Frequently Asked Questions

Therapy Clients

We aim to match you with a therapist who fits your needs. Scheduling depends on your preferences, therapist specialties, insurance coverage and availability. It usually takes about 3 days to a week to set up your initial consultation appointment, which we try to schedule within 1-2 weeks of your first contact with a member of our intake team.

The initial consultation appointment is an opportunity to see if Bhava Therapy Group can meet your needs. Your therapist will ask about your current concerns and personal history, and you can learn about their style to see if it feels like a good fit.

If you’re not feeling a good connection, please talk to your therapist about it. You can also reach out to our intake team to explore switching therapists within our practice or finding an outside referral.

The length of therapy will vary from person to person. Some people find a few months is enough, while others may continue for a year or more. How long the process of therapy will last depends upon many factors such as what your stated needs and goals for treatment are, what type of treatment you and your therapist define would be best to meet your needs and how the work proceeds from there. You and your therapist may also need to adjust the treatment plan as your work progresses and things begin to change.

The main difference is how you meet! In-person sessions happen at our office, where you and your therapist sit together in the same room. Virtual sessions happen over a secure video platform from the comfort of your own home. Both options offer the same level of care and attention. Some people prefer in-person therapy because it can feel more personal, while others like the convenience and accessibility of virtual sessions.

Choosing between in-person and virtual therapy depends on your comfort, needs, and lifestyle. If you value face-to-face connection and feel more grounded in a physical setting, in-person therapy might be a better fit. If convenience, flexibility, or health concerns are more important, virtual sessions can offer the same level of support without the commute. Usually, most of our initial consultations are virtual and it is possible to talk to your therapist about switching if your needs change.

Contact your therapist directly. Their contact info is in your first session confirmation email.

Please reach out to Tiffany, our Director of Billing Services, at Tiffany@bhavatherapygroup.com or call 646-389-5801 (Option 2).

Yes! Some of our therapists speak other languages in addition to English such as Spanish, Hebrew, French, Korean and Russian.

We’re in-network with Aetna, Cigna, Healthfirst, and Metroplus.

In-network: The therapist has a contract with your insurance company, so you’ll pay less out of pocket.

Out-of-network: The therapist doesn’t have a contract with your insurance. You’ll pay the full fee upfront, but you might be able to get partial reimbursement by submitting a “superbill” to your insurance. Check your plan for details.

Call your insurance company and ask:

  • Does my plan cover mental health therapy?
  • Do I have an “in-network” deductible?
  • Once my deductible is met, what percentage of therapy costs are covered?
  • How many sessions are covered per year?
  • Do I need pre-authorization?
  • What is the “allowed amount” for therapy services?
  • If I’m seeing someone out-of-network, what’s my out-of-network deductible?
  • How do I get reimbursed for out-of-network therapy?

CE

All of our CE courses – Live Virtual & Pre-Recorded Self-Paced classes – are hosted on an online class platform called “THINKIFIC” This is a secure, password protected hosting platform that allows for protection and easy access to all of the courses and your course completion certificates you earn through your learning with us. The URL for the Bhava Therapy Group CE program is: https://bhava-therapy.thinkific.com/

Yes. When you sign up for your first class with us, whether it is a Live-Virtual class or a Pre-recorded class, you will be prompted to enter a valid email address. The email address you use at this first point of registration and class purchase will be saved as your “username”. You will then be prompted to create a password. Save this email address and password, this will be your access to our online CE program.

Yes, every class that you have taken and completed as well as future, upcoming courses you have registered will be saved in your personal, secure, password protected online class account.

The Zoom link for the CE class is stored as a module within the class framework on the online class platform, so you will not receive an email with a Zoom link. You must sign into the Thinkific class platform at https://bhava-therapy.thinkific.com/ with your username and password. You will be prompted to read through each module and click complete before moving on to the next module. Once you reach the Zoom link module, it will be accessible from within the online course platform.

Your password is what you designated as such at the time that you registered for the continuing education course. If you cannot remember your Password, please select the FORGOT PASSWORD button in the lower right corner of the SIGN UP page and follow the prompts.
If you cannot remember your Username, please email ce@bhavatherapygroup.com for further assistance.

If, once you go to the url https://bhava-therapy.thinkific.com/ and you do not see your name in the upper righthand corner of the page, please login again where it says SIGN IN in the upper righthand corner of the page and enter your username and password. Then select MY DASHBOARD from the menu which will bring you to the list of courses you have registered for.

Both the posttest and the course evaluation are included as individual modules in the course accessible through the link. You will return to the online course platform by visiting this url https://bhava-therapy.thinkific.com/ and using your personal email/username and password to sign in. Then you will select MY DASHBOARD to see a list of classes in your profile that you have either already completed, are in process or planned for the future. Select the course you need to complete the posttest and course evaluation for and then select RESUME COURSE. This will bring you back to the last course module you were active in. Press the COMPLETE AND CONTINUE button at the bottom to lead you to the next module to complete. You must COMPLETE AND CONTINUE on all previous modules prior to accessing the posttest and the course evaluation.

After finishing both the Posttest and the Course Evaluation, you will receive a message congratulating you for completing the course and at the bottom of that message you can click the GET YOUR CERTIFICATE button and your CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION will be viewable, and you can choose to either COPY LINK or DOWNLOAD your Certificate of Completion. It will also be stored in your Personal Password Protected Bhava Therapy/Thinkific CE Course Account. You will also receive an email with a link to your certificate of completion.

If you are registered in NY as well as another state, please email our CE course administrator at ce@bhavatherapygroup.com so they can further assist you in obtaining dual certificates of completion, one for NY state and one for the other state you are licensed to practice in.

Support

A support group is a structured, facilitator-led gathering where people with shared experiences or concerns come together usually focused on a particular life theme. It’s a space to share feelings, offer and receive support, and learn skills from the facilitator and from others in the group going through similar challenges.

While both involve groups of people and a facilitator, support groups focus on sharing, connection, and peer support around a common issue or theme. They’re more about skill building and mutual understanding and encouragement. Psychotherapy groups, on the other hand, are a type of formal therapy addressing a diagnosable mental health condition. They involve deeper clinical work, emotional processing, and insight-oriented exploration under the guidance of a psychotherapist.

No – not always, unless a particular group specifies so. Most usually, you do not need to be in individual therapy to join a support group. They’re open to anyone interested in the topic, though they can complement individual therapy if you’re already in treatment.

Yes, confidentiality is very important. Everyone in the group agrees to keep what’s shared privately within the groups, so confidentiality and safety are ensured.

Most support groups can meet for anywhere between 60-75-90 minutes. Timing and length of each support group offering varies depending on the topic.

Group sizes can vary but typically range from 6 to 8 people to ensure everyone has a chance to participate.

Support groups meet for a set number of weeks (like 6, 8 or 10 weeks), while others are ongoing. Be sure to ask about the specific group you’re interested in.

We encourage attending all sessions to build trust and connection with the group. If you have to miss a session, please let the group leader know.

Typically, insurance doesn’t cover support groups because they’re considered coaching or wellness activities, not formal psychotherapy. Payment options, including sliding-scale or payment plans, may be available.

Yes! Since payment for a series of support groups is requested upfront, we understand that a payment plan may make joining a support group more feasible. We encourage you to contact Tiffany@bhavatherapygroup.com to inquire about arranging a payment plan.

We offer a range of support groups focused on topics like parenting challenges, anxiety management, grief, mindfulness, navigating life transitions, and more. Please visit our Support Groups page or contact us for current offerings.

Yes! We offer both in-person and virtual groups, depending upon the topic. In-person groups meet at our office, while virtual groups are held over secure video platforms.

Workshop

A workshop is a singular, focused meeting where you explore a particular topic, learn new skills, and connect with others. They’re usually one-time events, though some may have a follow-up session.

Anyone interested in the topic!

Whereas a support group meets regularly over a specified period of time (6-8-10 weeks), workshops are primarily held in one or maybe two sessions and are focused on a specific topic.

No, our workshops don’t offer CE credit. We do offer separate continuing education classes for therapists. We invite you to check those out on our website.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the workshop for a refund of the workshop fee (processing fees are non-refundable). If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, there’s no refund.

Email Tiffany@bhavatherapygroup.com for help to register in another way.