— Nido R. Qubein

FAQs

The Answers You’ve Been Looking For

Will my insurance cover my visit?

Perhaps, in part, if you have out of network benefits. For many health insurance plans, insurance might reimburse you 50-80% of the cost for seeing an out of network provider. Using your health care FSA (flexible savings account) which is funded with pretax dollars, can also help offset the cost. See the Fees page for more details.

Can I get an appointment quickly?

Yes, I try to schedule patients within one week, sometimes as soon as the next business day.

What if I can't wait that long?

If you are in a psychiatric crisis, you need a comprehensive evaluation and may need a higher level of care, like inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, a day program, or specialized substance abuse rehab. This is for you health and safety. Just seeing Dr. Harrison-Restelli as an outpatient may not be enough. Once you are stabilized, Dr. Harrison-Restelli will work with your crisis or hospital team to ensure a smooth transition of care and help you continue on your road to recovery. 

If you are in crisis, please call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-TALK), contact your local mental health crisis team, or go to the Sheppard Pratt Crisis Walk In Clinic (410-938-5302). 

What is a Psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor, a physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Psychiatrists are uniquely qualified to understand the complex interrelation between mental and physical health since their training includes four years of medical school and at least 3 years of psychiatric residency training. After medical school, I completed an additional 5 years of training (1 in obstetrics, 3 in psychiatry and a 1 year fellowship in psychosomatic medicine).  Psychiatrists can prescribe medication, while therapists can not. Psychiatrists, as physicians, order and interpret laboratory tests and brain imaging studies.

What is a therapist?

A therapist is a trained counselor who helps patients deal with difficult emotions or behaviors in order to build a healthier and better life. Therapists use talking (individual or group psychotherapy), or other methods like art, meditation or writing in journals to help patients understand themselves better and build skills in managing problems. Therapists can be psychiatrists (MD), psychologists (PsyD or PhD), masters level clinicians (LCSW, LCPC, LMFT), or nurses with advanced training.

What kind of treatments do you offer?

I prescribe medication and provide psychotherapy. My therapy approach is eclectic, drawing from supportive, interpersonal, meaning centered, cognitive behavioral (CBT), dialectical behavioral (DBT) and analytic approaches. If you chose, you can see me for both medication management and psychotherapy (combined treatment). Alternatively, you can work with one of the many excellent local therapists for counseling, and see me primarily for medication, which is known as split treatment. If you chose this option, if is essential that the psychiatrist and the therapist have open lines of communication and can coordinate care.

What happens in the initial visit?

Initial appointments generally last 1.5-2 hours. We will start by taking a detailed family, developmental, social, medical, psychiatric and substance use history.  I particularly want to know what happens to mood, sleep, appetite, energy, sex, etc when things are at their worse, their best, and on an average day, and what symptoms are bothering you now. I want to know what treatments you have tried and their effect. Please be honest! I won't judge you--I need this information to make an accurate diagnosis. Maybe the pills "did not work" because you missed a lot of doses, or you were drinking a lot of alcohol during that time, or you were not taking them with food and absorption was poor.

What should I bring to the initial appointment?

ID. Check, cash or credit card. All your intake forms (or arrive at least 20 minutes to complete them).  Accurate list of all your current medications, doses and frequencies. List of past medication trials. Psychiatric hospital discharge summaries, copies of head imaging reports (CT head, MRI brain, EEG). Name, address, phone and fax of your PCP or other medical specialist (ObGyn, oncologist), your current therapist and past mental health providers.

What happens during a follow up appointment?

The initial portion of your session will be focused on your mental health and recent events;  assessing sleep, stress and substance use; reviewing your physical health and any lab results;  making medication adjustments; providing education and answering your questions. The remainder of the session can be used for completing forms/paperwork, calling insurance companies, coordinating with your other providers or with your family, and/or for psychotherapy. I always try to incorporate some psychotherapy in each session, a small amount during a 25 minute appointment, more during longer sessions.

What is your cancellation/no show policy?

If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please let me know as soon as possible. You will be charged the full fee for changes with <24 hours notice and for missed appointments. If you are running late, or your childcare falls through, or the car won't start, don't worry! We can easily change an in-person session to a telepsychiatry session, just give me a call.

What if it snows?

I never cancel for weather. Please watch the forecast carefully. If you don't want to drive, we can simply convert your appointment to a telepsychiatry session (Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, RingCentral, etc). If you chose to cancel and reschedule, make sure you make all changes with  >24 hours notice to avoid a missed appointment charge.

Will I get better?

I can't promise you a cure or a quick fix, since many mental health problems are relapsing and remitting chronic conditions. I can promise that I will listen to you carefully, with an open mind, take your concerns seriously and work hard alongside you to help things get better. If you do your part to work toward recovery (make and keep appointments, be honest with yourself and me, accurately report your symptoms, work diligently in therapy, take your medication, etc) I believe that you WILL improve.