Are sessions currently conducted in person?
Therapy sessions for individual, couples, and family can be conducted in-person or through our HIPPA Compliant Zoom Platform.
Intensive Outpatient Program sessions are conducted in-person only. Evening groups vary but are generally in-person except for special circumstances.
Are the sessions covered by insurance?
We are an out-of-network provider for all insurance companies.
It is important for you to contact your insurance company to make sure you have out-of-network mental health benefits which cover intensive outpatient programs, individual therapy, couples therapy, fanily therapy, or group therapy.
We do not submit billing invoices/paperwork to your insurance company. Patients need to submit invoices directly to their insurance company for reimbursement. Petoskey Center requires patients to pay upfront for their treatment and will provide patients with superbills/invoices that can be submitted for reimbursement.
Petoskey Center does not accept any payment directly from insurance companies.
Insurance companies have stringent requirements for what constitutes medical necessity for any given treatment. This is true for individual, couples, family, and group therapy. For instance, insurance companies tend to view the IOP level of care as crisis intervention. Consequently, that often limits the time that they allow for patients to participate in IOP level of care. By contrast, we consider IOP level of care as an opportunity to work beyond crisis and into a more thorough management of patients’ mental health difficulties. Therefore, you and your Petoskey treatment team may feel that continued treatment is recommended beyond what your insurance company finds medically necessary. In these cases, we will work with you to figure out how best to proceed.
Do you prescribe Medication?
No. We do not prescribe medication, however we may suggest that you consult with a psychiatrist if we feel that medication could be a useful addition to your treatment regimen. Additionally, we are happy to collaborate with your psychiatrist or primary care physician to coordinate care.
What is the Intake process?
Before you can officially begin treatment at Petoskey Center, you will need to schedule an intake with one of our clinicians.
We encourage you to call to find out more about our services. This will give you a better understanding of our programs/services and help our team collaborate with you to determine whether our services would be a good fit for your needs.
Upon scheduling an intake assessment, you will be sent forms to complete which we ask that you return to us on the day of or before your initial assessment. You will not be able to begin the intake session until you submit the required forms.
If you have had a psychological assessment or recently discharged from the hospital, we ask that you provide us with the assessment or discharge summary to help us get to know you better.
During the actual face-to-face intake, you will meet with Dr. Jennifer Markey or Jenny Layer, LMSW depending on the service that you are seeking.
Together, you will:
1) explore your current physical, mental, and emotional difficulties,
2) identify how these issues impact your daily functioning,
3) clarify your treatment goals
4) determine what services are the best fit for your needs
5) if appropriate, set a start date for services to begin
For some patients, it can be incredibly difficult to talk about and face the reality of their issues, but our team of clinicians will do our best to help you feel comfortable as you work to share your life experiences with us. You can have the utmost degree of confidence that our team of therapists will respond to you with understanding and compassion at every turn.
What types of therapy are included in IOP?
Mentalization-Based Therapy
Mentalizing tasks the patient with understanding the inner workings of their minds and the minds of others. Specifically, mentalizing is the psychological process individuals use to understand emotions, beliefs, and other factors that impact interpersonal interactions. Whether you are conscious of it or not, mentalizing is a critical part of the human experience. If you find yourself frequently caught up in negative thought patterns or making assumptions about yourself or others that don’t always pan out, learning to mentalize may help you come to understand the world, yourself, and others more effectively.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a depth-oriented approach to treatment that focuses on understanding how your past experiences, unconscious patterns, and relational dynamics shape the way you think, feel, and behave today. Rather than focusing solely on symptom relief, psychodynamic therapy helps you explore the deeper roots of your emotional pain and develop greater self-awareness and insight. Over time, this process allows you to break free from longstanding patterns that may be holding you back and move toward a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
Family Dynamics
Learning about family dynamics allows you to explore how different relationships, patterns, and communication styles within your family system have shaped who you are and how you show up in the world. Whether you are navigating conflict, improving communication, or working through longstanding relational wounds, this approach helps individuals gain a deeper understanding of how they relate to one another. By identifying unhealthy patterns and developing new ways of connecting, learning about family dynamics creates the foundation for healthier, more supportive relationships both within the family and beyond.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based approach to treatment that helps individuals manage intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviors, and build a life worth living. Originally developed for individuals with borderline personality disorder, DBT has since proven effective for a wide range of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and trauma. Through a focus on four core skill areas — mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness — DBT equips patients with practical, real-world tools to navigate difficult emotions and relationships with greater balance and confidence.