Amos Wolf

300 North Main Street
Taylor, Texas 76574
(512) 365-2211
winfo@taylorpsychotherapy.com

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Amos N. Wolf, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist 		 

Welcome!

Taylor Psychotherapy offers treatment and evaluation for a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, trauma, grief, family and marital difficulties, anger control problems, etc… Individual, marital, and family sessions are available immediately, and groups are being planned. We primarily work with adults, although some services are available for adolescents and children.

Licenses

Amos Wolf, Ph.D. is licensed as a Psychologist with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. License # 15763. Licensed since July 31, 1998.

Ethics

Amos Wolf, Ph.D. is bound by the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association, and by the guidelines of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. In rare cases where the ethical guidelines and the legal standards of the state of Texas may conflict, the law will be followed, with an effort to remain as true as possible to the intentions of the ethical guidelines. If you feel the ethical or legal guidelines have been violated in any way, you are encouraged to contact the Psychology Board Complaint Hotline at 1-800-821-3205.

Hours

Services are available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The office is generally closed on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday except in unusual circumstances. Typical hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., by appointment only. Emergency service available 24 hours.

Fees

Fees are payable at the time of service.

 
Service: Amos Wolf, Ph.D.  
45 - 50 minute Individual Session $95.00  
75 - 80 minute Individual Session $145.00  
50 - 60 minute Couple/Family Session $110.00  
90 minute group (per person) $50.00  
* In special circumstances, lower rates may be negotiated. Please be aware that this is the exception, not the norm.

Insurance

At this time, the Insurance programs specifically listed below are or are not accepted at Taylor Psychotherapy. Many insurance programs do provide general coverage, although we are not specifically on their provider panels. If your insurance is not listed below, please contact your company to determine coverage. Alternatively, you may tell us your insurance Group ID and Member ID, and the phone number for your company and we can check into your available coverage for our services. We will bill insurance companies directly for services. However, any charges not reimbursed will be the client's personal responsibility. Client co-payment amounts are expected to be paid at the time of the service.

Some agencies require access to client records at a level we feel threatens confidentiality, and some do not provide competitive compensation for our services. We will not apply for provider status with these agencies, bill those agencies for our services, nor accept their allowable amount as full payment for services. Your insurance may directly reimburse you for a portion of the services for which you have paid.

Insurance Compnay or Programs Accepted vs Not Accepted:
Accepted Not accepted
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid (including STAR and ChiP)(Under age 21 only)
  • Blue Cross/Blue Shield
  • CHAMPUS-TriCare (non-network)
  • United Behavioral Healthcare
  • Value Options
  • Scott and White (on direct referal from network physician only)
  • TriCare (non-network)
  • Williamson County Indigent Program
  • Cigna
  • Amil
  • Aetna

 

Office Policy

Appointments
Psychotherapy sessions are by appointment only. Therapists may not be at the office unless an appointment has been scheduled. The other businesses sharing office space in this building are in no way responsible for scheduling, nor are they expected to contact us if someone drops in. The telephone forwards to a cellular phone when our office is closed. Thus, we can be contacted by phone at any time to set up, reschedule, or cancel appointments. If a scheduled appointment must be rescheduled or cancelled, please call at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled appointment. Sessions not cancelled 24 hours in advance will be charged the regular fee (except in unusual circumstances or where prohibited by the insurance program. Please be aware that your insurance will not cover missed appointments.

Confidentiality
The therapist is generally not allowed to disclose information regarding the client to persons outside Taylor Psychotherapy Associates without the client's written consent. Within Taylor Psychotherapy associates, such information is limited to a "need to know" basis (e.g. for supervision, case consultation, emergency coverage, billing, etc.). There are some specific exceptions to the general confidentiality rule as follows:

  1. Some insurance companies require access to records, especially diagnosis, duration of treatment, etc. If you are using insurance to pay for your services, they may have the right to review your records.
  2. Information from sessions with younger children (age 14 and below) cannot be withheld from the child's legal guardian.
  3. If the therapist obtains information that specific children are in a potentially high risk situation regarding abuse from a specific person, the therapist is required to report the details of that situation to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services or Child Protective Services.
  4. If the therapist obtains information indicating that a client is likely to seriously harm themselves or others, the therapist is required to contact appropriate authorities with information as needed to assist in securing that situation.
  5. Typically we will obtain consent to speak to other medical professionals involved in your care. There may be situations requiring some urgency in the contact where we will communicate regarding your case without your written consent – you will be notified at our next session of any such contacts, and a written consent sought. Such sharing of critical medical information is allowed by state and national privacy standards.
  6. In certain legal proceedings (e.g. child custody cases), the courts can order the release of client information to the courts and attorneys.

Recent changes in the privacy standards as outlined in the HIPPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) guidelines, and as mandated by Texas State Law are met or exceeded in every instance.

Groups

We are set up to provide group therapy, and are developing lists of potential, interested group members. If you are interested in participating in one of the groups listed below, please let us know, and we will work with you to make the best group match for your needs.

The types of groups we are planning to offer include:


Crisis

Most crises can be handled within the therapy relationship. We strive to anticipate potential rough spots while in regular sessions, and make plans to cope with these before they become a problem. Sometimes situations or mental health symptoms take unexpected turns between sessions. If this occurs, you are encouraged to call your therapist (or the back-up if your therapist is not available). Typically, these problems can be dealt with by phone consultation, or if more critical, by emergency session. In critical situations, a therapist can usually be available that day/evening, or the following day.

If you are in an immediate and severe mental health emergency (e.g. someone is at immediate risk of seriously injuring themselves or someone else), and the Taylor Psychotherapy telephone is not answered in person, please hang up and call 911. Tell the dispatcher the nature of your emergency, and they will get assistance to you. If you are not a client of Taylor Psychotherapy Associates, and are in immediate emergency, please call 911. If you are not sure whether this is an immediate emergency, call 911.

If this is not an immediate emergency, or the crisis is not severe (e.g. no-one is at risk of harm) and the phone is not answered directly, please leave a message, and Dr. Wolf will get back with you shortly. Messages are checked several times throughout the day.


Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of therapy do you provide?
Dr. Wolf tends to use a cognitive-behavioral orientation for most of his therapies. However, he uses a number of different techniques and styles depending on what has been shown effective with different types of problems, and with each client’s goals for therapy. Some specific therapy programs available include:
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Marital Therapy (psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral)
  • Brief, solution-focused techniques
  • Systematic Desensitization Behavioral Programs
Regardless of the ·type· of therapy provided, Dr. Wolf provides the features shown generally healing in a therapy relationship: empathy, listening, respect, confidentiality, safety.

What will therapy do for me?
That really depends on your goals.
For persons with a general discomfort with life, general difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and phase of life type problems, traditional psychotherapy provides a safe environment for coming to understand ones values, automatic tendencies, background issues and temperment which contribute to one's current lifestyle and feelings. By developing an understanding of these factors, one gains some control of them, and can make more deliberate choices about how to live, and attain greater life satisfaction.
For persons with specific issues they wish to conquer (e.g. depression, anxiety, posttraumatic symptoms, specific relationship issues, grief, etc), goals will be worked out with the therapist, and therapy will proceed to resolve those issues in a manner which meets the stated goals. The therapist and client will frequently evaluate progress, and adjust course as needed.

Do you provide psychological testing?
We are not set up to provide routine psychological testing at this time. If during the course of therapy, a need for specific testing becomes apparent, a limited amount of testing may be conducted. If more extensive testing is needed, or if such testing might interfere with the therapuetic relationship, or if the testing is not needed for therapuetic reasons, a referral will be made to a clinic where such testing is routinely conducted.

Do you provide substance abuse counseling?
Dr. Wolf is not a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. We do not provide services where controlling substance use is the primary target. However, a significant number of persons with mental health issues also have substance abuse issues. We will work with the whole person, including substance abuse in order to treat the target problem. If the substance use component is beyond our ability to treat, we will refer the client to another program for simultaneous treatment. In cases where the substance use is the primary issue, or must be dealt with before other progress can be made, we will refer the client to a substance abuse provider only.

How long will therapy take?
Length of treatment varies widely. There are times when a single session is sufficient to obtain the help needed. Many discreet problems can be adequately resolved with-in 6 to 12 sessions. Persons with a number of complicated issues typically get the most benefit after 20 or more sessions. Traditional psychotherapy, or very complicated situations may require from 6 months up to a couple years of treatment.

How do I know if I need therapy?
Deciding if you need therapy is similar to deciding if you need a mechanic, or a medical doctor. Basically, if a problem is mostly dealing with emotions (fear, anger, sadness, lack of emotion), one's view of or interaction with the world (self, relationships, others), or behaviors (unintended reactions, ways of acting on emotions, etc), it likely falls within the expertise of a psychotherapist.
If the problem has lasted longer than expected, is not one you feel you can resolve by yourself, is causing severe enough difficulties that it is intolerable, is likely to cause serious problems in the future, or you want it checked out to make sure it is not such a serious problem, then a psychotherapist is likely to be helpful.
One has to weigh the potential costs of therapy (money, time, possible pain of self-examination or of altering patterns), and the potential for gaining control over the problem area, and make an informed decision.

Won't talking about my problems make me feel worse?
Some people feel considerable relief just having somebody with whom to share their problems. Others tend to avoid thinking and talking about their difficulties, as it brings up painful memories and emotions. Typically, there will be some emotionally tough times during therapy sessions which brings a painful focus on the problem area, and so it feels worse for a short time. However, this does not worsen the problem, and actually brings relief once issues are out in the open where one can cope with and make plans to control them.
Another aspect of therapy which can be difficult and sometimes painful is when difficult changes are necessary in order to meet our goals. This pain also typically goes away with successful changes.
The therapist will be there to help predict and cope with the pain that bringing issues back up, or making changes can bring. One part of the therapist’s job is to help you proceed with the issues and/or changes at a pace that keeps the pain safe and tolerable.
Typically, we find that the person’s fear of the pain is greater than the actual pain experienced once the person commits to the process. And the relief from more intolerable distress, and increased functioning in life more than compensates for the temporary discomfort.

Will you send me to the hospital?
We will only send you to the hospital if we feel you are an immediate serious threat to yourself or to other people. Frequently, people are afraid to discuss suicidal thoughts with a therapist because they are afraid they will be immediately sent to the hospital. Most persons who have such thoughts are not planning or intending on killing themselves, rather find the thoughts frightening or comforting with little risk of carrying them out. If you are having this type thoughts, it is important to discuss them, and have a good assessment of the actual risk. If we cannot work out a plan for you to be relatively safe, or to keep others around you relatively safe, we may have to help you gain admittance to a hospital to provide basic safety. This tends to be the exception, rather than the norm.
Sometimes, a brief hospital stay is recommended to help a person restabilize on medications, or to start an intensive therapy. In such situations, we may help you find and utilize a hospital, but would not force hospitalization. Dr. Wolf currently does not have hospital privileges, so any hospitalization would involve collaboration with other professionals.

Do you prescribe medications?
No. We will be happy to work with your psychiatrist or other medical doctor in your treatment. If we feel you have a condition which needs medical assessment, or is likely to benefit from medical intervention, we will make appropriate referrals, and willingly work with the medical practitioner of your choice in planning and providing your treatment.

Do you provide services over the internet?
No. We may be willing to discuss options for treatment or scheduling via email, but not actual provision of services. Please be aware that email contacts are not necessarily confidential (we will not intentionally share these interactions, but we cannot guarantee the security of our internet connections).


Affiliations

Amos Wolf, Ph.D. :

Background Training and Experience

Amos Wolf, Ph.D.: