Success Stories

Occasionally, former clients will contact me with news of how they are doing and what they gained from the counseling process, book that I have written or co-authored, or talks that I have given in the community. The following comments have been shared with permission and identifying details changed:

"Every now and then your name comes up in conversation so I want to say hello and thank you! I know the point of therapy is getting people to embrace new ways of thinking and problem solving.  I just wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate the lasting benefit of the work we did together!

As you promised, it has benefitted me in other relationships and in ways I could not have imagined. I honestly don't think a day goes by that I don't use some aspect of the things you taught me. I am doing really well as I negotiate daily hurdles, yet I have been able to stay calm, focused and non-reactive." — mom of three teenagers

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"I'm a fan of Ms. Oberlin's works, so I bought a copy of the book Overcoming Passive-Aggression when I was having trouble with certain relationships. I couldn't understand why some people were acting a certain way, why no one else "saw" their behaviors as a problem, but I knew that their actions felt like an offense. This book validated my feelings and showed me how to deal with the underlying problem, not the action that came from it. A solid book for untangling the emotional mess when you're getting mixed signals." — reader of Overcoming Passive-Aggression in Charleston, South Carolina

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"In both individual and group sessions, Loriann has provided a confidential, positive and emotionally safe atmosphere to share relationship and parenting difficulties. She's extremely competent and knowledgeable helping me to regain strategies to get back on track after some very trying and tragic events in my life. That she works with all ages has been an added plus as I've given her name to friends struggling with stress in their own lives." — former client

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"Last week my husband came home and out of the blue announced he was leaving me. I was shocked, devistated, angry, hurt...you name it...I read Surviving Separation & Divorce in two days and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm in for a rough time ahead but know that in the long run my life will be so much happier. I recommend this book to anyone facing the pain of separation or divorce." — woman given Surviving Separation & DIvorce as a gift during a personal crisis

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Fees & Policies

Thank you for looking into my practice as you consider counseling, group treatment, mediation or parenting coordination. I hope that this website provides what you need to make your informed choices.

The Q & A section addresses insurance plans and other matters. Mediation and parent coordination are not services covered by any insurance just as out-of-session contacts/time rendered, court-related and some other matters. Certain groups are designed for educational support and enrichment — insurance will not apply to these.

So that you have a better understanding of policies in detail, I always send paperwork via attached files. This enables you to thoughtfully review and fill out necessary forms, bringing them to your first session. Handling paperwork this way gets us talking much quicker, thus on the path to understanding and solving your problems.

Clients using insurance will need to collaboratively obtain information regarding their plan, any deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance amounts or limitations. Clients also must obtain initial authorization for sessions, but please allow me to guide you on what to ask for when we communicate by phone or email.

My usual and customary rates are as follows:

$180/hr. mediation and parenting coordination

$135 counseling intake appointment (50 minutes)

$120 ongoing counseling sessions (45 minutes)

$60 ongoing group therapy and $45 for special theme groups not applicable to insurance

$25/hr. administrative time (e.g., invoicing past-due amounts, reguests regarding inactive cases, etc.)

$5 for therapy handout packet you may deem useful during your counseling

Missed sessions, without adequate notice, will be billed at these usual and customary rates. See "Cancellation Policy" in the Q&A below as it is a 48-hr policy.

I do not bill for very brief phone calls or emails, especially regarding scheduling. Very brief can best be described as 3-4 minutes or less, or an email matter requiring a few sentences to reply.

If you are sharing information about your case that is better dealt with in session (e.g., a list of concerns or recent behavior, a status update that is not a clinical emergency, concerns about how to handle a situation or discipline matter, or questions regarding your progress or exit from sessions), I will charge my customary rates (shown above) prorated in 10 minute increments. These types of exhanges really need to happen face-to-face.

Payment is due at time service is rendered, except with some out-of-session matters. I prefer check or cash payments. I do not accept credit cards or flex spending cards for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles due to the fees associated with their use. Your informed consent to all matters pertaining to my services, fees and policies means the utmost to me. After you have reviewed the information on this website as well as paperwork sent to you, we can discuss any questions you have at greater length, during your initial appointment.

Questions & Answers

Which insurance plans does your practice accept?

Adventist/InforMed • Aetna • BC/BS PPO • CIGNA • United Healthcare • several employee assistance plans

If your plan is not among these listed, you may be able to use your out-of-network benefits for counseling services and therapy groups. Since I will not participate in the Carefirst BC/BS HMO/POS plan much longer, I am not accepting new clients with this plan who must use an in-network provider.

Do you offer testing?

My practice offers limited testing. The assessments currently used include, but are not limited to, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Strong Interest Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Conners Rating Scales. We can discuss any of these — or others — on a case-by-case basis.

I have a flexible spending card from my employer -- can I use this and/or can I get a statement for reimbursement of those funds?

Such cards make it very convenient for employees and large medical practices, but for smaller businesses, they pose added challenge and expense. With two locations, I do not always have a terminal for processing such transactions. Therefore, I strongly prefer check or cash rendered at the time of service. Your cancelled check will then serve as a receipt.

I recognize that generating a statement for your account comes with the nature of my services, but without a staff, I choose to do this quarterly, every six months, yearly, or upon terminating services — for those clients using insurance. For those who self-pay or must incur the full "allowed" amount in excess of $75 each session, I will generate a statement upon request, every 4-6 weeks.

If you require more frequency for statements or if you have exited the practice more than a month prior from your request, administrative fees do apply as I must access inactive files and this takes my focus away from client care.

Are there any other fees associated with your practice?

Every client situation is different depending upon the services elected.

Counseling clients may only pay a copay or their plan may cover most costs in full. Others may need to meet a deductible and have to write a check for the "allowed" amount per their plan. If they incur missed session fees, require coordination of care with third parties, and/or have much paperwork associated with their case, there may be additional out-of-pocket expense. If I am called into a legal proceeding (by the client or opposing party), those rates will be higher because of the nature of such involvement.

Clients will be held responsible for returned check fees and any charges not paid by or denied by insurance, for any reason. Please note that insurance does not pay for missed sessions, late cancellation fees, third-party contacts/consults, and mediation/parent coordination. If clients choose testing, I charge the cost of these assessments and a brief amount of time to review the results myself prior to reviewing them in session. We can discuss costs on a case-by-case basis.

Some group work may require materials for testing, reading assignments, journaling, or arts & crafts. I work to keep these costs to a minimum. By obtaining the supplies myself, I know that every group member starts prepared, and everyone gets the same amount of needed materials, ready to start on day one.

Can you please explain your cancellation policy?

Yes, I have a 48 hr in advance cancellation policy. This requires that you give me 48 hrs notice of appointments you will not be able to keep — for any reason — or you will be charged my usual and customary fees ($120 per hour for most counseling sessions, more for other services).

This applies to ALL clients regardless of insurance. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed sessions — and you will have to pay more than the copay you may be accustomed to paying.

Unfortunately, there are always clients who regrettably do not recognize this though the information comes to clients via this website, in informed consent paperwork, through our in-office discussions and email signatures as well as in various other paperwork associated with my practice. No provider likes to charge for time not used. We also realize that unforseeable events occur. For a first-time occurrence, I can lower the fee as a first-time courtesy, assuming this will be paid within a week. I will bill the credit card you have on file to keep your account current and avoid extra charges.

True emergencies may be excused on a case-by-case basis. True emergencies consist of a death in family, emergency room visit, hospital stay or serious, bed-ridden or contagious illness. Homework or exams, sports practice or games, lack of child care, being called out of town or having to stay late because of business are not exemptions to this policy. Though I have empathy, this policy exists to allow others who need services to be seen, it protects against financial loss associated with appointment no-shows and last-minute cancellations, and it's standard practice in healthcare.

The 48 hour window applies to business days. If you need to cancel a Monday noon appointment, for instance, I need to be alerted by Friday at noon, or earlier.

How can you avoid such charges? Remember: 48 hours. It's also best to leave a voice message AND email me as soon as you know of a potential conflict, illness or other matter that may pose a challenge. This way, we can keep in touch, and I can potentially slate another client for this opening in the calendar.

If I have to pay for the session anyway, could we have a session by phone?

A great question because I'm more than willing to discuss a problem with an existing client over the phone, especially in an unforeseeable circumstance. The only snag here is — insurance plans will not pay for phone counseling as the session must be face-to-face. However, if you must pay the fee regardless, this may be a good reason to talk by phone and feel better on many fronts. Of course, telephone is not an option for group clients, mediation or parent coordination — those services involving others.

If you are a self-pay client, occasional telephone appointments may prove useful on account of business travel, traffic, lack of childcare or other circumstances. We must plan this in advance, even if by a few hours perhaps, with exact phone numbers, time and space necessary. Payment options will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

What about inclement weather — how will I know if the practice ever closes due to a storm?

For those clients being seen in North Potomac, I follow the Montgomery County GOVERNMENT policy for inclement weather cancellations. Thus, if county government closes because of weather-related incidents, you can be assured I will not charge a last-minute cancellation fee.

For either location, it pays to check with me first because if you are close to the office, and we are both able and willing to make your appointment, then it could occur or we could choose to do a phone consult if you're willing to pay for that session.

If my child or teenager comes to counseling, will I get to hear how things are going?

Most definitely! As a therapist embracing family systems as an approach, I believe that everyone in the family plays a role. A change in one person creates changes in others. Parents lead their families, and their model means a lot. Thus, I will enlist your support occasionally to join us in a session or to check in with you one-on-one to hear your perspective. Protecting everyone's right to privacy, I firmly believe in sponsoring difficult conversations to get dialogue going between you and your child. Some sessions, I will meet with parents (the first session especially), and in others, I will meet with your child — but expect variations of that throughout the counseling experience.

Are there things I can do to help alleviate stress as an adjunct to our sessions?

There are plenty of things you can do. We know that simple behavioral changes such as eating a healthy diet, getting a good night's rest, daily exercise, some sunshine, and relaxing through recreation help most with anxiety and low mood. Unless there is a medical reason that would indicate otherwise, you can add these changes into your lifestyle.

Educating yourself and/or your child about pertinent topics allows you to jump-start your work in session. I'm the author of two books on anger, for instance, and if I hear your request for an appointment because everyone seems to yell in your home or engage in silent standoffs...well, you can pretty much guess which two books will give you an outline of some of the concepts we will indeed talk about.

However, I have a list of my favorite resources that I'm happy to share for those who enjoy reading, learning, and connecting "outside the box" so to speak — some creative and entertaining resources in their own right!

Books & Articles

Loriann Hoff Oberlin, MS has written nine non-fiction books and hundreds of articles for consumer magazines, newspapers, and other publications. She’s been published in Elegant Bride, The Saturday Evening Post, Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Parenting, Woman’s World, Parents and dozens of regional parenting publications across the country.

In addition, she has written Overcoming Passive-Aggression: How to Stop Hidden Anger From Spoiling Your Relationships, Career & Happiness, The Angry Child: Regaining Control When Your Child Is Out of Control, and Surviving Separation & Divorce: A Woman’s Guide to Regaining Control, Building Strength and Confidence, and Securing a Financial Future.

Earlier in her career, she wrote Writing for Quick Cash: How to Turn Your Way With Words Into Real Money as well as Working At Home While the Kids Are There, Too.

Clients beginning counseling may find that reading (aka, bibliotherapy) provides a convenient, comforting adjunct to weekly or bi-monthly sessions.  Reading and highlighting material on your own time helps you to develop stress reduction skills, understand your role in relationship dynamics, and look forward to brighter thoughts and behavior.