Maryland Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Lab

FAQ

1. What services are provided?

The Maryland Psychotherapy Clinic and Research Lab (MPCRL) offers low-cost individual psychotherapy for adults.

2. What if I need a fitness for duty or diagnostic evaluation?

3. Who is eligible for services at the MPCRL?

The clinic is open to any member of the community who is 18 years or older and who is not currently a student at the University of Maryland, College Park. However, family and friends of students are welcome to be clients at MPCRL.

We do not currently provide services for clients who have recently started psychotropic medication (such as for depression or anxiety), until they have been stabilized for 2 months. Also, clients cannot be in individual therapy with another therapist.

4. How can I make an appointment?

You will need either to call the clinic at 301-405-5820 or send an email to mpcrl@psyc.umd.edu. We will call you back and do a brief screening interview with you to determine if you are eligible for our counseling and psychotherapy services. If eligible, we will schedule you for an intake interview.

The person who will be receiving the services should call to make his or her own appointment. If you want to refer a friend or family member to the MPCRL, please ask that person to make his or her own appointment.

5. How much do the services cost?

Our fee ranges from $25 to $50 per session. There is no charge for the brief screening interview or the initial intake interview.

6. Do we take insurance?

Because our fee is the same or lower than most co-pays, we neither accept nor report to any health insurance plan.

7. Who provides the counseling services?

Our therapists are advanced doctoral students in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Maryland. They are under the supervision of licensed psychologists who have at least 25 years of experience in the field. Sessions are videotaped and reviewed by the therapist and his or her supervisor.

8. What does it mean to be participating in research?

9. What about confidentiality?

Client data are kept in password protected files on the computer, and in locked file cabinets. All individual data is stored by code number without personally identifying information, so research data cannot be traced back to the individual participants.

10. What kind of psychotherapy is offered?

Our orientation is psychodynamic and interpersonal. We tailor the psychotherapy to the individual client and so each treatment is different and naturalistic (rather than dictated by a treatment manual).