215-464-8038 • 866-538-9048 (fax)

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Staff (Click here for more detailed information)

Verree Psychology Group consists of two psychologists, Dr. Linda Dubrow-Marshall and Dr. Steve K. D. Eichel, licensed clinical social worker Roberta Cobrin Eisenberg, and licensed marriage and family therapist Richard Chaney. [Note: Dr. Dubrow-Marshall is currently in the United Kingdom and is not available for new referrals.] We are a general psychology practice, working with a broad range of individuals, families, and groups, and dealing with a wide assortment of problems and concerns. Our goal is to provide you with competent psychological services in a warm, personal setting that is respectful of your privacy and independence. We strive to make appointments quickly, and at times that are as convenient as possible.

The independent practitioners associated with Verree Psychology Group do not attempt to compete with the low therapy fees charged by large mental health agencies and HMO providers. To be able to charge these low fees, many of these agencies and practices employ staff who are unlicensed or lack extensive training and experience. Verree Psychology Group does not employ students, interns, paraprofessionals, or inexperienced staff who may be "here today and gone tomorrow." When you call us, a licensed psychotherapist (not a secretary) will return your call.

Location (Click here for more detailed information)

Verree Psychology Group is conveniently located in the Far Northeast (Bustleton) section of Philadelphia, on the east side of Verree Road just north of Welsh Road and south of Red Lion Road. We are near several major roads and highways, including Rt. 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard), I-95, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Our location places us within an easy drive of eastern Montgomery and lower Bucks counties, and southern New Jersey, as well as the city of Philadelphia itself. We are also accessible by public transportation. There are a considerable number of shopping centers and entertainment complexes (including Grant Plaza and Franklin Mills), restaurants, and other recreational activities within a 15-minute drive of our office.

Drs. Dubrow-Marshall and Eichel and Roberta Eisenberg have trained with Dr. Mark Schwartz and Lori Galperin (of the Masters & Johnson Sexual Trauma Program), and with Dr. Patrick Carnes. Drs. Dubrow-Marshall and Eichel are Clinical Associates of the Sexual Disorders Unit of Del Amo Hospital, Torrance, CA, and of the Meadows Institute.

Appointments, Contracts, and Health Insurance

Initial appointments can be made by phone. Dr. Dubrow-Marshall is currently unavailable for new referrals, and Dr. Eichel is presently dividing his time between his Philadelphia and Delaware offices. He is typically available two days and evenings per week. Weekend hours are not generally available, but can sometimes be scheduled on a temporary emergency basis. Please note that when we make an appointment, we are reserving that time for you and you only. We never "over-book" appointments and, with the exception of the rare emergency that may make one of us late, you will not spend time in our waiting room "waiting for the doctor to be available." Consequently, please arrive on time for your appointments, and we ask that you give us at least 48 hours notice before canceling an appointment. Appointments canceled with less than 48 hours notice are subject to a charge.

Contracting for Psychological Services. When you make an initial appointment with a Verree Psychology Group therapist, you are agreeing to an evaluation period that usually lasts one to three session(s). Research on successful therapy outcome has clearly demonstrated that positive changes are the result of a good "client-therapist match." It is extremely important that you feel comfortable with your therapist. During this evaluation period, you will be assessing your therapist as he/she assesses you. If everyone feels there is a good "match" then a therapy contract will be proposed. The therapy contract is usually a spoken agreement, although it can on occasion be a written one. The following areas are typically covered by the therapy contract:

Fees. Our fees are consistent with the usual and customary rate for experienced Doctoral-level psychiatric/mental health services in the Philadelphia area. We do, on limited occasions, accept reduced fee clients whom we judge to be especially motivated to work in therapy. For limited periods of time, we may also lower fees for clients who are temporarily unemployed or underemployed.

Initially, fees are collected following each session or appointment. After establishing a therapy contract, the client may elect to pay on a monthly basis. Verree Psychology Group provides computerized monthly bills and/or receipts that contain the information necessary for traditional Major Medical health insurance reimbursement.

Health Insurance/Managed Care. If you have a traditional Major Medical health insurance policy that covers outpatient psychiatric or mental health services, you may be eligible to file for partial reimbursement of your fees. The typical Major Medical plan reimburses 50% of our fee after an initial deductible. There are usually both yearly and lifetime maximums that these policies will pay out. Please check with a representative of your health insurance plan for more specific information. Please note that some insurance plans will only reveal policy information to subscribers, not providers.

Our fees are collected in full after each session or at the end of each month (see "Fees" above). We will supply you on a monthly basis with a bill or receipt that is suitable for filing an insurance claim. Typically, you will be responsible for filing these claims, and you will keep any portion of the fee that your insurance reimburses. We will bill insurance companies that allow direct payment to psychologists.

Verree Psychology Group staff are not HMO or managed care organization (MCO) providers; we have made the conscious decision to not become involved with these plans which we believe are ultimately destructive to the mental health system because they employ a cookie-cutter "one size fits all" approach and do not always safeguard clients' privacy. Dr. Eichel is a Blue Shield provider and as such he does participate in one and only one managed care plan, the Federal Employees Plan associated with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The majority of our clients pay for our services out of pocket. Sometimes our clients are able to wrestle out of network reimbursement from their HMOs and MCOs based on the fact that we have specialized training and expertise that many in-network providers do not have. If you wish to attempt this approach, we will provide you with the necessary information to do so. However, we do have a policy regarding paperwork, which is to charge our usual fee (prorated for time) whenever the amount of time we spend on the phone with insurance "treatment coordinators" or doing insurance forms exceeds 15 minutes. Our goal is to have as much time available to see clients and do the "real" work of psychology and psychotherapy, not spend endless hours doing paperwork that is ultimately irrelevant to your goals and progress.

We recognize that it is difficult to pay for our services out of pocket, and we do our best to work with our clients in this regard. We will reduce fees in certain situations, but we can not compete nor do we wish to compete with HMO and managed care plans that only charge a $10 or $20 copay. If you have HMO or managed care insurance and it is a major hardship to pay out of pocket, our general recommendation is that you initially utilize the mental health professionals in your plan. There are many good and even excellent providers who accept these insurance plans. Still, before you decide to utilize managed care organization (MCO) or HMO benefits, we strongly advise you to read the linked page (click here) on the potential risks involved when obtaining mental health services from your MCO or HMO.

Services Provided

• Individual psychotherapy: short-term and long-term, insight-oriented, strategic, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• Child, marital & family therapy: including parenting issues, individual play therapy for children.
• Therapy for anxiety and phobias: unrealistic fears, including panic disorders (e.g., agoraphobia) and simple phobias.
• Substance abuse and addictions counseling: alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex and love dependencies, debting, co-dependency, and children of alcoholics (CoA).
• Psychological testing: full-range testing, including intelligence and personality assessment, for children, adolescents and adults.
• Therapy for special populations: including survivors of childhood sexual abuse, battered women and battering spouses (domestic violence), alternative lifestyles.
• Custody evaluations & custody mediation: we have been certified as expert witnesses in Federal courts, and in several states, including N.J. and Pennsylvania. We offer custody evaluations and mediation services for parents who are interested in pursuing nonadversarial agreements that can greatly reduce legal fees and emotional pain.
• Hypnosis: safe & effective for stress reduction, habit control, trauma resolution, personal growth. Drs. Dubrow-Marshall and Eichel are both certified at the highest level (as Approved Consultants) in clinical hypnosis by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
• Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing: EMDR for anxiety, phobias, and trauma resolution. Drs. Dubrow-Marshall and Eichel are both certified in EMDR/Reprocessing Therapy by the EMDR International Association.
• Group therapy: from time to time, we offer problem-focused groups for recovering former cultists, addicts, motherless women, and others. Dr. Eichel and Roberta Eisenberg are both Certified Group Psychotherapists by the National Registry of Certified Group Therapists, an affiliate of the American Group Psychotherapy Association.
• Re-entry therapy and ancillary services: for victims of destructive cults, satanism, and other forms of coercive or undue influence. We are acknowledged experts in this field. Please see our RETIRN brochure for additional information.

Professional Affiliations

Verree Psychology Group staff belong to the following professional organizations, and subscribe to their relevant ethical codes and continuing education/training requirements (not all staff belong to all the associations listed below):

• American Psychological Association
• Pennsylvania Psychological Association
• National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
• Anxiety Disorders Association of America
• American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
• EMDR International Association
• American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
• Academy of Counseling Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology
• National Board for Certified Counselors
• National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity
• National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists
• American Group Psychotherapy Association