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Re: PS to Need Opinions/Is this working posts

Posted by Lola1969 on September 24, 2013, at 11:40:39

In reply to Re: PS to Need Opinions/Is this working posts, posted by baseball55 on September 19, 2013, at 19:43:09

> It's interesting you worry whether he's "just doing for the money." It's hard to process sometimes, but this is a professional relationship. This is his job. He's not going to do it if he doesn't get paid. I am a teacher and I love my job and love my students. But I also expect money to be deposited in my bank every two weeks. He has expenses - insurance, phone, office, mortgage payments, etc -- and he can't, anymore than you or I can, work for free. So yeah. He is doing this for the money. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love his job and care about his patients.
>
> I once said to my T (who is also a p-doc by the way. There are lots of p-docs in Boston who also do therapy) that he didn't really care about me because he wouldn't see me if I couldn't pay him. He said if I lost my job and couldn't pay, he'd still see me and we would figure out how much I could afford to pay. Maybe only 10 or 20 a week. I was so touched by this. But we had a really intense relationship and I was completely attached to him. He knew that switching to another therapist would be almost unbearably painful to me. Plus, I think he has family money.


I don't think it's the state that dictates that your psychiatrist not do therapy. Insurance makes this decision I think, which is why you can't find a a pdoc that also does therapy in a hospital setting. They can do therapy but they have to go into private practice and even then don't get reimbursed much for the longer sessions for therapy. I started seeing mine in a Boston hospital where the policy was that the pdoc's not do therapy. Now that he's in private practice he offers longer sessions with therapy. If I wanted weekly sessions, he did tell me he'd prefer that I see a separate therapist. At first I was a little hurt until I saw the billing statement from my insurance company. He gets paid far less for my 40 minute appointments than he does for the 20 minute ones. So, instead of hurt, I suddenly felt lucky that he gives me longer appointments if needed (I see him monthly). This is his job after all and if he saw me or any other client weekly for 40 minutes he would lose a substantial amount of income.

So your doctor is influenced by money as all professionals are. But if he wanted he could still refuse to see patients for therapy and have 20 minute med checks all day and make more money. So, although it is his job, he agrees to see you because he wants to see you.


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poster:Lola1969 thread:1050656
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20130807/msgs/1051249.html