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Mark Jacobsen

Counselor Mark Jacobsen

Dr. Mark Jacobsen, LICSW
Psychotherapy for Couples and Individuals
Dupont Circle Office Location

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT — 202-629-1949 ext. 5

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY AND INTRODUCTION

Dr. Mark Jacobsen is licensed clinical social worker with 24 years of experience as a mental health practitioner. He works with couples and individuals and specializes in the treatment of depression in men. He is an active member of the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis http://www.icpeast.org/ .

Treatment Focus: Therapy is the process of finding words for your inner thoughts and feelings and sharing them with an empathetic and trustworthy listener. I have been privileged to help patients struggling with:

  • Depression and Anxiety
  • Substance abuse and addictions and their impact on the family
  • Family of origin issues and current family relationships
  • Anger management
  • Grief
  • Parenting issues
  • Children of divorce
  • Saving your marriage
  • Improving communication
  • Discovering the root cause of conflict in relationships

Training and Experience: I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with 24 years of experience as a mental health practitioner. My clinical practice has included a variety of settings, including individual and group psychotherapy, long-term care, substance abuse treatment, and biomedical environments. My advanced clinical education and research has been inspired and informed by my strong interest in father-child relationships and their centrality to healthy families and children. In addition to rigorous academic training, I have had extensive clinical supervision — above and beyond that required for licensure — by leaders in the psychotherapy field. As an active member of the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis http://www.icpeast.org/, I participate in study groups and on-going professional training.

I earned my Ph.D. in Social Work from the Smith College School for Social Work, and my M.S.W. from The Catholic University of America. I hold an undergraduate degree from Saint Olaf College where I studied Psychology and Religion.

How I Can Help

Therapy is relational in nature, and requires a commitment on the part of both therapist and client(s) to trust that the other will respond with an emotional honesty not found in other helping relationships. Pursuing therapy takes courage and requires vulnerability. The beginning of change and healing requires a leap of faith to start a dialogue about your feelings, thoughts, and ultimately, the meaning of difficult past and/or current experiences. You choose to do something about your suffering. With an empathic perspective, I can help you determine how that experience shapes your life today and how to make the necessary changes to live the life you want.

Important Life Experiences

I know personally how profoundly life-changing therapy can be, and have been engaged in therapy throughout my adult life. From the struggles of early adulthood and professional life, to marriage and raising children, the discipline and experience of therapy has helped me to be and do well. These experiences have made me who I am and inform my work with clients and couples. I am humbled by the trust clients put in me and, with that trust, I redouble my efforts to help clients and couples overcome roadblocks to their true selves.


FEES AND PAYMENT:

Payment is expected at each session. Checks or cash are preferred. Please make checks payable to “Keith Miller Counseling, LLC.” We also accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover (see credit card form below)

Fees for counseling appointments vary among our counselors. Dr. Jacobsen’s fees are as follows: Clients are expected to pay the standard fee of $240 per 50-minute session or $360 per 80 minute session at the end of each session unless other arrangements have been made. Your counselor will talk with you to determine the length of sessions. Typically couples meet for 80 minute sessions and individual appointments are 50 minutes. 


APPOINTMENT HOURS: Weekday evenings after 5pm only

We offer a 20-minute free phone consultation if you’re uncertain about scheduling your first regular appointment.


INSURANCE:Because we are licensed as professional social workers and counselors, our professional services do qualify for patient reimbursement under most insurance plans. Coverage varies widely from policy to policy, so you may want to review your benefits to determine your expected reimbursement.

Most insurance companies will not reimburse specifically for “marriage counseling,” “couples counseling,” or “relationship counseling.” The procedure code I use for couples that is generally reimbursable is called “conjoint psychotherapy.” This procedure code is 908.47. Use this language when inquiring with your insurance about reimbursement for couples counseling.

My services are provided directly to you, and your payment is made directly to me at the time of each session. If you decide to use your insurance, you can file for reimbursement with your insurance carrier, using the statement we will provide.

However, before making the decision to use your insurance coverage to reimburse you for therapy, please consider the following:

Confidentiality: All insurance companies require some information about the reason for psychological treatment in order to process your claim. In addition, managed care plans often require detailed information regarding the problem for which you are seeking help, history, symptoms, family life, work life, and so on. The information is entered into increasingly large information systems, and current regulations are not strong in protecting confidentiality.

Control of Treatment: Managed care companies may use the information to decide if treatment is medically necessary, what kind of therapy is approved, and, later, if it should continue. Many of the insurance company employees who make these decisions have limited training, and of course have never met with you.

Psychiatric Diagnosis: Health insurance is designed to pay for the treatment of illness. Therefore, a psychiatric diagnosis code must be given before most insurance companies will pay.


CANCELLATION AND INCLIMATE WEATHER POLICY

Since the scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of times specifically for you, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required for re-scheduling or canceling an appointment. Unless we reach a different agreement, the full fee will be charged for sessions missed without such notification. Most insurance companies do not reimburse for missed sessions.

In inclimate weather the cancellation policy is in effect unless the federal government is closed.

OFFICE POLICES AND FORMS FOR NEW CLIENTS OF MARK JACOBSEN:

Call Mark directly at 202-629-1949 ext. 5

Our fees are between $200-$400 for 50 minutes, depending on your counselor. We do not accept insurance, meaning we are not "in-network" with any health plans.
However, many of our clients submit claims to their out-of-network health insurance and receive 40-60% reimbursement.