Health anxiety, OCD and intrusive thoughts · Durham, NC
Therapy for the thoughts that keep asking for proof
Vertex is a solo practice in Durham for adults whose minds keep checking, searching and asking what if. Nathan Lovett uses exposure and response prevention, in person or by video.
Reassurance and relief
Reassurance and relief are not the same thing
Checking, googling and asking someone to say it is fine can feel like relief. This is how we tell them apart.
| Reassurance | Relief, as we work toward it | |
|---|---|---|
| What it looks like | ReassuranceSearching a symptom, asking a friend if it looks normal, rechecking a lock or a lump, rereading a message. | Relief, as we work toward itNoticing the thought, naming the urge to check, and choosing not to follow it. |
| How it feels at first | ReassuranceCalming, often within minutes. | Relief, as we work toward itUncomfortable, and practiced at a pace you agree on before each step. |
| What it teaches | ReassuranceThat the thought needed an answer. | Relief, as we work toward itThat you can be unsure and still get on with your day. |
| What tends to happen next | ReassuranceThe question comes back, and the checking can grow. | Relief, as we work toward itNathan sets the pace with you. Nothing is a surprise, and no result is promised. |
What we work on
Where we can help
Vertex sees adults, 18 and older. If you need a prescriber, psychological testing or care for a child, we will say so and help you find the right person.
OCD
Intrusive thoughts, urges and the rituals that follow them, with exposure and response prevention.
OCD and ERPHealth anxiety
Checking your body, searching symptoms and needing to hear that you are fine.
Health anxietyIntrusive thoughts
Unwanted thoughts that feel out of character, and what to do when they will not leave.
Intrusive thoughts
Your clinician
Nathan Lovett, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Vertex is a one-person practice, so you see the same person every time.
Nathan works with adults in person in Durham and by video anywhere in North Carolina. He explains each step before you take it, and the pace stays yours.
50-minute sessions
In person, or by video if you are in North Carolina
A written plan for the week, if you want one
On the record
Licensed in North Carolina
Nathan is licensed to practice clinical mental health counseling in North Carolina.
North Carolina license
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)
NC Lic. # 000000 · North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors
Required to practice counseling in North Carolina
How it works
A plan you can see before each session
Nothing in the room is a surprise.
You write first
A short message with your name and how to reach you. No health details: you tell Nathan in the room.
A first session to map it
Nathan listens, explains how the work goes and where confidentiality ends, and you decide whether to go on.
One step at a time
Practice is planned together, in small steps, and never done to you or without your say.
How fees work
The answers to what nearly everyone asks before a first session.
Insurance we work with
Vertex is out of network with insurance plans, so you pay for each session yourself. Nathan is not enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid. If you would rather see someone who bills your plan, we will gladly give you the names of colleagues.
Out of network with insurance plans
Not enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid
If you pay yourself
You pay at the end of each session by card, including HSA and FSA cards. There is no contract and no payment in advance. What sets the fee is the kind of session and how long it runs: 60 minutes for the first session and 50 for each one after. If we agree on longer sessions for exposure practice, that goes in your written fee first. You get the fee in writing before you start. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are open; ask how to request one. We ask for 24 hours' notice to change an appointment.
Receipts for reimbursement
Each month we give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and kind of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of out-of-network care. It carries a diagnosis code your insurer can see. Your plan decides whether it pays anything; ask it before you start.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written good faith estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
Checking your benefits
We do not check benefits, because we do not bill your plan. If you want to know whether your plan reimburses, call it before the first session and ask about out-of-network outpatient mental health services.
Questions
What people ask before they write
Do you take my insurance?
Vertex is out of network with insurance plans, so you pay for each session yourself and we give you a monthly receipt you can send to your plan. Nathan is not enrolled with Medicare or Medicaid. If you want someone who bills your plan, we will give you names of colleagues.
What happens in the first session?
It lasts 60 minutes. Nathan listens, explains how exposure and response prevention works, and goes over the limits of confidentiality and the possible risks and benefits of therapy. You decide whether to go on, and at what pace. You do not need to prepare anything.
How often, and for how long?
Sessions run 50 minutes, and many people begin weekly. Nathan sets the pace with you and does not promise a number of sessions.
Will you ask me to do things I am afraid of?
Exposure practice is planned with you in small steps, and nothing happens without your say. You hear what a step is, and why, before you take it. You can pause or stop at any point.
What is confidential, and what are the limits?
We keep your records private and share them only as the law allows. Before you start we explain the limits in writing, in plain words.
What do I do in a crisis?
Call or text 988, any time, or call 911 in an emergency. Messages to Vertex are not read around the clock, so do not wait for us to answer.
Write to us
Tell us how to reach you
We reply within one business day. If you would rather talk first, we offer a 15-minute call to see whether we fit; it is not therapy, an evaluation or an assessment.
- Monday – ThursdayToday
- 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed