Insurance will typically approve up to one hour per day, per client. Couples’ sessions typically last for 90 minutes. Couples are scheduled for two time slots, concurrently. The sessions are billed as individual sessions and two completely different notes are written from each partner’s point of reference. Both notes state that the other person was present in the session to provide support. The insurance companies are aware of the way sessions are billed and have approved our process. One partner will billed for the first 45-60 minutes and the second partner will be billed for the last 30-45 minutes. If the session only lasts for 60 minutes, only one partner will be billed for the session.
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Arise
- Behavior Solutions
- Children’s Community HP
- Cigna
- Common Ground
- Forward Health
- Health EOS
- Health Net
- Humana
- I-Care
- Medicare / Medicaid (Dr. Gerald Bannasch only)
- Molina
- MHN
- MutilPlan
- Network Health Plan
- Network Health Plan Prevea
- OptumHealth
- PacifiCare Behavioral Health
- PHCS/Savility
- Tricare/Health Net Federal Services
- Trilogy
- United HealthCare
- UMR
- WEA Trust
Yes
Tricare insurance does require a referral from within the VA system for clients to be seen at GJB Health Services. Obtaining this referral has often been denied by VA providers. If the request is denied, clients can try a different VA provider to see if the decision changes. If the referral request is still denied, there is nothing that GJB Health Services can do to get the VA to cover the cost for sessions.
For our practice, Dr. Bannasch is the only provider that needs a Primary Care Physician or current Psychiatrist referral.
We contact clients’ insurance companies to obtain co-payment and deductible information; however, clients should also check with their companies to verify coverage. Information obtained from insurance companies is never a guarantee of payment. We file claims as a c0urtesy for our clients, however, the client is responsible for payment if insurance refuses payment.
If clients are covered by Veterans Benefits through the VA, the following procedure must be followed:
- The client must obtain a referral from their provider within the VA system to be seen at GJB Health Services. If the VA refuses to make the referral, there is nothing that we can do on our end.
- We will receive a form from the VA with a request to schedule an appointment
- We fill out the form and schedule the appointment
- The form is then faxed to the VA and a certain number of sessions are preauthorized
- When those sessions are completed, we will request more sessions if needed
Our providers have full case loads and may or may not be able to open up a slot for new clients within a few weeks. A factor to consider is the flexibility each client has for appointments. Providers have very limited evening schedules. Jillian does no evenings after 5:30 and Gloria’s last appointment time ends at 6:30; Gloria does not see clients before 10:00, whereas Jillian has earlier morning appointment slots; we are currently unable to offer weekend appointments.
No
Alcohol and drug assessment is the only formal assessment that we offer, though we do have shorter screening scales for depression, anxiety, and the like. We no longer provide psychological testing or assessent.
Jillian has some availability for older children and teens. Gloria does not work with children or teens, but does work with their parents.
We do not offer anger management classes, but do work with individual clients who struggle with emotional regulation.
Working with couples (married, dating, cohabitating or same sex) is an area of expertise and passion for the GJB Health Services Counseling providers. Gloria Bannasch is Wisconsin’s first Certified Gottman Therapist. Jillian is also Gottman Level 2 trained. Both Gloria and Jillian have had training in Emotionally Focused Couples’ Therapy.
Doctors John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman founded the Gottman Institute in 1966. The Gottman Institute has two major functions: helping couples directly and providing state-of-the-art training to mental health professionals and other health care providers.
The Gottman Institute applies leading-edge research on relationships, continues to work with couples in their Love Lab, and trains therapists committed to helping couples. No other approach to couple’s education and therapy has relied on such intensive, detailed, and long-term scientific study of why marriages succeed or fail.
The Gottman research team studied 677 couples and followed them for up to 18 years. The team also studied hundreds of couples who spent a 24-hour period in a special apartment where from 9a.m. to 9p.m. all their interactions and actions were recorded. Teams of coders then viewed the footage; taking notes and coding every single interaction that occurred.
Spirituality can be an asset in dealing with many issues with which people struggle. There are no biases at GJB Health Services about the type of spiritual beliefs any client may have. Whether clients identify as Christian, Jewish, Pagan, Buddhist, Muslim, Mormon, Agnostic, Atheist and/or any other type of spiritual practice (or lack thereof), it makes no difference here.
Clients are asked about religious or spiritual practices during their initial evaluations, or soon afterward. The reason this information is asked is because support systems are of vital importance and people who have a spiritual practice of any type can often tap into a strength that is seemingly greater than their own. If a client is uncomfortable sharing this information, they are entitled to decline answering questions about spiritually and religion.
Yes we can.
If there is a pattern of problems which are related to alcohol or other drugs, there is usually cause for concern. If a person cannot predict, with any degree of accuracy:
When they will drink
When they will not drink
How much they will consume once they start drinking
And what is going to happen to them, once they start drinking
Then the drinking may be out of control. If drinking is out of control, then, there is often alcoholism present. The same goes for any other “recreational” drugs, gambling, over-spending, excessive internet usage or food struggles; loss of control is an indicator of addiction, powerlessness and unmanageability.
If a person is “trying to control” their drinking, then the drinking is out of control. Saying to others, or to oneself, that alcohol consumption will be decreased, or only consumed under certain conditions, is a sign that drinking is controlling the person and the person has lost control of the alcohol. The battle is over, and alcohol has won.
After all, when was the last time anyone said to themselves, “Oh my goodness, I’ve just got to cut back on the amount of green beans that I’m eating”? There have not been any clients who have come in for help in reducing the amount of green beans that they are consuming (yet).
With intervention, it’s possible to “raise the bottom” to meet the alcoholic/addict where they are in their current assessment of how big of a problem that alcohol (or other drugs) really are.
Intervention can, and does, occur in different ways and not just as a “formal intervention”. Many clients have come to realize the extent and degree of their difficulties with regular sessions and family support. They have been able to interrupt the system that has allowed them to stay “sick” and begin a program of recovery. Intervention saves lives.
Practically speaking, alcoholics/addicts seldom want to stop using their drugs of choice; they just want the problems and pain to go away. Recovery rates are the same whether a person enters treatment for addiction via a court-order, a formal intervention, or “voluntarily”.
Almost everyone who begins therapy is ambivalent about changing their behavior. People seek counseling when a problem or issue is not getting better. They are “handling” the situation the way they have always handled similar situations, but it’s stopped working.
For many people, this is their first experience with counseling; they are fearful and don’t know what to expect. For other clients who have had counseling in the past, there may have been negative experiences. Most people wouldn’t be here at all if they knew of anything else that would work to solve the problem.
It’s like going to the dentist: nobody is looking forward to going to see a dentist, but pain will go away or decrease if we go. Sometimes pain can be avoided if we go regularly. So, almost everyone goes to the dentist, but nobody is happy about going, but we are all happy that we went.
Terminating therapy is an individual matter. Essentially, therapy reaches an end when clients have overcome or resolved their original concerns. Practically speaking, none of us will ever be “done” learning, bettering ourselves, learning self-love, becoming more mindful, becoming less judgmental, becoming more accepting, learning to be a more loving parent, partner or friend. None of us will never be completely “grown-up” or fully mature (thank goodness).
There will be a time when the part of the journey that we have been honored to take with each client, will be over. Sometimes clients know the journey has ended and tell us; sometimes we may know. Sometimes everyone knows at the same time (which happens with high frequency).
- A couple learns to accept, forgive, and appreciate each other as well as learning to fight fairly and effectively. Or they decide to separate or divorce and have learned how to co-parent effectively.
- A client stops using alcohol or other drugs, begins a 12-Step Group and finds a sponsor, and doesn’t have complications that will interfere with the first year of living clean and/or sober.
- A client receives guidance with a career, and values are reassessed, strengths and aptitudes for changes are explored; decisions are made, and a plan is launched.
- A client is seeking help for depression and he/she learns to implement better self-care, exercises, sleeps and eats well and no longer feels overwhelmed.
