What about COVID-19? Are you offering in person sessions?
In line with best practice professional guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic, all treatment is currently being provided remotely via phone or secure videoconference.
What can I expect in the first appointment?
What will happen during subsequent appointments? How many sessions do I need?
What do you provide treatment for? Is it only OCD?
Are there problems that you don’t provide treatment for?
Because for the most part psychological services are not covered under OHIP, realistically, there can be pressure for professionals to sell their services to clients. If a health professional gives you the impression that they treat everything, or makes other claims that seem too good to be true, this is a bad sign.
In my private practice I provide treatment for individuals coping with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; many different types of anxiety including social anxiety, trauma, and phobias; low mood; relationship struggles; pain and injury; and life transitions and stressors.
Although substance use or unhelpful eating patterns can be a part of many different problems, and this is within my scope of practice, in my private practice I do not provide treatment for individuals where substance abuse or disordered eating are the central concern. I also do not provide treatment for individuals who are currently coping with an acute psychotic episode, or other problems better suited to more comprehensive care. I do not provide treatment for couples or children.
If you’re wondering if the issue you’re seeking help for is within my scope of practice, please contact us.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? Which one can prescribe medication, and which one are you?
This is probably the question I have been asked more than any other.
Psychiatrists have gone to medical school, and many psychiatrists focus on medication treatments, sometimes called pharmacotherapy. Psychologists are trained in a biopsychosocial model of care in graduate school, focus on talk or behavioural therapies, and have more mandated hours of training in psychotherapy than any other regulated health professional. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and family doctors are all legally allowed to diagnose mental health disorders, and often work together to help patients.
Dr. Anna Levin is a psychologist.
What is the difference between a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a therapist, a life coach? Don’t you all provide therapy?
Although there are a variety of different individuals that may advertise themselves as able to provide mental health services, in making an informed choice about your health care, choosing a provider who is registered with a professional licencing body provides some assurance of expertise. The terms ‘therapist’, and ‘life coach’ are unregulated, meaning that anyone who so chooses can call themselves a therapist or life coach, with absolutely no required training or experience.
The term psychotherapist is relatively newly regulated. Psychologists are required to complete many times more hours of training and education compared to psychotherapists. Importantly, unlike psychologists, psychotherapists are not legally allowed to communicate a diagnosis to a patient. This is important because identifying and naming a problem is a often first step in providing specialized treatment.
What is the cost of treatment?
In most cases, Psychological Services are not covered under OHIP. Your private insurance or extended health benefits may provide coverage for psychological services. After each therapy session, you will be provided with a receipt that you can submit to your plan. Non reimbursed fees can be claimed as medical expenses on your tax return. Please check with your plan to determine if you have coverage.
There are no laws determining what psychologists can or cannot charge for the services they provide. This means psychologists can choose their own fees. At The Toronto OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center, the fee is $275 per 50 minute session, which is typical of professionals with similar expertise in Toronto. Payment is accepted via e-transfer.
Currently, sessions are not offered on a sliding scale.
If I come see you in therapy, are you going to make me take drugs?
No. I will never make you do anything you don’t want to do in therapy. If at any time you feel like things are going wrong, please let me know so we can work together to try to fix the problem.
There is evidence to suggest that for certain problems talk therapy is equally as helpful, or even more helpful, than pharmacotherapy; and for other problems the opposite can also be true.
I see many clients, who, for a variety of different reasons, are not recommended for, or may not be interested in, seeking pharmacotherapy.
I’ve also worked with many clients who choose to pursue pharmacotherapy in tandem with psychological therapy, and this can be very helpful depending on an individual’s preferences, the type of medication prescribed, and the type of problem they are coping with. It is not uncommon for psychologists and prescribers, such as family doctors or psychiatrists, to work together to help a client.
If any health care provider gives you the message that medications are always good or always bad, you may want to seek a second opinion. You have a right to make your own decisions about your health care, including decisions about medication. Your psychologist should be able to provide you with relevant information (or point you to another expert who can) so you can make an informed decision about whether you’d like to try medication.
Is my problem bad enough to go see a psychologist?
It’s a myth that somebody needs to be in crisis in order to seek support for a mental health struggle. In my practice I see patients with varying levels of severity of symptoms. A psychologist may be able to work with you in treatment in a variety of ways to improve your emotional and physical health and well-being.
Are sessions confidential? What if my problem is embarrassing?
With few exceptions, largely for safety or legal reasons, the information that you share with a psychologist is confidential, and psychologists are accountable to high ethical standards of care.
It is not uncommon for individuals to feel nervous at the start of treatment. A psychologist is a professional and should not be surprised or uncomfortable to learn about a problem that may feel embarrassing. You should feel free to speak with your psychologist about anything you’re struggling with. It is not uncommon for a psychologist to help patients with problems that may be difficult to talk about, including issues related to relationships, sex and sexuality; experience of violence or trauma; unhelpful or unwanted thoughts; or issues related to other taboo topics. It is not uncommon for psychologists to work with people who are experiencing vulnerable emotions such as embarrassment, sadness, or shame.
Credentialing, what the letters behind the name mean, and how to tell if a treatment provider is legitimate
Just because there are a lot of letters behind someone’s name, this does not necessarily indicate greater expertise.
Psychologists’ professional designations carry a lot of weight, as they indicate significant training, experience, and vetting. Psychologists are required to have more mandated hours of training in psychotherapy than any other mental health professional.
In Ontario, by law, all psychologists must be registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. As a client, this registration provides you with an extra level of assurance, and lets you know your health care provider is held to high clinical and ethical standards. (If a health care provider is not licensed by a professional body, it can be difficult to determine their actual level of training or expertise, if any at all.)
Here is my professional designation:
Dr. Anna Levin, C. Psych
Practice in Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology
Here is what it all means:
Dr. = Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
After I completed a four-year Bachelor or Science degree specializing in psychology, I went to Graduate school, completed a two-year Masters degree in Clinical Psychology, followed by a four-year Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. I then completed a one-year Canadian Psychological Association/ American Psychological Association-accredited Residency program in Clinical Psychology.
C. Psych. = Registered with the College of Psychologist of Ontario
After completing the education and training described above, I registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario, which is the provincial regulating body for psychologists. In order to do this I demonstrated that in the past I had completed relevant course work and practical training programs in psychology, passed a Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination, passed a standardized Oral Examination for practice in the areas of Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology, and completed an additional year-long period of supervised practice in my field.
Practice in Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology
This means I have met the standards of the College of Psychologists of Ontario to provide treatment in these areas. Areas where psychologists are qualified to practice are referred to officially as ‘areas of competence’.
I've heard that not all psychologists provide therapy, is this true?
Yes. Clinical Psychologists provide therapy. There are also many psychologists who primarily conduct research. For example, Social Psychologists, Personality Psychologists, and Developmental Psychologists.