Frequently Asked Questions

The first appointment is considered an intake session. My intake sessions are 75-90 minutes and my fee is $250. Each subsequent appointment will be a 45-55 minute therapy session and my fee is $175.

I currently take Cigna & Aetna.

Yes, I would be happy to provide you with a superbill at the end of each month that you may submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

If you plan to see me as a out of network provider, I encourage you to reach out to your insurance company to ask the following questions.

• Do I have out of network coverage?

• What percentage or amount does my insurance company reimburse me when I see an out of network provider?

• Do I have to meet a deductible before getting reimbursed by the insurance? If so, how much is my deductible?

• Do I need to get preauthorization to use my out of network benefits?

• Do I have a limit to how many therapy sessions I can have during the calendar year?

If you are concerned about the cost of therapy, please reach out to me so we can discuss if I have availability to see you at a reduced rate.

The free 15 minute consultation is an opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better. It also gives us an chance to see if I would be a good fit for you as a therapist before you commit to completing an intake session.

During this time, you can ask any questions you may have for me. I will also clarify the reasons you are seeking services so that I can determine that I have the skills necessay to work with you. If we decide that I am not a good fit for you, I would be happy to find you additional referral options.

I like to spend the initial appointment continuing to get to know you and gathering as much history as possible. Thus, I schedule my intake sessions for 75-90 minutes. Prior to the appointment, I will send you a link to my Electronic Health Record for you to complete the initial paperwork. Then at our appointment, I will make sure you understand my policies and that I have obtained informed consent from you to participate in therapy. I will focus the session on building rapport, asking questions, determining needs, and setting goals for therapy. This also continues to be an opportunity for you to get to know me better, ask any questions you may have, and to make sure you feel safe and comfortable with me as your therapist.

Therapy generally occurs weekly. Weekly appointments allow for us to continue to build rapport and begin to work on the reasons you are seeking treatment. As you progress in therapy, we will naturally titrate to less frequent sessions as you move towards your goals and do not feel like you need to come as often. My preference for begining therapy is weekly but my philosophy is, some therapy is better than no therapy so if you can only come in bi-weekly or monthly to start out with, we can make room for that.

In your weekly appointments, we will will discuss how you are doing, any major stressors, process the deeper issues and concerns for why you are seeking treatment, build new skills, set goals for the upcoming week, and review treatment as needed.

Our weekly appointments are an opportunity for us to work collaboratively to support you moving towards the goals and progress you are seeking. My goal will always be to provide a safe place for my clients to be seen, heard, and validated.

I consider myself an integrative therapist which means that I combine many different modalities, ideas, and techniques across the therapy field so that I create an individualized approach for helping my clients.

This may include techniques or principles from CBT, DBT, ACT, play therapy, mindfulness, systems theory, and trauma informed care.

In my opinion, the therapeutic relationship is the most vital part of therapy. Thus, I aim to create a safe and welcoming place for my clients no matter what they are facing or bringing to therapy.

I believe that my client’s know themselves best and that I am being invited into their lives to help guide them through their current challenges. Thus, my goal is to work collaboratively with you to help you identify what you want to acheive in therapy and begin doing the work together.

Beyond qualifications, you will want to ask yourself some questions. Based on your answers and your gut feeling, should help you determine what is a good fit for you. Also, always remember that you can always decide at any point in therapy that the therapist is not a right fit for you. You have a right to stop services at any time.

Did I feel like they listened to me?

Do I feel like our personalities meshed?

Do I feel like they were paying attention and focused on me and my needs?

Did I like their responses to my questions?

Did I feel safe and comfortable with them?

Are they open to me sharing my feelings and or constructive feedback if I don’t like the direction of therapy?

Therapy’s focus is on the client and their needs. Thus, a therapist is taught to be neutral and conscientious of not projecting our belief, values, etc. onto our clients. So, historically, therapist have not been open to sharing about themselves as result of us being cautious to not make therapy about them and or to make sure we preserve appropriate boundaries with our clients.

Given the climate of the world it may be important for you to know certain identifying labels and values your therapist holds. If you have any specific questions about my values, moral, or political leaning in determining if I am the right therapist for you. Please just ask.

Fundamentaly, I belive that all humans on this earth are worthy and valuable because they exist. We all deserve to be treated fairly, have equal rights, and should not be vicitimized because we are different from others. We are all looking to have a good life for ourselves and familes and should be allowed to pursue that without other’s creating obstacles for us because we may be different than you.

My goal will always be to honor my clients differences and to learn from them how they identify and what they value and believe.

Determining the length of therapy can look different for each individual person due to the circumstances of why they are seeking treatment, whether they have chronic mental health issues, or if they have complex trauma. Therapy can be as short as a few session if you are just trying to work through a challenging decision or as long as weekly sessions for year if you are overcoming a big life change.

I believe that the therapeutic relationship that it developed with a client and therapist can be visited for years to come. For example, you may start to see me to cope with some anxiety about a life change and see me for six months and then things improve and we stop services. Then you may go six months or years before another issue comes up and you may want to return. That could be for one session to process some things or it could mean another six months of therapy. My ultimate goal is to put myself out of job so that you can go out and enjoy life but also be here if you need a refresher or to stay awhile to help support you through whatever has come up in your life.

The No Surprises Act (NSA) is a federal law that protects patients from unexpected medical bills. It went into effect on January 1, 2022.

It says you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.