APPOINTMENTS & PHONE CONSULTATIONS
To schedule an appointment, please call the office at 512.766.4632. Due to high call volume, please allow a minimum courtesy 24 hours to return calls.
Please make sure your voicemail is set up to receive messages. Texting is not a feature on the phone line. The call will appear as “UNKNOWN” in caller ID for your privacy and confidentiality.
Due to high demand for appointments, scheduled assessment appointments are held for 48 hours. If patients do not complete the paperwork to confirm their appointments within that timeframe, appointments will be released for other patients to schedule with Dr. Markle and access services.
If you have any questions prior to initiating treatment, Dr. Markle offers a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation. Phone consultations need to be scheduled. If you want to request a phone consultation, please request one in your voicemail message.
INSURANCE & FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Dr. Markle is in-network on select insurance panels. Please check your benefits, and know if you are eligible for in-network services. Patients are responsible for contracted fees for any unmet deductibles at the time of services. Out-of-network patients must pay at the time of service. Private pay also accepted.
We ask for kindness with our office billing, especially when using insurance. Insurance is constantly changing, and coverages may be confusing and complex. Please know we have no control over how claims are processed or how patient responsibility is determined by insurance companies. If planning to use insurance, patients must contact their insurance providers to obtain insurance eligibility and benefits for behavioral health (i.e., unmet deductibles, copay or coinsurance), as well as obtain any relevant referrals or pre-authorizations prior to appointments. Patients are also responsible for updating or providing any changes in insurance coverage.
EMAIL / TEXTING
Phone calls are preferred for appointments. Texting is not a feature on the phone line.
Email or texting will not be used to facilitate questions about psychological services, or neuropsychological results. Established patients have HIPAA secure messaging with Dr. Markle in the patient portal that they may use to ask any questions or communicate with Dr. Markle. Patients may also discuss with Dr. Markle if they need to use email, as long as they agree to limits to privacy and confidentiality.
RECORDINGS AND DOCUMENTATION
We do not consent to recording phone conversations, sessions, or assessments in our practice, as part of our standard office policies. Patients are welcome to bring a notebook and take notes at psychotherapy sessions, or assessment feedback sessions.
Psychotherapy patients may request treatment summary letters. Assessment patients will be able to download reports in their secure patient portal accounts.
WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE HEALTH/REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY?
Dr. Markle offers both psychological/neuropsychological assessment and psychological services (psychotherapy).
Integrative Health/Rehabilitation Psychology considers how biopsychosocial factors - or how biology, psychology, and social experiences - impact overall wellness.
Integrative health/rehabilitation psychologists are also trained in understanding the potential psychological impact of medical conditions, nutrition, medical treatments, and medications on stress, preventive health, lifestyle, quality of life, and adjustment to disability.
HOW DO THE ADDITIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION, INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE, AND NUTRITION CERTIFICATIONS HELP?
Understanding all aspects of human behavior, including nutrition, exercise, and sleep, are important to overall wellness, recovery from illness, cognitive functioning, and mood. Dr. Markle routinely pursues training and education in holistic wellness care. Board Certification and admission to the Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology attests to excellence and expertise in meeting the advanced education, training, and professional standing.
Dr. Markle also has specialized certification in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University, and is a certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider.
Research from institutions like Cornell University's T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies has shown that nutrition and exercise play a vital role in managing overall wellness and recovery from injury or illness, and may improve health- or reverse age-related conditions that may affect mental health. Dr. Markle is trained and certified to provide supplement and nutrition consultations within the context of mental and physical health conditions, as well as preventive/proactive health behaviors.
WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Psychotherapy is the pursuit of mental wellness through regularly scheduled sessions that facilitate change. Dr. Markle specializes in psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies well-established to be helpful with mental health.
Treatment can involve achieving awareness and insights to patterns, building coping skills, exploring health-related changes, or gaining support during difficult times. Psychotherapy is shown to be effective for individuals, couples and families facing life stress, difficult transitions and health milestones. Psychotherapy is also shown to be effective for caregivers coping with a loved one's cognitive decline, health concern or injury.
WHAT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND ITS BENEFITS?
A psychological assessment may be conducted by itself, or as a part of a larger neuropsychological assessment.
A psychological assessment involves the patient answering questions that help arrive at psychiatric diagnoses and treatment targets or goals. For example, the evaluation would help determine whether depression, anxiety or personality traits contribute to the personal context.
WHAT IS A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT?
Neuropsychology is a bridge between neurology and psychology.
Neuropsychology is a research-driven sub-specialty of clinical psychology that assesses how the brain and nervous system functioning influence cognition, behavior and emotions. Psychologists specializing in neuropsychology are trained to diagnose and treat behavior and cognitive effects of health and neurological disorders.
A series of tests can help determine whether a patient’s performance represents a pattern of strength or weakness when compared to the population, and help explain how the brain is functioning.
Neuropsychological assessments evaluate functioning in a number of areas including: intelligence, pre-morbid functioning, problem-solving, attention, memory, language, perception, sensorimotor functions, motivation and mood. Results determine whether the person is experiencing a neurocognitive disorder that may affect daily activities of daily living. Neuropsychology also takes in to account the patient’s experiences, observations, and the physician's referral question.
The assessment process is two appointments - an initial consultation that lasts 45-60 minutes, and a following testing session on a subsequent day. Testing can last anywhere from four to eight hours, depending on the nature of the assessment and patient needs.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT?
A neuropsychological evaluation may:
Assist with better understanding of safety and decision-making abilities. For example, neuropsychological data can suggest whether the person is safe to live independently, or suggest the type of safety checks from which the person would benefit to optimize lifestyle, including whether or not a person may be safe driving or benefit from additional help making financial, medical, and personal decisions.
Assist by providing target areas for optimal rehabilitation after an injury or accident. For example, help define whether the individual will benefit from certain treatments, including speech, occupational or physical therapy, psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy.
Assist in differential diagnosis between cognitive and psychological symptoms, or determine whether possible mental and behavioral changes are related to a mood, neurological condition or treatment response.
Provide a baseline snapshot of functioning against which future evaluations can be compared, or help monitor a patient's progress.
Assist with determining return to work capabilities after an injury or neurological event, and help identify possible options for reasonable accommodations at his or her college, university or workplace.
IS THERE ANY PREP FOR A PSYCHOLOGICAL OR NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT?
The only prep for a psychological or neuropsychological assessment is to be adequately rested, and motivated to participate. Assessments are not pass-fail or right-wrong evaluations. The patient needs to be ready to work his or her hardest on every task presented.
Patients must also not take pharmacological sedatives or stimulants prior to the testing session.
WHAT MAY I EXPECT AFTER AN ASSESSMENT
An assessment is a very comprehensive process in gathering patient information and scoring and interpreting test results. After the assessment process is complete, Dr. Markle works to finalize reports in two to three clinical weeks. Thank you for your patience. Once completed, the report is made available to the person who underwent the assessment, as well as to any third parties they provide written/digital authorization. The process will also be discussed in detail in the new patient paperwork and during the initial consultation.