FAQs
Where are you located?
18170 Dallas Pkwy Suite 502 Dallas, TX 75287
If coming South on the North Dallas Tollway, exit at Frankford Road. Turn left on Frankford. After you pass the CVS pharmacy, turn right into the Taco Bell parking lot and continue straight past the restaurant into the adjacent parking lot. My office is located to the right of the Taco Bell on the back row of the office park on the far-left side. The sign on the front of the unit says Parkway Psychiatry.
If coming North on the North Dallas Tollway, exit at Frankford Road. Before you get to Frankford, turn right into the parking lot between the Whataburger and the Picasso’s Pizza. Behind these restaurants you will see an office park. I am located on the back row of the complex on the far left side adjacent to the Taco Bell. The sign on the front of the unit says Parkway Psychiatry.
What do you charge?
For patients without or not wanting to use their insurance, my standard fee is $200 for the first session and $150 for subsequent sessions. There may be some flexibility depending on your situation.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Cash, check, and all major credit cards.
Do you take insurance?
I do. I am currently on the boards of Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BSBS), Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Anthem, MHN, Magellan, and Medicare.
If your insurance is not included among these, I am glade to provide you with a “superbill” so that you may submit a claim to your insurance provider for out-of-network benefits.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellations without a 24-hour notice will result in the client being charged in full for the missed session.
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods to help you change behavior and overcome problems.
Psychotherapy aims to improve on your well-being and mental health by resolving troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsion, thoughts or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills.
Therapy allows you to have someone in your life who listens to you in a caring and empathic manner. Through this process, you will gain insight into current struggles, identify unhealthy behavioral patterns, and learn new techniques to achieve an inner sense of safety, self-control and calm.
Outside forces which have controlled your life in the past will no longer exert the same influence over your life going forward.
What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?
Psychologists focus extensively on psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is “talk therapy.” You meet with a therapist, explore relevant issues, and learn how to cope with them better with behavioral interventions.
Psychiatrists are trained medical doctors. They can prescribe medications and spend much of their time with patients on medication management issues as a course of treatment.
Psychiatrists rarely engage in psychotherapy these days.
Often, both of these disciplines play an important role in the optimal treatment of my clients.
What can I expect in my first session?
In our first session, we will fill out some forms and get to know one another. We will begin to develop an understanding of what is going on. We will also examine your previous history. This will help us formulate a plan of action what will help you reach your goals.
How long are psychotherapy sessions?
Sessions typically last 50 minutes. Beginning in the second session, we will usually create a treatment plan that will help guide our treatment going forward.
What age range are your clients?
I treat adult men and women age 18 and up.
Do you work with women? Men? Couples? Same-sex couples?
I work with all of these groups, but most of my practice is dedicated to individual psychotherapy.
If I use my insurance or EAP benefits, will my employer find out?
No; your confidentiality is legally protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
What modalities do you use in sessions?
Each client and situation is unique and presents different challenges. Since I am trained in a variety of techniques, I use whatever makes the most sense for each situation.
Often a variety of approaches will be utilized depending on the phase of treatment the client is in. Psychodynamic, Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are the most frequently used modalities.
Do your clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?
Homework is often an important component of treatment.
Research suggests that the addition of homework to psychotherapy enhances its effectiveness and that clients who consistently complete homework tend to have better outcomes.
Homework is an important component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In addition, Mindfulness training requires frequent practice to reap the benefits of the discipline.
Through homework you can rehearse new skills, practice coping strategies, and identify and change destructive beliefs.
What is your professional experience and training?
I earned a Ph.D. from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas where I also completed a post-doctoral fellowship and served on the faculty of the Psychiatry Department for five years. I am a Licensed Psychologist.
I have authored or coauthored over 30 articles on addiction and chronic pain disorders in peer-reviewed journals and books.
I worked as the Director of Psychology for over 10 years at a multidisciplinary rehabilitation facility for chronic pain. During this time, I was exposed to the powerful benefits of incorporating a psycho-bio-social approach in the treatment of my clients. I have worked on and off in private practice since 2006.
Before studying psychology, I earned an M.B.A. from the University of Texas and worked in the corporate world for over 10 years. I believe this real-world experience provides me a rare perspective that most clinicians lack in working with their clients, many who are functioning in these types of environments.
Other questions?
Please call me at (214) 927-8456 or email me MarkWilliamsPhD@yahoo.com if there are any other questions that I can answer.