COUNSELING

You can call 573-818-7010, and/or schedule your initial appointment with Dr. Emily or her supervisees here. Check out each individual provider’s page here for information on how to schedule with them.

How is therapy different from talking with my friends?

If you are looking for an objective perspective outside of your circle of friends and family, talking with a therapist is recommended.  A therapist is also required to keep things confidential, so you can rest assured that what you share will be kept completely private, and no one except your therapist has to know about it (with the exception of immediate concerns about safety, which are discussed up front).  At Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC, your therapist has also completed training in evidence-based treatments that work, which means that your healing journey is expedited.

What are the different approaches offered at Columbia Psychology Healing Center, LLC?

There are many different therapy approaches offered at Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC.  You are encouraged to read more about what each individual provider offers here.  When possible, Dr. Emily personally prefers to begin counseling with a comprehensive psychological evaluation.  Dr. Emily incorporates strengths-based assessment approaches throughout the counseling process, using data that guides the most efficient and helpful treatment for you. Dr. Emily’s therapy includes aspects of person-centered therapy,  which means that collaborating with you and encouraging you to discover and build on your inner resources and strengths.  Every person has a unique and important purpose, and we are passionate about helping you discover yours.  Dr. Emily also uses values-based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and other values-based techniques including mindfulness.  Your values reflect what is important to you, why you respond the way you do in different situations, and how you make decisions.  Dr. Emily enjoys helping you get clear on what your values are, so that you have more knowledge about yourself and more power to make informed decisions that improve the quality of your life and help you achieve your full potential.

Dr. Emily also has experience counseling trauma survivors since 2009 with Cognitive Processing Therapy, an evidence-based treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  You can read more about it here  or click here for a brief video explaining CPT. Dr. Emily also trains other mental health providers in this treatment.  Several randomized clinical trials and effectiveness studies have provided evidence for CPT significantly reducing symptoms of PTSD and depression among survivors of various trauma including combat, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.

How do I choose a therapist?

It is vital that you feel comfortable with your therapist, and that you feel that you can trust him or her.  I recommend that if you are not feeling this way after 3 or 4 sessions, you have a conversation with your therapist about other options.  Perhaps you can continue working together with a different approach, or perhaps a different therapist is a better fit for you.  Therapists are people too, with their own personalities and styles, and it is important that you find one that works for you.  Do not hesitate to ask for a different therapist; we understand this and you will not hurt our feelings.  We want what is best for you.  Also, if you ever find yourself in a situation where the therapist is talking about themselves more than they are listening to you, please know that this is not o.k., and find a qualified therapist who will serve your needs.

What ages do you work with?

Most ages are served here at Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC.  Read more about our individual providers here.  Dr. Emily Crawford-Thompson, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who does a variety of evaluations, and some counseling services, for teenagers and adults (individuals age 16 and older). 

Do you take insurance?

• Check with your individual provider here, as some of our providers may be in network with insurance.
• In order to provide you with the highest quality care, Dr. Emily and her supervisees are NOT in network with insurance. You may be able to submit to insurance for reimbursement under your out of network coverage. Upon request, Dr. Emily will provide a super bill showing the services invoiced. Dr. Emily and her
  supervisees do not bill insurance directly, nor do we communicate with insurance on your behalf. You might find assistance with resources such as the Missouri insurance commissioner or www.reimbursify.com. Please verify with your insurance any out of network coverage you may have if you plan to submit to insurance.
• Since Dr. Emily does not directly bill health insurance plans, payment for services is required in order to reserve an appointment. Please note that your psychological services are tax deductible when paying out-of-pocket.  
• Insurance companies often work better with you directly, as they want to keep your business, than they do with us healthcare providers.  Your insurance company is invested in keeping you happy, and therefore is likely to reimburse you in a shorter amount of time compared to provider reimbursement schedules.  
• Here is information for you to ask your insurance company for reimbursement: When asking your insurance carrier about the possibility of getting reimbursed for your psychological services, ask about these specific “CPT codes” that are used for psychological services: 90791 (initial interview), 96136 (1st 30 minutes of testing/scoring), 96137 (each additional 30 min. testing/scoring)96130 (first hour interpretation/report-writing), 96131 (each additional hour interpretation/report-writing), 90837 (feedback/therapy session), and 90853 for group therapy.
• I am not contracted with insurance companies because, particularly when it comes to psychological evaluations, I believe that treatment works best when you and I make the decisions about your care in a way that does not include unnecessary restrictions from a third-party insurance company. This is because when providers contract with insurance companies, insurance companies often delay the start of treatment, limit the amount or type of treatment that can be provided, require certain mental health diagnoses (and reject to reimburse certain diagnoses), and require the release of your private information.  The insurance company decides what is “medically necessary,” what tests I can and cannot use, how much time I spend with you, and how much time I spend compiling your evaluation report.
• In the interest of providing you with the most efficient and highest quality care, I am not on insurance panels. This means that you get scheduled with me very quickly, due to the treatment delays and hassles caused by health insurance companies.  The unreasonably low reimbursement rates that providers who contract with insurance companies are forced to accept means seeing more clients within a shorter amount of time, thus providing less quality care.  At Columbia Psychology Healing Center LLC, we believe in efficient and quality care.

What are your payment policies and fees?

• Read more about our individual providers’ policies and fees here.
• For Dr. Emily and her supervisees, the scheduling portal is set up so that you can simply pay with a credit card to reserve your appointments. Please keep in mind that no-shows or late cancellations (less than 24 hours) may not be fully refunded.  Dr. Emily does understand that life happens, and will make every effort to accommodate you and reschedule.
• Initial interview (1^st session) $250
• Testing (2^ndsession) $2000 (most testing is 3-4 hours, and an additional 7-10 hours is spent scoring/interpreting tests, compiling collateral information, reviewing any available records, gathering treatment recommendations/resources, and writing the report. You are not being charged for the cost of the testing materials, which are significant.)  Dr. Emily Crawford-Thompson or her postdoc personally administers, scores, and interprets all tests. NO psychometrists are utilized.  Learning Disorder Evaluations are $2500 as they require additional testing and report-writing time.
• Feedback (3^rdsession) $250
• Bariatric, pain, or transplant Evaluations take place in one session $600
• Individual counseling sessions $200
• Group counseling sessions $40
• Individual counseling sessions with Dr. Emily’s PLPC Interns are $100