FAQ
Where is your office located?
5825 Delmonico Drive Suite 320Colorado Springs, CO 80919
There is ample parking.
The office suite is locked. When you arrive, please ring the door bell and the office manager will let you in. Have a seat and your clinician will come for you at your scheduled time.
What are your fees?
Melissa Racho:
90-minute intake session: $255
60-minute individual psychotherapy session: $170
90-minute individual psychotherapy session: $255
Evaluation fees are dependent upon time, billed at $170 per hour.
Payment is due at the start of each session.
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.
Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
- You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
- Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
- If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
- Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.
Do you take insurance?
The Racho Group is a private pay practice and accepts cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.
Our being a private pay practice affords you significant benefits. First, we are able to focus entirely on patient care and provide a full 60-minute session rather than the 50-minute session often mandated by insurance carriers.
Second, it ensures we can make all treatment decisions based upon clinical expertise, the best available research, and patient need, rather than by the dictates of an insurance carrier.
Finally, it ensures all patient information remains confidential. If you desire, we can provide you with a monthly superbill to submit to an insurance carrier for out-of-network reimbursement, if available in your plan.
What are your hours?
We see patients Monday through Saturday. Hours vary.
How do I set up our first appointment?
You may call, email, or send a message through our website. We always require a brief phone conversation to ensure a good fit with our practice and schedule your first appointment.
What is your cancellation policy?
What’s the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
Psychiatrists are medical doctors with residency training in mental health. They treat patients with medical or pharmacological means by prescribing medications – and rarely see patients for therapy.
Psychologists hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in a field of psychology and have studied the human mind and behavior. We treat patients through psychotherapy, helping them learn to cope more effectively with life issues and mental health problems.
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is treating difficulties with life, living, and mental disorders by psychological rather than medical means. It employs evidence-based procedures to help individuals develop healthier, more effective ways of living. Grounded in dialogue, its process of change depends upon the active collaboration between therapist and patient. It requires the commitment of effort, time, and material resources.
“Isn’t therapy just…”
There are several misconceptions about therapy that may act as either a deterrent to reach out for therapy in the first place – or to prop up unrealistic expectations once you begin therapy. Despite what you may have heard, here are several key truths:
First, good therapy does not consist of advice-giving or telling you how to live. We don’t have advice for you – it’s your life. Our work together will help you better understand yourself, your emotions, and the motivations behind your behaviors, so you can identify a wider variety of options and make your own decisions.
Furthermore, good therapy isn’t just a safe place to vent. Although venting to an impartial and nonjudgmental party is generally pretty cathartic, good therapy offers so much more than a safe place to do this.
Therapy is not for the weak. On the contrary, learning how to recognize, confront, and deal with your issues (and we all have them) in a way that enhances and expands your life takes a significant amount of fortitude – and is not for the faint of heart.
Finally, good therapy doesn’t have to take 10 years. One of our primary goals is to help you acquire the self-awareness, insight, and skills you need to reach your goals and engage your life in a new way, both without us and as soon as possible.
How long will therapy take?
There is a great deal of variation in the length of therapy and no prescribed length of treatment. Length of treatment depends on you, your goals and symptoms, the history of those symptoms, and your past and present circumstances.
Depending on how much and how deeply you make use of therapy, treatment can range from a few sessions to several months to several years of weekly or twice-weekly sessions.
How helpful therapy will end up being is primarily up to you and the relationship you have with the therapist. For this reason, it’s essential that you’re comfortable with and have a connection to your therapist. Additionally, you must be comfortable and connect with your therapist’s style.
What “style” or type of therapy do you practice?
Great question! Generally speaking The Racho Group therapists are existential psychotherapists. Existential psychotherapy is philosophical. It involves focusing on the issues central to human existence, such as living a life you enjoy, authenticity, and meaning. It aims to facilitate substantive changes rather than just symptom reduction.
We also provide EMDR therapy. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is one of the most effective and most researched trauma treatments to date.
So, do I have to be a philosopher to work with you?
Absolutely not. All you need is a sense of curiosity about yourself, a willingness to explore, and a commitment to bring the ideas and practices we discuss in session into your life.
What about medication?
Studies have shown that with a skilled therapist, psychotherapy is as efficient as medication at treating a wide variety of mental disorders and symptoms and reduces the risk of relapse even after its discontinuation. Rather than treating symptoms, psychotherapy can address the root causes of distress and the behavior patterns that curb progress.
In some cases, however, a combination of medication and therapy is the most effective course of action.
Long-lasting, sustainable growth, and a greater sense of well-being can best be achieved with an integrative approach to wellness. Working with your medical doctor, psychiatrist, and other related and relevant professionals, you can determine what’s best for you.
Do you work with children?
We do not work with young children. We treat adults and adolescents aged 15 and older.
What if I’d like to work with you but I live too far away?
As long as you are in Colorado, we can meet via telehealth (video). We use Therapy Notes, a HIPAA-compliant video platform.
Are you available for public speaking?
Yes, Dr. Racho is available for speaking engagements, and can tailor topics specifically for your organization or conference. Please inquire for more information.