Meet Our Director of Referral

This is Lois Wedin, LCSW, our Director of Referral.

She has had many years’ experience counseling people who are thinking about entering therapy.

She will get to know you and then will select a therapist for you.

Questions she is frequently asked:

What happens at the referral interview?
The referral interview is a conversation: about you. You’ll have a chance to tell me what brought you to the point of seeking therapy and what your problems or issues seem to be. We won’t get into the kind of detailed discussion that you and your therapist will have. My aim is to learn just enough about you to guide me in working out a plan with you and in making a referral that suits you well. If you’ve been in therapy before you may have some helpful information for me regarding what was or wasn’t useful to you in the past. If you’ve never been in therapy before you may have some basic questions about what it will be like, and I’m there to answer them. Most people find the referral interview to be a comfortable experience that gives them a good feeling about starting their therapy.
How long do I have to wait to get a referral interview?
We make every effort to offer you an appointment within two weeks.
How long after the referral interview will I meet my therapist?
I almost always can make a referral for you within a week of our meeting.
What if I only want to have a male therapist? What if I only want to have a female therapist?
That’s fine. Your own judgment about that is a good guide.
I have a really busy schedule. Can you accommodate that?
Since we have a very large group of therapists, we have all kinds of times available:
mornings, afternoons, evenings, late evening, Saturday, Sunday.
What if your Greenwich Village office is inconvenient for me?
No problem. Our therapists also work in private offices all over Manhattan. We also have therapists in the other boroughs and on Long Island, in Westchester and Rockland Counties, in New Jersey and Connecticut.
What if I don’t feel comfortable with my therapist?
This can happen. I’d urge you to discuss your discomfort with your therapist. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get on track with each other. But if you should decide that this therapist simply is not for you, call me, we’ll talk about it, and I can refer you to a different therapist.
How do you decide what my therapy fee will be?
We use a fee scale that’s based on your income, the number of people being supported by that income, and any unusual expenses you have. I’m told by many people who use our services that they find our fees to be fair and manageable.
What if I need psychiatric medication?
Our primary services are psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. But if you need medication as well, we have a group of consulting psychiatrists who work with us and to whom your therapist can refer you.
What if I’m still not sure that I need or want therapy?
Many people come to a referral interview feeling that way. I encourage you to come in. We’ll use our time together to discuss your mixed feelings, and hopefully you’ll gain clarity about what you want to do. If you decide against starting therapy right now, you can always call me at any future time if you decide that you want to go ahead.
I still have more questions.
If you have additional questions we can discuss those at our referral interview. But if it’s important to you to know the answers now, please feel free to email us or call our office and leave a message asking me to call you back. Or if you’re ready, set up an appointment for us to meet in person.
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