FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

No, not currently.  I offers specialized services only. This means I provide recommendations to your primary healthcare provider or prescriber (such as a primary care doctor, primary psychiatrist, team doctor, or ARNP). As a consultant, I may see you for 1-3 visits initially (and again periodically if indicated) to gather your mental/medical history, discuss details of your care, and help you and your primary doctor(s) determine next steps in your overall care. While I may make specific suggestions for medications or therapy strategies, the decision about whether to implement those recommendations will be left to you and your primary doctor/therapist. I will remain available to you and your primary doctor going forward to help answer additional questions or troubleshoot issues.

For individuals interested in HRV biofeedback training, we will meet for 6-10 sessions over a month or two. During these sessions, I provide education about the nervous system, training in the various biofeedback techniques, and help you incorporate biofeedback into daily life or high performance settings. These services are different from regular outpatient mental health visits as we will not be focusing on medication management, but rather, time-limited skill development. 

Before you begin HRV biofeedback training, I will asses your overall physical and mental health to ensure that it is a suitable addition to your overall care routine. If I believe that medication or additional medical or psychiatric care may benefit you, I will discuss this with you and your current physician, team physician, or psychiatrist.

Yes, I work directly with athletes and high performers experiencing the effects of stress related to their sport or life outside of sports. I offer either consultation psychiatric services (providing treatment recommendations to your team doctor or primary care physician as described above) OR one-on-one Biofeedback training for performance optimization and stress management (delivered over 6-10 sessions).

HRV biofeedback has been used by professional and elite performers to improve performance, strengthen stress management habits, improve sleep, and enhance physical and psychological recovery in high pressure environments. HRV biofeedback training can be used as an "add-on treatment" to ones already in place or when recommended by your healthcare team.

If an athlete finds talk therapy challenging or unhelpful they may consider trying HRV biofeedback as a alternative intervention that targets stress-reduction and promotes mental and physical wellness. 

Additionally, if you or your organization are looking for sports mental health resources, I write about sports mental health at SportPsychMD.org, which offers athletes, parents, coaches, and sports organizations science-informed perspectives and materials related to sports mental health.

Bainbridge Mental Health, PLLC, is not currently contracted with any commercial health insurers. Depending on your coverage plan, we will determine if you are eligible to receive "out-of-network" services and/or reimbursement for visits at Bainbridge Mental Health. 

If it is determined that BMH services are allowed as "out of network" services on your plan, I will provide you with an invoice/receipt  called a "superbill" that can be submitted directly to your insurer after receiving care at BMH. The exact rate of reimbursement will be determined by your plan.

Full payment is due at the time of service and I will send you detailed information about costs prior to your first visit.

If pricing flexibility would benefit you, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Yes, I require that individuals have a current medical practitioner overseeing their general medical care and/or psychiatric care, someone who regularly monitors and treats a clients overall health and is available to address emergencies after hours. I operate as a consultant and work alongside your primary physician, therapist, or regular psychiatrist to enhance care. As part of our work, I keep your primary medical team apprised of services rendered at BMH. 

Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training takes place over 6-10 sessions during which I teach you about the nervous system and how it functions in response to your environment and stressors. You will learn about the "window of tolerance" to stress and identify your typical patterns of response to stress. We will explore how these patterns may influence your overall health and wellbeing. 

You will then learn to use a biofeedback device (a small sensor worn on the earlobe or placed on the finger) that monitors heart rate and breathing over time. The device will give you real-time information about the state of your nervous system while you learn specific breathing and "thought" techniques that help regulate your response to stress. You will be able to see (using software on a computer or smart device) the changes occurring within your physiology in response to the skills you are practicing. For many people, getting this feedback from the body helps translate self-regulation skills into everyday life. 

With regular practice, my goal is to help you develop increased awareness, self-regulation capacity, and resilience in the face of stress. We will monitor specific things about your health (sleep duration and quality, mood and energy levels, for example) to track the effects of biofeedback. After your training sessions have ended, you may practice the techniques on your own using the biofeedback sensor and app.  

Some clients may wish to return for periodic "booster" sessions to reestablish a routine or troubleshoot a specific technique or skill application. My goal is to help clients feel confident and independent in their individual practice after 6-10 sessions.