Kaerensa Craft LCSW, CASAC

Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis

Online Therapy Available  

917-797-4736

message@kaerensacraft.com

Kaerensa Craft is a psychotherapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) in Manhattan, NY. Ms. Craft specializes in the treatment of:
 Ms. Craft also offers clinical supervision for general psychotherapy providers as well as Alcohol Use Disorders treatment providers.

PSYCHOTHERAPY FAQ

I primarily offer individual psychotherapy for adults. My practice is based on an integration of a few orientations: Cognitive-Behavior Therapy ("CBT"), Dialectical Behavior Therapy ("DBT"), Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Additionally, I practice from a Contemporary Psychoanalytic Relational perspective, which entails both a "here and now" focus and an exploration of the interactions that occur between the client and therapist, as this may provide valuable information about important ways in which the client relates to others in his or her life. (For information about therapy for drinking, (For information about therapy for drinking, click here.)

I offer both short and long-term treatment, depending on your interests and needs. Shorter-term work usually focuses on a particular issue of concern (for example, reducing drinking). It is typically more structured to include discussion of new concepts, completion of exercises to identify maladaptive thought patterns, practicing new skills in sessions, and thinking about how to apply these in your life. Longer-term work is much less structured, and time is usually spent exploring all aspects of your life and the things that are most on your mind. Longer-term work may include some of the same types of exercises utilized in short-term treatment, but is more focused on the “bigger picture.” Though primarily focusing on the here-and-now, longer term work also usually includes discussion about the past to explore its influence on the present.

The duration of treatment is individually tailored to the needs of each client. Typically, though, shorter-term work entails 10-20 sessions. Longer-term work tends to be more open-ended, as it is oriented toward broader concerns in life, though clients often commit to at least a year.

Frequency of sessions is based on the needs of each client, and this is something we would decide upon together, based on my recommendations and your interests and needs. For shorter-term work, once a week is standard, and provides the chance to practice new strategies and skills in between sessions. Longer-term treatment can also include once weekly sessions, though many people find it to be a richer experience with meeting two to three times per week.

Length of sessions tends to be 45 minutes, though longer sessions can be arranged.

My general focus is working with individuals, however, in some cases, clients may elect to have significant others join some sessions or meet with me individually. This is something we would plan and discuss in advance.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORDS

The records I keep for clients include the following:
   
  • Initial data, including contact information for the client and for someone to contact in the event a client is experiencing an emergency and needs assistance
  • Notes taken from the first 1-3 visits, as I am getting to know clients and asking about details of clients’ history and experiences to assess clients’ needs
  • The dates of office visits and general themes discussed (example: “Discussed present work-related problem”), specific worksheets reviewed (example: “Reviewed ‘Goals and Values’ worksheet”) or exercises (example: “Practiced visualization exercise”)
  • Correspondence between clients and myself
Your records, as well as what we discuss in treatment, are all confidential, meaning that I alone have access to them, although there are some limitations to this:
If you choose to use insurance benefits to help cover the costs of treatment, I will need to provide dates of attendance, a diagnosis code, and in some cases, a periodic treatment summary of what we have worked on.  In cases of longer treatments, some insurance companies require therapists to discuss the treatment more in-depth with a company representative to determine on-going coverage.
If you give me reason to believe that you are presenting imminent risk to your safety or to the safety of someone else, I am required to assist you in accessing emergency psychiatric services for further assessment.  This might include directing or escorting you to the nearest emergency room, or calling Emergency Medical Services to your location, and speaking with appropriate staff about your disclosures related to risk of harm.
If you disclose to me information indicating maltreatment of a child, I am required to notify the New York State Central Registry, which may result in an investigation into the safety of that child.
If I am subpoenaed by a court of law, I am required to provide the written records I have kept (described above).

PAYMENT AND INSURANCE

My fees are $200 for 45-min. individual sessions, and $250 for 60-min. couples sessions.  In a limited number of cases, I may offer a “sliding scale,” though such an arrangement would be agreed upon following an assessment about an individual’s financial need and available resources.
Payment can be made by cash, check, or online with credit/debit cards through the use of Venmo or PayPal. My username with Venmo is @Kaerensa-Craft (www.venmo.com/Kaerensa-Craft), and my username with Paypal is kaerensa@kaerensacraft.com. (Please note: Clients opting to use credit or debit cards are responsible for paying the 2.7% fee of the transaction amount charged by PayPal. Venmo offers a free option for submitting payment if the payment is withdrawn directly from a bank account.)
Cancellation Policy
Upon agreeing to meet at a regular day and time each week, I ask patients to maintain financial responsibility for the session times, whether attended or not. This includes for planned absences discussed in advance, as well as unforeseen absences (e.g., illness).
If you know in advance that you won’t be able to attend, and would like to try to reschedule the time, I will be happy to offer you whatever other times I may have available. However, I can’t guarantee that I will have another time available, or that I will have a time that works for your schedule. (I can offer phone sessions and/or online video sessions, either at the time of your session or for a rescheduled time, if you cannot attend in person.)
For patients utilizing insurance to help pay for treatment, please be advised that I am not allowed to bill insurance companies for missed or canceled sessions. If you are unable to attend a session and we cannot find an alternative time, you will be responsible for the full cost of the session.
Insurance
I currently accept Medicare, Oxford, United HealthCare, United Behavioral Health, Optum, OSCAR, and SEIU1199. For all other insurance plans, I am an “out-of-network” provider, which means that your insurance plan needs to include out-of-network mental health benefits (also referred to as “behavioral health” benefits) to be applied to my services.  (Please note that some plans require initial authorization for treatment from your insurance company.  You may also be required to obtain periodic re-authorization. You should ask about this when you call to check your benefits, and to ask for initial authorization if that's required.)

  1. Do I have out-of-network benefits?
  2. What is the cost of my deductible before my plan starts paying on out-of-network services?
  3. Is my deductible for mental health/behavioral health separate from my deductible for physical health, or is the deductible combined?
  4. Do I have an in-network deductible as well, and if so, does that count toward my out-of-network deductible?
  5. How much of my deductible has already been met?
  6. What is my out-of-pocket maximum, and does my deductible count toward the out-of-pocket maximum?
  7. a.  Does my plan reimburse a flat rate for out-of-network services, or is it a percentage of the provider’s fees? (If a flat rate, what is the amount?  If a percentage, what is the percentage?)  b.If my plan reimburses at the "Usual-and-Customary" rate, up to what amount is allowed (The insurance representative may ask for the following in order to tell you if your plan covers it: The procedure code, also known as the CPT code, is 90834 for individual therapy, and 90847 for family therapy. The provider's fee: $200. The provider's licensure: LCSW. The provider's National Provider ID (NPI): 172-010-3807. The Place of Service code: 11. The zip code: 10010.)
  8. Does my plan require pre-authorization?  (If yes, you should request authorization at this time. If needed, my National Provider ID (NPI) number is 172-010-3807.  The procedure or CPT code for a 45-minute individual psychotherapy session is 90834.)
  9. Does my plan require periodic re-authorization?  (If yes, you should ask how many visits the initial authorization covers so that you will know when to request re-authorization for additional visits.)
  10. Where do I need to send claims for reimbursement?

OFFICE HOURS AND LOCATIONS

Office hours are by appointment only. My office address is 1133 Broadway (at the southwest corner of 26th Street in Manhattan).  It is conveniently located in the Flatiron area of Manhattan, adjacent to Chelsea, Gramercy, and Midtown. The closest subway stop is the R/W at 28th Street and Broadway, followed by the 6 train at 28th Street and Park Avenue; the 1 train at 28th Street and 7th Avenue; and the M, F and Path trains at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue.  

Kaerensa Craft LCSW, CASAC

Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis

ABOUT ME

Throughout life, I have been interested in personality development and how we come to think and feel about ourselves and others in our lives.  With these issues in mind, I have steadily moved along a trajectory that has included interest in people and relationships.
In 1995, I graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, focusing on social and demographic studies.  While there, I had the opportunity to participate in research projects examining conditions of a homeless community in Los Angeles.  Talking with people and hearing about their lives came very easily to me and became emotionally compelling.
In 1999, I completed a Master of Science in Social Work at Columbia University, concentrating in social policy affecting families and children while providing support services to families in the foster care system.  Over the next few years, I continued to work with people affected by social systems, particularly legal systems addressing issues of domestic abuse.  During this time, I had the unique experience of providing educational, mental health, and support services to both victims and perpetrators of relationship abuse, and gained a multi-faceted perspective about the dynamics of relationships, both healthy and unhealthy.  Since that time, I have continued to provide consultation services around working with victims and perpetrators of relationship abuse to various preventive services agencies and treatment programs around NYC.
In 2002, I began working with individuals struggling with alcohol and chemical dependency problems at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, where I gained considerable clinical training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) with an excellent team of social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. In 2008, I completed the requirements for Certification in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling (CASAC).  Since 2009, I have worked on various research studies investigating psychotherapy interventions for alcohol use disorders.
In an effort to gain complementary perspectives and training, I pursued and completed a 2-year training program in 2005 in psychodynamic psychotherapy of adults at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education at NYU School of Medicine.  In the fall of 2011, I began studying at the Stephen Mitchell Center for Relational Studies, where I am presently engaged in continuing education.

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