Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the differences between psychiatry and therapy?

While psychiatry and therapy have many similarities—both help individuals create healthier mental and emotional responses to life—there are key differences too. Psychiatrists are physicians with specific training in diagnosing and treating mental illness; they have earned an MD as well as completed four years of residency in adult Psychiatry. Dr. Kolli, is also a child and adolescent psychiatrist so she completed an additional two-year fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. Another distinction is that psychiatrists can prescribe medications in New Jersey while therapists cannot. Therapists, or counselors, provide talk therapy and to help their clients attain mental and emotional wellness.

KPA is considered an out-of-network provider and does not accept any insurance. Payment is required at time of service and a receipt will be provided upon request. If you have out-of-network benefits, you may submit the receipt for direct reimbursement from your insurance company. If you have any questions, please call your insurance company to inquire about your out-of-network benefits prior to making an appointment. Every insurance company is different and has different deductibles, reimbursement rates, and procedures for submitting claims.

For more information about Kolli Psychiatric & Associates, our services, and to schedule an appointment please contact our office and leave a message. All of our calls go directly to voicemail and your inquiry will be promptly returned within one to two business days.

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES
Evaluation- $500
Dr. Kolli has three levels of follow-up appointments and they are determined by length of time.
Level 1: Up to 15 min follow-up- $200
Level 2: Up to 30 min follow-up- $300
Level 3: Up to 45 min follow-up- $400
During follow-up appointments, Dr. Kolli reviews current symptoms and stressors, assesses for medication side effects, makes a clinical decision regarding treatment and provides psychoeducation when needed. After she speaks to the patient, she writes a clinical note and calls in a prescription, if needed, as part of the appointment time.
THERAPY SERVICES
Therapy services are provided by the therapists in the practice.
Evaluation- $180
50 min follow-up- $180
Family therapy- $200

Dr. Kolli does her best to determine which Level (1-3) follow-up appointment is needed when she schedules patients. When a patient requires more time then allotted, the Level of the appointment is changed to better reflect the time spent and is charged as such.
All follow-up appointments are scheduled for up to a scheduled amount of time and indicate the upper limit of the time allotted. Sometimes, a patient doesn’t require all the allotted time. The appointment will be charged for the time that was set aside in the schedule. The minimum charge for any appointment is a Level 1 at $180.

Frequency of appointments is determined by the severity of symptoms and medication titration schedule. Initially, appointments are every 4 weeks, but as a patient’s symptoms stabilize, their appointments can be moved to every 3 months. In rare situations, appointments may be spread out further.
Any patient that has not been seen within 6 months of the last appointment will be automatically discharged from the practice and will need to schedule an appointment to re-establish a therapeutic relationship with Dr. Kolli.

Cancellations are accepted up to 48 hours before your appointment. After that, you will be charged for your appointment.

Dr. Kolli and her staff work Monday – Thursday during business hours of 9-5pm. The office is closed on federal holidays and the last 10 days of every calendar year. Dr. Kolli also takes 2-3 vacations throughout the year and the office is closed during that time.

Patients with psychiatric emergencies should go to the nearest emergency room or call the crisis hotline (877-652-7624.)
Urgent phone calls will be returned by office staff the next business day. If it is determined that an appointment is required, the patient will be given priority for any openings in Dr. Kolli’s schedule, but same day or same week appointments can’t be guaranteed.

If Dr. Kolli is out of town or on vacation, calls will be returned when she is back in the office.

A parent or guardian must accompany a child under 18 to all initial sessions with Dr. Kolli or our therapists. Beyond that, you, your child and the therapist will determine how the therapy will be structured. Parents are generally included in the sessions of younger children, and are invited to come in at the end of sessions with teens. Clients working with our therapists will collaborate on what extent a parent or guardian will be involved.

We offer separate sessions for parents as often as needed. We will not discuss the child’s specific issues, but can talk in general terms. It is important that the child knows that we will maintain confidentiality with their information, even with their parents, so that the child will feel comfortable opening up to the therapist. One caveat: we will always be specific with parents if we think the child’s life or serious well-being is at risk (i.e., if they are suicidal, homicidal, being sexually or physically abused, etc.).

Refills are sent during your scheduled appointment and should last until your next appointment.
Stimulant medications (ADHD medications) need to be requested every 30 days.
If a refill is needed prior to a scheduled appointment, it is a patient’s responsibility to contact the office. We do not respond to pharmacy requests on behalf of patients. Please allow 3-5 business days for refill requests to be processed.
Refills requests that occur after hours will be addressed the next business day.
Refills will not be sent without a future scheduled appointment. If a patient has not been seen in over 4 months, an appointment with Dr. Kolli is required prior to medication being prescribed.