Frequently Asked Questions
Are you currently accepting new clients?
Yes, I currently have two spaces available for new clients.
Do you offer virtual therapy?
Sessions are in person except in cases of inclement weather, illness, or extenuating circumstances. If it is not safe to travel or either of us is experiencing any symptoms of cold/flu/Covid-19, we will meet virtually on Zoom. The version of Zoom we will use is HIPAA-compliant to ensure your privacy. Clients with chronic illness may also find the option to meet virtually helpful in the event that their symptoms preclude them from traveling to the office, but they are feeling well enough to participate in a session. Telehealth is a great resource for us to ensure your access to therapy when the unexpected comes up. But generally speaking, I don’t offer all-virtual therapy, so plan to come regularly in person.
How much will therapy cost?
Rates
Phone Consultation, 15 min Free
First Intake Session, 60 min $200
Regular Session, 50 min $175
Insurance
I’m out-of-network with insurance companies. I partner with Mentaya, a platform that automatically submits claims to your insurance company for every therapy session you attend, making the process of getting reimbursed for out-of-network therapy hands-off for you. If you have out-of-network benefits, you should be eligible to be reimbursed for 30–80% of the cost of therapy after you’ve met your out-of-network deductible. In exchange for handling the claims submission process for you, Mentaya charges a fee of 5% of the claim amount (5% of $175 = $8.75 fee charged per claim). Once you sign up, you don’t have to do anything else — you will receive the reimbursement you are owed directly from your insurance company when they have finished processing each claim. To check if you have out-of-network benefits and find out how much your insurance will reimburse, use the free benefit checker — it takes about 1 minute.
I only recommend companies that will truly benefit my clients and that I believe to operate ethically and transparently. You don’t have to use Mentaya to get reimbursed — you can do it yourself for free if you’d like. Using Mentaya’s service is 100% optional, and as your therapist I do not benefit in any way from your participation. If you intend to use out-of-network insurance benefits, it’s also important to know that whether you submit the claims yourself or sign up for Mentaya, insurance companies only reimburse for treatment they consider “medically necessary.” This means your insurance will only reimburse you for therapy if you meet diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder, and this diagnosis will be shared with your insurance, just like physical diagnoses are shared when you go to a doctor’s appointment.
Other Ways to Save
Other ways to save on therapy include taking advantage of programs offered by your employer. By using a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) card to pay for therapy, you can save 20–30% since the money in these accounts is not subject to income tax. Some employers also reimburse employees for the cost of therapy, up to a pre-determined benefit amount. Check with your workplace to see if any of these benefits are available to you.
Payment Methods
I accept debit and credit cards, including HSA/FSA cards. I am not able to accept cash or payment via apps such as Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle.
Other Considerations
Lastly, as you consider investing your time and money in yourself by going to therapy, it is helpful to know that every couple of months I am out of the office for about a week at a time, totaling about 9 weeks of office closure per year. In addition, clients typically cancel 3-8 sessions per year due to travel, illness, and scheduling conflicts. Due to these missed sessions, a commitment to weekly meetings usually comes out, on average, to meeting about 3x/month.
What will the process of starting therapy be like? And how long will therapy last?
A good fit between therapist and client is the most important determiner of how well therapy will work for you. It’s hard to be vulnerable and grow if you’re working with someone you feel doesn’t “get it”, or a therapist who only uses approaches that sound unappealing to you. Before you commit to coming for an appointment, we’ll start with a free 15-minute consultation call so we can both get a feel for whether it might be a good fit. If not, I’m happy to provide referrals for other providers who might be a better fit. Of course, my goal is for you to start off on the right foot with the right therapist for you, whether that therapist is me or not.
If you decide to schedule an initial intake appointment, that first appointment will last 60 minutes. I’ll send you an invitation to create a Client Portal account and fill out intake paperwork, which must be completed 24 hours before your appointment. After your first appointment, future appointments will be 50 minutes long.
Once we’ve gotten the ball rolling, my approach aims to help you get to the root of the symptoms or challenges you're having so you can experience transformative, lasting benefits from therapy. “Solutions-focused therapy” and “brief therapy” focus on problem solving, identifying alternate coping skills, and often last 2 to 4 months. That’s not what I offer — my clients describe the work as “going deep.” Change that will endure takes time, so you’re unlikely to experience lasting relief after, say, 10 sessions. Clients who are navigating the issues I specialize in treating often stay in therapy between 12 and 24 months, but how long therapy will take is highly specific to each individual and their goals. There are no hard-and-fast recommendations, and no requirement to engage in therapy for any particular length of time. As we go, I can offer recommendations to continue or discontinue therapy based on your goals and your progress toward them, but you are always in charge of deciding when you’re ready to stop therapy.
One more note about ending therapy: Often, the same coping mechanisms we rely on to manage our lives outside therapy also show up to manage our relationship with our therapist. This means you may, at some point, feel that it would be easier to just quit therapy than to work through a bump in the road with your therapist. The decision to end therapy abruptly is often fueled by emotion: We flee because we feel scared or angry and believe there is no way through it, so we turn away from it altogether. Although relieving of discomfort in the short term, this hurts our capacity for relationship and emotional regulation in the long term. One of the best parts of a therapeutic relationship is the unique opportunity it presents to work through any hesitations or conflicts you might experience that would normally result in an untimely ending to a relationship. If at any point you are feeling dissatisfied or experience the urge to flee from therapy, you don’t have to keep it to yourself or struggle with it alone. I will not take it personally! I very warmly welcome you to share any concerns about me or your progress in therapy as we work together. In fact, these moments are often when the best work happens.
Can I come to therapy on a biweekly or monthly basis?
This is a hard question to answer, because everyone’s needs are different. The short answer is maybe, but not to start. Given the concerns my clients typically bring to therapy (and that you likely will, too, if my website resonates with you), I’ve found weekly sessions to be clinically appropriate and most beneficial for at least the first 3-4 months of therapy. Many of my clients continue to come weekly until they are ready to end therapy altogether. However, others reach a point at which it’s both clinically appropriate and more sustainable in their routine to come biweekly. If a client has been coming to therapy biweekly and feels ready for another reduction in frequency, we can schedule sessions on an as-needed basis, depending on availability. This is rare, however, as clients are typically ready to discontinue therapy altogether by that time.
I strongly encourage potential clients who are interested in biweekly or monthly therapy primarily due to financial constraints to begin therapy with a therapist who provides services at a rate that would not create hardship to attend on a more regular basis, in case more frequent sessions are needed to make the progress they desire. Since therapy is not a quick fix, but usually a slow and deeply personal process, this maximizes clients’ freedom and flexibility to attend and eventually discontinue therapy on a timeline that aligns with their true needs, rather than experiencing financial pressure to end therapy before they are ready. That said, I know that affordable care is increasingly difficult to access within our very flawed healthcare system. Open Path Collective is one available resource that helps connect clients with therapists who are able to provide services at a cost of $30-$70 per session.
What else do I need to know before I come?
The health, well-being, and comfort of everyone who walks through the door is my first priority. In service of this, please read the information below:
Fragrance-Free Policy
Please do not wear any products that contain fragrance to sessions, including perfumes, colognes, scented lotions or hand sanitizers. Health conditions like asthma, migraine headaches, and allergies may be worsened by contact with fragrances, so if you are unsure whether a product is too fragrant to wear, please err on the side of caution and leave it off.
Sick Policy
If you are experiencing even mild symptoms of cold, flu, or Covid-19, I require that we meet via telehealth. Just send me a message, and I’ll provide a meeting link.
Accessibility & Parking Information
The building has a free parking lot. There are two disability parking spaces located closest to the entrance, but please note the loading space is not quite large enough for a van ramp if you are a wheelchair user and traveling alone. There are no steps to enter the lobby. From the lobby, there are both stairs and an elevator to the second floor. My office is located in Suite 230 on the left side of the hallway.
There are binary-gendered restrooms available for use on both floors. Unfortunately, the building does not have any gender-neutral facilities.
Lighting in my office is soft, and fluorescent lighting is never used. Lighting can always be adjusted as needed, so please feel free to ask. Blankets, heating pads, and ice packs are available to maximize comfort during sessions.
