FAQs

A psychiatrist is typically seen if someone wants to explore taking medications to help with their illnesses.  On the other hand, a psychologist helps an individual through talk therapy and new coping skills.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who is trained in general medicine and who completed a residency in psychiatry. In this way, a psychiatrist is the premier specialist in all things mental health. They deal primarily with assessment, diagnosis, and medical treatments such as use of medication and other medicalized treatments illnesses such as depression, OCD, bipolar, and others.

Yes, many people see both a psychiatrist and psychologist.  In fact, we believe that seeing both a psychiatrist and psychologist leads to a quicker alleviation of symptoms.  It is like a having a team of professionals working together to get you feeling better.

At Lighthouse, the psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, therapists and psychologists work in close contact, so that you get the best of both. Oftentimes, the therapists will tell the doctors any important changes in the patient that may warrant medication adjustments, etc.

Typical sessions with the psychiatrist are about an hour for the first session and about 20-30 minutes for follow-up appointments.  The psychologist (and other clinical therapists) will see you for what we call a ‘clinical hour’ each session. Therapy sessions can last longer, depending on what is needed for you and agreed upon with the therapist. 

We try very hard to stay on-time during sessions, so that no one is left waiting too long to see the doctor, nurse practitioner, therapist or psychologist when they arrive. For this reason, we ask that you come a bit early to your appointment – especially if it’s your first time. 

Early arrivals are welcomed.  We built a comfortable and state of the art waiting room (with some pretty delicious coffee and phone chargers too) to make waiting feel like a trip to the spa.  It’s a lot more calming than a coffee shop so come early to relax before your session.  While we understand roadblocks are unexpectedly encountered on the way to an appointment (not to mention red lights, trains, and speed bumps), we ask that you make every effort to try and be on time for your appointment.  

We do not accept any type of health insurance at Lighthouse Health Group.  By doing so, we believe we will be able to provide you with the best treatment possible, as we don’t have an insurance company involved in your treatment.  That being said, we can provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company following your appointment.

By not accepting insurance, we are free from endless paperwork requirements and certain regulations. This allows us to focus much better on our patients, see you for longer times, and be more available. 

So glad you asked!  A superbill is a bill with special super powers to answer questions your insurance company may have about your visit at Lighthouse Health Group.  In fact, a superbill provides insurance companies with information, such as diagnosis and amount paid for services provided, so your insurance company can make reimbursement decisions based on your out-of-network benefits.  We will give you the bill to submit to your insurance company (no extra super powers required).

We do offer some appointments after work hours in the evenings, depending on the practitioner. In some cases, weekend appointments can  be arranged with certain therapists if needed. 

We understand the unexpected happens and sometimes interferes with your schedule.  When life throws a curve ball, feel free to call the office to reschedule your appointment.  We ask you give us 24 hours notice to reschedule so we can help others waiting to get in for an appointment.  

Yes we will!  We will call you within 24 business hours of your appointment to remind you.  If you prefer a text message or email reminder, we can also work that out for you.

We certainly do. We understand that life happens, and that we’re all so busy nowadays. For that reason, we use a portal program that allows us to see you over a secure connection to have visits. This is especially useful when people are traveling, need urgent appointments but live a bit farther, or if things are really stable and you’re just checking in for medication refills. 

We do as all new patients to the practice to come in-person for their first visit. That way we can get to know you well, and to get well-connected.

Everyone at Lighthouse Health Group operates through an EMR (electronic medical record) called Dr. Chrono. In this portal, you’ll have access to teleconferencing with your doctors and therapists, as well as access to your appointment schedule, notes, labs, medication regimens, and more. 

Also in the portal is the ability to send messages to your doctor or therapist. We try to respond to any and all messages and comments withing a day or so, and oftentimes much quicker than that. 

Certain rules don’t really allow us to email or text patients unless under it’s under certain circumstances. For this reason, the portal is a great resource for our patients.

Yes they can.  Family involvement is encouraged and is sometimes crucial to getting better. We are absolutely able to accommodate family members who are close to the patient in order to create treatment plans that are helpful for you. 

Some therapists at Lighthouse even conduct couples, marriage, or family-based counseling. These types of visits can be arranged with the therapists if deemed necessary or helpful.

A psychiatrist is the ‘Captain of the Ship” in terms of psychiatric and mental health treatment. However, the psychiatrist may not have availability, or the complexity level of the patient may be lower. In these cases, seeing a nurse practitioner is a great option. 

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are nurses that have undergone specialized training in order to practice the basics of psychiatry. This can include providing assessments, making diagnoses, and prescribing medications. 

At Lighthouse, there are close relationships between the psychiatrist and any NPs. The psychiatrist is available for any questions or concerns an NP may have about a patient, and clinical advice is often shared with an NP when needed. 

Yes- listed under additional services

JUPITER OFFICE
Medication Management, Mental Health Evaluations, Genetic Testing, Medical Marijuana, FAA Evaluation, HIMSPsychological Testing, ADHD assessment, adult and childrenGifted TestingPersonality AssessmentsForensic Cases/ PsychologicalServicesPsychotherapyEye Movement Desensitization andReprocessing EMDR TherapyTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation-TMS TherapyCBT TherapyFamily and Couples CounselingGroup TherapyAcupuncture

VERO BEACH OFFICE

Medication Management- (Integratedapproach)Mental Health EvaluationsGenetic TestingDe prescribingHumanistic TherapySexual Disorder TreatmentDialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Trauma TherapyPlay TherapySpecializing in: Depression, MoodDisorders, Bipolar, Anxiety, PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), Trauma/Grief, Sleep Issues,Adjustment Disorder, Women’sHealth, Sex Addiction, Sexual Trauma,Court ordered Sex therapy

Yes, there are two locations: Vero Beach and Jupiter.