Frequently Asked Questions

— Your issues are interfering with daily life.

— Your friends and family are worried about you.

— You turn to dangerous coping mechanisms.

— You’ve exhausted your other options.

Therapy is used to treat a wide range of mental health conditions, including:

— Addiction

— Anxiety disorders

— Bipolar disorder

— Depression

— Eating disorders

— Obsessive-compulsive disorder

— Phobias

— Post-traumatic stress disorder

— Substance use disorder

In addition, therapy has been found to help people cope with the following:

— Chronic pain or serious illnesses

— Trauma

— Abuse

— Bullying and peer pressure

— Divorce and break-ups

— Grief or loss

— Insomnia

— Low self-esteem

— Relationship problems: family, social and work

— Anger

— Stress, anxiety or worry

The first session of therapy can be anxiety-provoking, and it’s normal to feel nervous or unsure of what to expect. I’ll ask general questions to get a sense of your background, your past experience with therapy, and what issues you’re hoping to address. I will share my modality or style and offer an outline of what you can expect. Logistical details, such as going over informed consent and setting up a payment schedule, will happen in the first session as well.

Subsequent sessions will be aimed at relieving emotional distress and/or mental health problems. You and I will develop a working relationship designed to help you begin to feel comfortable and safe. While maintaining an open-mind and through honest communication, we will gain insight into your life choices and exam the difficulties you face. Our sessions will be structured with a goal of improving some facets of your life, but the critical element is that we work collaboratively and can identify potential for improvement and positive change over time.

Initially sessions are once a week, occurring on an agreed-upon date and time. At some point (and this will look different for every person), the goal will be to reduce services to bi-monthly and see how well you are able to manage with your new insights and skills. When you can maintain a good level of functioning in the areas of your life that were challenging, then we discuss termination. Some clients discover during this period that they still need support and resume sessions. Other clients come in once a month for a check-in or come in if they experience a challenging life event that they need extra support to get through. Many have learned to plan ahead and schedule time with me for support before a known life transition occurs. Scheduling therapy is a collaborative choice and I will support you in making such decisions when the time comes.

— Improved communication skills.

— Healthier thinking patterns and greater awareness of negative thoughts.

— Greater insights about your life.

— Ability to make healthier choices.

— Better coping strategies to manage distress.

— Stronger family bonds

From experience, I've seen that those patients who have sessions consistently are the ones ready to do the work and the ones who get the most out of the experience. Especially at the beginning, in order to build a sense of safety and to get a good understanding of how therapy works, weekly sessions are a best standard practice. Consistency is the most effective way to produce change. It is not my intention for you to be in therapy forever, but I do want therapy to be effective and produce positive results. Think of it like trying to learn a new sport — if you only participate in the games and don't practice at least once a week, are you going to improve much?

Being honest with your therapist: Don't try to hide problems or feelings. Your goal is to show up as your true self without trying to hide aspects of your personality that you might be afraid to reveal.

Feeling your feelings: Don't try to hide negative or distressing emotions such as grief, anger, fear, or jealousy. Talking about these feelings within the context of therapy can help you understand them better.

Being open to the process: Work on forming an open and genuine therapeutic alliance with your therapist. Some research suggests that therapy is most effective when you feel a connection with the therapist treating you.

Attending your sessions: Life gets busy but try to stick to your treatment plan and scheduled appointments as best you can.

Doing the work: If your therapist assigns homework to work on outside of your sessions, make an effort to finish it before the next session.

Please call to inquire about my fee. A typical session is 50 minutes. Payment is due at the end of every session.

You can pay by cash, check, or with your credit card through Ivy Pay (a HIPPA compliant app). In addition, it is my policy to keep a credit card on file in the event of a less than 24-hour cancellation.

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

No, and here is why. Most third-party reimbursement plans require you to authorize me to provide a formal diagnosis of a mental health disorder for the individual involved in therapy. Sometimes, they require additional clinical information such as a treatment plan or case summary. In rare cases, they request a copy of your entire record, which I will not release without your explicit written authorization. This information will become part of the insurance companies’ files and in all probability, some of it will be digitized. All insurance companies claim to keep such information confidential; however, once the information is out of my hands, I have no control over what is done with it. What I can do is provide you with a Superbill to give to your insurance company, and you may negotiate reimbursement with them directly. Due to a wide variety of types of third-party reimbursement, I can make no guarantee that any particular company or insurer will provide payment for the services that you receive.

Call for a free 15-minute consultation! If you have a question that has not been answered, we will use this consultation to answer any remaining questions you have. This will also be a great time to get a feel for one another and to see if we are comfortable working together.