Q. Are you a "real" doctor?

A. Yes. I am a fully licensed physician, board certified in Psychiatry,
and, in addition, fully trained as a psychoanalyst.

Q. If I come to see you, do I have to commit to a long-term treatment?

A. No. The initial few encounters are consultations in which I make an
assessment of your problem(s), after which I suggest the most appropriate
course of action, in my professional opinion, to try to resolve them.

Q. How long will the treatment last?

A. It depends entirely on the nature of the issues to be dealt with, and
cannot always be predicted with accuracy.

Q. How do you set your fee?

A. I have a customary professional fee, which in a few selected cases I can
modify, based on the patient's financial restrictions and how much time I
have open in my practice.

Q. Do you accept insurance?

A. I am a network provider for HIP and PHS, Medicare and Medicaid (only in
conjunction with Medicare). However, only a part of my practice is devoted
to working with insurance patients.

Q. Do you accept credit cards?

A. No. I am not set up to accept credit card payments.

Q. Do you do telephone sessions?

A. No, except under exceptional circumstances. The personal encounter is
central to all the types of treatment I provide.

Q. Do I have to pay if I cannot make an appointment?

A. During the evaluation period, if there are extenuating circumstances and
one cancels in advance I usually do not charge for missed sessions. During
an established treatment, in which the patient "leases" one or more of my
hours, I charge for the missed sessions irrespective of the causes for which
the patient misses, except in cases of vacations, or other mutually agreed
upon circumstances.

Q. I don't want to take medication, can you still help me?

A. It depends on the nature of your problem. Some types of problems are
helped only by medication, others are better treated with psychological
interventions. For some patients there is a margin of choice in the
effective treatments available.

Q. I don't like to talk too much about private matters, can you still help me?

A. The basic conditions needed for psychotherapy are total openness and
sincerity on the part of the patient and absolute confidentiality on the
part of the physician.

Q. What is the difference between psychotherapy and psychoanalysis?

A. Externally, the difference is in the frequency of encounters between the
doctor and the patient, which for psychoanalysis is four or five times per
week, and for psychotherapy anywhere from once a week to every day. Also,
psychoanalysis is performed with the patient lying comfortably on the
analytic couch, facing away from the analyst, in order to help deepen the
concentration and diminish possible distractions from the work of
introspection. Psychotherapy is more interactive and is performed with the
patient sitting up facing the therapist. The real difference, however, is in
the depth and the intensity of the experience. Thus psychoanalysis provides
the best chance to resolve deeply engrained problems with personality and
character. Also, psychoanalysis has a finite time frame and, by definition,
has to be terminable, although it can last long. Psychotherapy is much more
open-ended, and in some cases is a life-long endeavor. (See also the page
entitled "About psychoanalysis").

Q. Are people requiring psychoanalysis sicker or more troubled than those
requiring regular psychotherapy?

A. No, on the contrary, psychoanalysis is usually contraindicated if the
patient suffers from a major mental illness such as schizophrenia or
manic-depressive disorder, or is in the throws of a severe substance abuse
problem.

Q. In psychoanalysis, do I do all the talking, with the doctor remaining
always silent?

A. No, the doctor intervenes whenever he/she can contribute something to
the understanding of your internal world. However, neither psychoanalysis
nor psychotherapy are normal conversations such as you would have with a
friend.

Q. When does one need psychoanalysis?

A. Psychoanalysis is the "Mother of All Therapies," from which all
psychotherapies derive (except for behavioral and cognitive treatments). It
is the most intense and the most effective treatment for character problems,
personality disorders, anxiety states, moderate depression, obsessions and
sexual problems of all kind. It fosters personal growth and the
development of self-direction, optimal work achievement, and satisfaction
with personal and love relationships.

Q. What are your areas of expertise? What services do you offer?

A. I am a general psychiatrist and a fully trained psychoanalyst. My most
extensive experience, apart from severe mental illness, has been in the treatment of
personality disorders, anxiety, depression, sexual problems, couple issues,
and blocks or restrictions of creativity in highly talented individuals. The
services I offer are psychoanalysis, psychopharmacological consultations,
combined psychological and pharmacological treatments, as well as
psychoanalytic psychotherapies of various intensity.