespan does not provide individual psychotherapy for active substance abusers, and recommends that individuals seeking detox and substance abuse services go to a state approved substance abuse recovery site. Lifespan does provide couples and family therapy for people who have completed a substance abuse program and obtained a certificate of completion and will need to submit a copy of the certificate of completion and a treatment summary of their treatment from that program. Both the certificate of completion and the treatment summary must be received before or at the intake session in order to assess whether Lifespan can assist at this time.

I am a single parent and my kids do not have contact with their other parent. Can I bring them in?

Yes, but you will asked to sign a document attesting that you do not have contact with the other parent and are unable to contact the other parent to discuss therapy arrangements. If the other parent re-enters the children’s lives during the course of therapy, the case will be reviewed and additional documentation may be required to resume therapy.

I am in the process of divorcing my spouse (or have already divorced) and I have children that I want to bring in for therapy. I heard that even though the kids live with me I still need the consent of the other parent to bring them in. Is this true?

Yes. Lifespan requires the written consent of both parents to treat children. If you are involved in court proceedings and you have the court’s permission and support to bring the kids for therapy despite your spouse’s objections, please provide a copy of the court’s letter expressing permission and support for the children to receive therapy.

I want my child, who is younger than 18yrs old, to receive therapy services, but my child does not want me in the sessions. How can I respect my child’s privacy and still stay involved in the treatment and provide consents for my child’s treatment?

Due to all the technicalities involved in having the child as the primary client, Lifespan does not provide individual therapy for children unless it is within the overall context of family therapy where the parent or legal guardian is the primary client. Family therapy is highly recommended for families that are struggling with communication issues and secrecy, in order to create a healthier family atmosphere. Within family therapy, parents and caregivers can develop effective interpersonal skills to gain their children’s trust and provide effective support and children can learn to trust their caretakers and involve them in the individual issues they are struggling with.

Does Lifespan provide family counseling for court-mandated and court-referred cases?

Yes, but you will be required to provide documentation of the court order and any other legal documents pertaining to the case or the persons involved in therapy, and provide consent to communications with the court, lawyers, school personnel, and anyone else involved in the case. In addition, there is a fee of $200 per hour for any case-related activities outside of the family session time, which will be additional costs for you and your family that are typically not covered or reimbursed by insurance and the family will need to pay these costs directly to Lifespan Wellness MFT. Lifespan does not provide supervised visitation services.

My treatment records, or my child’s, are being subpoenaed by the court. Will Lifespan be required to provide them?

Yes, Lifespan will be legally required to provide them. Lifespan will try to provide a treatment summary unless the subpoena specifically states otherwise. Please remember that there is a fee of $200 per hour for any case-related activities outside of the treatment session time, which will be additional costs for you and your family that are typically not covered or reimbursed by insurance and the family will need to pay these costs directly to Lifespan Wellness MFT.

I am seeking therapy because my spouse is hitting me. I am scared that if I come in for therapy and my spouse finds out that I am discussing this issues things will get worse. What should I do?

If you are in an abusive relationship then you will need to prioritize your safety concerns at this time. If you are concerned for your immediate safety, or the safety of anyone that lives with you, please consider contacting 911 or your local police department. If you are a New York State resident looking for information about how to get ongoing support, you may contact:

New York State Domestic Violence Hotlines at 1-800-942-6906, English & español/Multi-language Accessibility. Deaf or Hard of Hearing: dial 711. In NYC call 1-800-621-HOPE (4673) or dial 311. TTY (teletypewriter for hard of hearing or deaf): 1-866-604-5350.

Safe Horizons

2 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor                         Fax: 212-577-3897           E-mail: help@safehorizons.org

New York, NY 10007

Domestic violence hotline: 800-621–HOPE (4673)

Support for crime victims & family members of homicide victims: 866-689-HELP (4357).

Rape and sexual assault: 212-227-3000. (Or call NYC’s 311) TYY (for all HOTLINES) 866-604-5350

I need to have copies of my treatment records, does Lifespan provide these?

HIPAA requires that health records be provided to clients upon request, but please be aware that once you have your records they may also be accessible by unauthorized people who have access to where you keep your records. Lifespan bears no responsibility related to what happens with your records once they are provided to you. In order to protect your confidential files as much as possible, Lifespan will provide a treatment summary, which is a concise synopsis of your treatment without all the sensitive details.

Does Lifespan provide case management? I need assistance with housing, managing money, and looking for work.

Lifespan does not provide assistance with managing housing issues, financial decisions, or job placement services.

Sometimes I, or my family members, may be feeling suicidal. What should I do?

If there is a risk of imminent harm or death, call 911.

If you need someone to talk through the crisis, you may also call:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones): Tel: 1-800-273-8255

Website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

NYC Well (provides free, confidential mental health support. Speak to a counselor via phone, text or chat and get access to mental health and substance misuse services, in more than 200 languages, 24 hours/7 days a week/365 days a year).

Wesbite: https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/

For English: 1-888-NYC-WELL (1-888-692-9355), Press 2

For Relay Service for Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Call 711

For Español: 1-888-692-9355, Press 3

For 中文: 1-888-692-9355, Press 4

What do I do if I have an emergency situation while Lifespan’s office is closed?

Call 911 immediately.

Thank you for selecting Lifespan Wellness Marriage & Family Therapy, PLLC

for your therapeutic services!

Contact Us

Lifespan Wellness Marriage and Family Therapy adheres to all New York State laws and regulations and also values your privacy and confidentiality. If you are interested in the services offered please call 917-913-6441 to receive your free telephone screening and schedule your appointment.

If you contact Lifespan by email please be advised that emails must only contain your name, telephone number, the services you are interested in, and best times to contact you. Responses will be provided within within 24 hours.

Please note that visiting this site or contacting Maria Constantinou by email or telephone does not constitute or establish a professional or therapeutic relationship. In cases of emergency, please call 911 or go directly to your nearest emergency room.

For the latest updates about blog posts, workshops, guest speaking events, insurances currently accepted, and more, follow Lifespan Wellness Marriage & Family Therapy on:

Location: 31-42 32nd Street #1 Astoria, NY 11106

Office Hours: By Appointment

Tel: 917-913-6441

For general inquiries please send emails to lifespanwellnessmft@gmail.com

For correspondences pertaining to medical or other confidential information please send emails to lifespanwellnessmft@hushmail.com