While not essential for the treatment success of most anxiety disorders, groups can be an important adjunct, or even replacement, for individual therapy. Because Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is psycho-educational in nature, the therapist often functions as a caring teacher for the client. CBT treatment groups are therefore run almost like small, informal classes, with weekly assignments, homework review, and structured agendas. The advantages of group treatment include more time in therapy (group sessions usually run twice as long as individual ones) at a fraction of the cost, as well as multiple sources of support and feedback, and the experience of learning from others' struggles and progress.

Social Phobia (some prefer Social Anxiety Disorder) is estimated to be the third most common psychological difficulty, after depression and alcoholism. Exposure treatment is particularly difficult for Social Phobics, as very often the feared stimulus is chance encounters with strangers or acquaintances- situations which are difficult to control, manipulate, or prolong. Constructing exposures for individual treatment is possible, but ultimately group treatment for this disorder should be considered.

After training in the skills of CBT, the members of this group practice "simulated exposures" wherein they play out real life roles that they find anxiety provoking in the relative safety of the group. As scary as it might sound, most groups unanimously agree to allow videotaping, which is then used in the group for members to view and receive feedback about their performance.

These groups, which tend to be smaller than other CBT treatment groups, are based on the protocol developed by Dr. Richard Heimberg, now Director of the Social Phobia Program at Temple University.

If you have any questions please contact Dr.Weg by phone or email.

 Group Schedules-2009.

The last Social Phobia group ended in March 2009.  We are presently collecting names for our next group.

We also continue to collect names for our treatment groups for OCD, Panic Disorder, Phobias, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

If you are interested in joining any of the groups, please call us directly at 732-390-6694 x1 for Dr. Allen Weg, or you can email AWeg@StressAndAnxiety.com (PUT "SAS GROUPS" IN THE SUBJECT LINE and  leave the following information):

Name

Gender

Address

Telephone numbers (including cell if you have one)

Email address

Date of birth

Name of group that you are interested in joining (Panic, OCD, or Social Phobia)

You will then be placed on one of the group lists.  When enough people sign up for any of the groups to make it workable, the group will begin, and you will be contacted.

PANIC AND AGORAPHOBIA

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

SOCIAL PHOBIA

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

These groups are designed as 10-12 session groups that will meet weekly on the same evening for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Group Fees- 2009

For a general review of group fees and charges, scroll below to "Group Charges and Fees," and also see the "Additional Information" section below it.

Initial Interview Fee: If you are not presently a client of SAS of NJ, an initial interview to determine your suitability for the group will be conducted.  This complete initial evaluation is scheduled before, and independently of the above group meeting times, and the fee is $270, due at the time of the evaluation, if done by Dr. Weg.  Fees are lower if one of the other therapists conduct this interview..

Group Meeting Fees: The total cost for any of these programs is $1200-, assuming a 12 week program.  This is due in two installments.  The first payment of $700 is due two weeks before the initial group meeting.  The remaining $500 is due on the fourth session.  If the entire amount is paid at the first installment, there is s 10% discount, and $1080 is due.  ONCE PAID, THESE FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE, REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY SESSIONS WERE ACTUALLY ATTENDED.  This is because your payment insures that a spot is reserved for you in the group, which might result in our not accepting someone else who is interested in the group, but for whom we have no room.  Again, there is no reimbursement if you do not show for any particular session for whatever reason.  If there is a group cancelation due to inclement weather, that session will be rescheduled to the satisfaction of the majority of the group members.

Material Fees:  Accompanying manuals will be used for these programs, and tend to run $15- $40.

Why Groups?
There are two main reasons why you should consider group treatment as a means for dealing with your anxiety problem.

1.    Group Support and Learning.  Nothing can make you feel less isolated in your struggle with anxiety than being together with a small group of people who have the same problem.  No professional can give you exactly what it is that you can get from other people who really know what you are going through from their own personal, subjective experience.  Through sharing and learning together, you demystify the disorder,  de-stigmatize yourself, and break through the isolation, secrecy, and shame which so often accompanies these problems. Furthermore, by observing others struggling with their own manifestations of your shared disorder, you will find yourself gaining a greater perspective on your own problem, as well as greater respect for others and yourself for having the courage to face your difficulties in your attempts to overcome them.

2.    Cost Effectiveness.  The groups described below allow you to spend nearly twice the amount of time in therapy for less than 2/3 the cost of what you would pay for individual treatment.  This opens up treatment opportunities for those who might find the cost of individual treatment prohibitive.  Specifics of program costs are described in more detail below.

Group Format and Organization.
For the specifics of how the structure of the different groups is organized, please go to the Group Therapy link of this website.

Confidentiality
For information on confidentiality in group treatment, please refer to the Group Therapy link on this website.

Group Entry.
Entry into a group follows an individual initial interview.  The purpose of  this interview is to screen out those persons who might not be a good match for the group, as well as allowing time for you to ask your own questions to see if this is a group that you would in fact want to join.  Some conditions which would disqualify a person from being in the group would include severe depression, drug abuse, or active psychotic symptoms.

There is a fee for this initial interview (see below) which will be charged regardless of whether or not you are accepted into the group or whether or not you decide to join the group.  If either of these is the case, you will still get evaluative feedback, specific support resources, and/or referral for treatment if you desire it.

Group Charges and Fees.
It is sometimes difficult or embarrassing for people to discuss payments and fees for mental health services.  The goal here is to try to inform you about charges and all relevant details of payment, so that you can make an informed decision about using our services, and so that misunderstandings of any kind are minimized.  Most people find that an upfront and frank discussion of charges, fees, and related information helps them to feel more comfortable about the whole "business" end of using mental health services.  We hope this section does the same for you.

Group  therapy allows for lower fees. However, in order to keep fees as low as possible, we are trying to streamline the paperwork involved in processing the larger number individuals serviced over a given period of time. It is also very important that fees be paid by their due dates, so that commitment to group attendance is established.  All groups require a minimum number of people in order to work well, and so it essential that we know who and how many persons are committed to a attending a group.  For this reason, payment guidelines need to be strictly enforced.  We believe that the organization of reimbursement described below is the best way to ensure that a group that is set up to run will run on time, and to its completion.

Group Charges.
Group charges are based not on each group session, but on the complete program.  Much like a class that one would take in school, you are charged for the entire program, whether or not you attend all group sessions.

We accept cash or checks, which should be made out to "SAS of NJ."  WE DO NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS FOR PAYMENT AT THIS TIME.

Fees and Discounts.
Early Payment Discount.  If the full fee is paid at the time of the first installment  there is a 10% discount.

Late Payments.  If the initial payment is not made by the due date, you may be denied entrance into the group, even if you were admitted into the group after the initial interview.  If this occurs, you will not be reimbursed your initial interview fee.

If the second payment is not made by the fourth session as outlined above, a late fee of $20 will be added to your outstanding balance, and will be due with the outstanding balance by the fifth session.  If all charges and late fees charged are not paid in full by the fifth session, you may be denied further access to the group.  Any payments that were made up to that point will not be refunded.

Initial Interview Fee.  A $270 initial interview fee will be due at the time of the interview, though it may be significantly less if not conducted by Dr. Weg.  This is a fee over and above the charges for attendance in the group.  The interview lasts between 50 minutes and one hour, and is essentially a complete evaluation of the prospective group members' psychological functioning, as well as an opportunity for you to learn more about the specifics of the group that you are interested in attending. . Persons who are presently or who have recently been seen in therapy at SAS of NJ may not require this interview. 

Group Materials.  Reading and/or writing "homework" is a regular part of cognitive behavioral treatment.  You can expect that at most sessions you will receive some literature to read or forms to fill out for the next session.  The cost for these materials is included in your group fees, and there are no extra charges for these.  For the Social Phobia, Panic, and OCD groups there may be a formal manual that you can purchase either through SAS of NJ or directly from the publisher.  These range from $15-$40, depending on the program.  On occasion recommendations may be made for additional readings at your own discretion, which you will be responsible to get and pay for on your own.  If you decide not to purchase these readings on your own, however,  your benefits from the group treatment will in no way be compromised.

Additional Information.
Attendance/Missed Sessions.  Because these groups are run as psycho-educational cognitive behavioral programs, each session builds on the next.  Missing sessions, especially more than one, may seriously compromise the potential benefits of being in these programs.  Having said that, things in life happen, and if you do end up missing a session, materials that were handed out at that session will be made available to you prior to the next session if you request them, or you can just pick them up at the next session.  Again, no charges will be reimbursed for missed sessions.

Insurance.  We do not plan on taking insurance reimbursement for these programs, but expect payment directly from you, the consumer.  Please note that we are not participants in any insurance plans.  You may request a receipt that you can then submit to your insurance company for reimbursement (even though we are  "out-of-panel providers" you may still receive substantial reimbursement from your insurance company).  These bills will reflect the service of group therapy for the times that you attended the program- each date on the bill will indicate an amount equal to one tenth the total cost of the program   You will not be given any bills which cover dates which have not yet occurred.   For tax purposes, you may request a bill for a session which you missed, but these bills will indicate that services were not provided to you on that date, and you will most likely not get reimbursed by your insurance company for it.  A bill will also be provided for your initial interview payment  if you request it.

If your insurance company requires pre authorization in order for you to qualify for treatment, you are responsible for finding this out, and for having the paperwork required sent to us.  We will provide the information requested to authorize treatment, but again, in an effort to keep our costs down and consequently  the group fees low, we can not be  responsible to make sure that you have been approved for treatment and that all the appropriate paperwork has been provided to us.  If you have any questions or problems with your insurance company, the office manager will be available to help , however, ultimately, you are responsible to keep track of authorization requirements to insurance companies and for the payment of services to SAS of NJ.
 

Closing.
In closing this section, we again want to emphasize that we hope this has served to clarify expectations and that it has answered many questions that you might have had about how the financial end of our groups work.  We have tried to balance the need for dealing with the business end of providing services to you while maintaining our integrity as supportive and caring professionals who are committed to helping you be successful in your battle against your anxiety difficulties.  Let us know what you think!

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email: SAS@StressAndAnxiety.com