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Dr. Antonio Primavera: Psychologist in Mexico City
Psychotherapy in English for adults, couples, teens, children, and families.
About Me and My Practice:
Insanity: A perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.
Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death.
There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from trying to avoid pain.
I am an English and Spanish speaking American psychologist and a graduate of Harvard University. (Haz clic en el botón en la parte superior derecha para la traducción.) My psychotherapeutic training includes Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Cybernetic/ Systems, Narrative Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and Transpersonal/Integral Psychology. I work with adults, couples, families, children, and adolescents in Mexico City and around the world.
My approach to psychotherapy is not "one-size-fits-all." I realize that every individual is unique and different, so my way of working depends on the person and their needs and concerns at the moment. In this way, therapy is tailored to accommodate the specific needs of the person with whom I am working.
I am also a researcher and community volunteer, and so spend a lot of time practicing pro bono at a low-cost community mental health clinic in Barrio Tepito of Mexico City. I believe that psychotherapy should be accessible to all. So, after covering the basic cost of providing psychotherapy to you, any additional payment goes a long way to helping me to provide therapy to people who would otherwise be unable to afford it.
Sessions:
Sessions are, at minimum, once per week, and last 50 minutes (unless arranged otherwise). Sessions always start and end on time, therefore it is important for you to arrive on time. If you arrive late to any session for any reason, you are forfeiting that amount of time from the scheduled session. Even if you arrive 40 minutes late to a 50-minute session, you will be charged the full fee for that abbreviated session. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Cancellation Policy:
Notice of 24 hours is required to cancel or change a scheduled appointment. Otherwise, the usual fee must be paid.
Fees:
$2000 (MXN Pesos) (or the current equivalent in US Dollars; exchange rates here) per 50 min. session (unless agreed upon otherwise). If paying via PayPal, please pay in US Dollars.
If my fee is higher than your ability to pay, please contact me anyway and we will arrange a fee that will work for you. I can, at least, provide alternatives. The most important thing is that you get the help you need and deserve. So, don't be shy; contact me!
Billing and payments:
You will be expected to pay for each psychotherapy session at the time that it is held. Payments may be made in cash only.
PayPal or bank transfers are to be made in advance for phone/Skype sessions.
Insurance:
Like many psychotherapists, I do not accept insurance. However, many insurance companies will cover all or a portion of the fee.
If you would like to use your insurance, please contact your insurance company and ask what coverage you have to see an "out-of-network provider." Make sure that you tell them that I have a PhD, as insurance companies usually reimburse at a higher rate for therapists with a PhD. Your insurance company will tell you what your coverage is.
When you come to the office, you will pay for your sessions in cash at the end of each session. If you request it, I can give you an invoice once a month that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
I decided not to work directly with insurance companies for several reasons:
- All health insurance companies require a "mental disorder" diagnosis. Many people who come to therapy want to learn new skills and different life-strategies and do not necessarily have a mental diagnosis. Most people are not "crazy."
- Insurance companies are a big business with ties to big pharmaceutical companies. Doctors are often paid to prescribe drugs by the pharma companies. They are more interested in their profits than in the wellbeing of those they are intended to serve. Often, insurance companies will not pay for therapy sessions unless the patient is prescribed medication (doctor and big pharma in cahoots). It is my view that most people do not need medication, and that medication (in many cases) can be more harmful than helpful. A "happy," easily-controlled, robot is the aim of Western society/culture. At any rate, I believe that the doctor, in consultation with the patient, should decide whether or not medication is necessary, and not insurance company bureaucrats.
- Insurance companies typically severely limit the number of therapy sessions for which they will pay.
- Many insurance companies put severe restrictions on what types of therapy they will cover. For example, most insurance companies do not cover marriage and family therapy or psychoanalysis.
- With insurance companies, many of your choices and treatment options are limited. This takes away your ability to be involved actively in determining what type of therapy that you receive.
- Health insurance jeopardizes personal confidentiality. When a bill is submitted to an insurance company on your behalf, your confidential information is processed by the insurance company, and then stored in a database. Anyone who is involved with processing or handling of your claim has access to your records and anyone who has a "legitimate" reason to access the medical database, such as insurance companies and prospective employers, can view your confidential records. Theoretically, an employer or other entity could discriminate against you based on this information.
For all of these reasons, I have decided, as a psychotherapist, not to accept health insurance directly.
Privacy:
All the information about my patients' psychotherapy is strictly confidential. This practice’s privacy policy prohibits the release of any information concerning a patient to anyone without the patient's explicit and informed written authorization.
After-Hours Coverage:
I am often not immediately available by telephone. Messages may be left for me at my e-mail address: primavera@post.harvard.edu. I routinely check my voice and e-mail for messages 24 hours a day, as my phone is silenced during sessions. If you are difficult to reach, please let me know some times when you will be available. If you click 'contact me' rather than sending an e-mail, please remember to check your spam folder for my response e-mail.
Phone/Skype Sessions:
I have been doing sessions with patients via telephone or Skype for a number of years now, and the results have been very good.
I realize that many people cannot commit to the normal business hours in which therapy is typically conducted. That is why I offer this option. If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail.
Fees are pre-paid through either PayPal, Dwolla, or bank transfer in US Dollars. If you need to pay in Mexican Pesos, let me know, and I can provide bank account info. All telephone/Skype communications are via a VPN (Virtual Private Network), so that your privacy is secured.
By reading the above and making an appointment, you are contracting my services and are agreeing to abide by the above terms. If you disagree with any of the above terms, please let me know before making an appointment.
Pay via PayPal:
Please remember to add 5% to your normal fee when paying via PayPal.
Contact Me
Offices:
Offices in Expatriate Condesa/Roma, Nueva Anzures (the horrible Polanco), and the lovely Coyoacán
Nuevo León 217-A, Col. Hipódromo Condesa, Del. Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City
and
Milton 28, Col. Nueva Anzures, Del. Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City
Please contact me regarding appointments in Coyoacán.
I can be available 24 hours a day.
My Blog
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