Audrey Cleary, Ph.D., ABPP

What are your professional credentials?

I am a Florida-licensed clinical psychologist. I earned a B.A. from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in Psychology from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona. I am Board certified in Clinical Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). I work as a staff psychologist at the University of Miami (UM) Counseling Center, where I completed my doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship. I provide individual and group therapy to adults with a wide range of concerns, and oversee the psychological assessment activities carried out by doctoral psychology interns. I am the immediate Past President of the Florida Society of Clinical Hypnosis (2022-2024).

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Where are you located?

I am conducting all sessions using a HIPAA-secure version of Zoom. I have no plans to return to the office at this time. 

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Do I need to be located in Florida to have sessions with you?

I can work with clients who are physically located in Florida or any of the states participating in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (this list is kept up to date here: https://psypact.gov/page/psypactmap

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Do you have evening or weekend hours?

I am available for private clients on Monday-Thursday evenings between 6-8pm, and weekend (usually Sunday) mornings when possible. I am generally not available weekdays during the daytime. 

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What do you charge for a session? Do you take insurance?

I do not take insurance. My rates for individual therapy are below. I accept several electronic forms of payment, including credit card.

 

Initial session (55 minutes) $275

Follow-up sessions (50 minutes) $225

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Please see the last FAQ for information about seeking insurance reimbursement for therapy sessions.

What can I expect in the first session? I first seek to learn about what bothers you in the present and to understand your problems in the contexts of your history and your current environment. I offer a non-judgmental environment where we can examine your present as well as important past experiences. At the end of the session, I will offer you a preliminary idea of how we might work together toward your therapy goals.

What therapeutic approaches do you use? I often draw on principles and techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and at times introduce clinical hypnosis as a component of treatment to help with symptom relief and self-exploration. We will work together to identify thoughts, feelings, and inner conflicts that may keep you from doing as well as you would like. I seek to disarm guilt and shame so that we can clearly and objectively explore alternate ways of being and relating. My aim is to work collaboratively with you to move in the direction of your therapy goals. This process may come about by your gaining a better understanding of yourself or by changing some aspect of your thinking or behavioral patterns. 

What are the benefits of psychotherapy? 

From working in therapy, you can feel happier, calmer, less distressed, and more confident. You can have better relationships, a clearer view of yourself, and will come closer to your best potential. Clients who come to me receive feedback on what is troubling them, assistance in sorting out their emotions, thoughts, and reactions to life events, and are offered new ways of coping with and overcoming personal obstacles. 

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What about getting my insurance to help pay for treatment - how does that work?

Some insurance plans have out-of-network benefits, which means that they will pay for a portion of treatment with therapists and other health care professionals who are not in the plan's network. If your plan has those benefits, then the company would reimburse you for part of the cost of therapy after you have met your deductible. The specific amounts covered vary, depending on the details of your plan. To find out about your insurance benefits, you can call the phone number listed on the back of your insurance card (if there is a separate number for mental or behavioral health, call that one) and ask whether your plan covers services with out-of-network mental health professionals.

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- If they tell you yes, you can ask them to clarify: 

 The deductible you have to meet before out-of-network coverage kicks in, and how much of the deductible you have already met 

 The percentage of the out-of-network professional's fees that they will reimburse, or the dollar amount or percentage that will be your responsibility

 What you will need to do to get reimbursed for out-of-network services  

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- If they answer no, then your insurance only covers treatment with therapists who take your particular plan. If using insurance is a priority, you can ask them for a list of covered therapists in your area.

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Although therapy may seem expensive, it can be quite cost-effective. The benefits often continue after treatment ends, because you will have learned about yourself, found new and healthier perspectives, made behavioral changes for the better, and/or developed new ways of coping that you can use any time.

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