FAQ

All sessions are held virtually via a secure video on a platform I use, called Orchid. I am able to see people who live in the state of California.

Some benefits of online counseling:

• Connect with a counselor from the coziness of your own couch, backyard or other favorite corner of your home

• Maintain consistent therapeutic support when traveling for work or otherwise

• Have the freedom to do ANYTHING you need to immediately after a session, including meditate, cry, sing, draw, journal, or sleep (which I often recommend after sessions)

• Snuggle with your dog or cat, or other pet while we talk

• Schedule therapy during the work day (when you can secure a private, comfortable place to do so and it does not add stress!)

After our free 15-minute video consultation, if we both feel it’s a good fit, we’ll choose a weekly meeting time. Once your first session is scheduled, you’ll receive an email from my online platform, Orchid, with a few forms to complete. These include my practice policies and a short questionnaire to help me get to know you a bit before we begin.

I’ll also collect your payment information so session fees can be taken care of automatically after each appointment—no need to think about it each week. I’m not able to hold our first session until the forms are completed, so please be sure to get those in before we start.

Our first session will be mostly about getting to know you, what brings you to therapy, and what you’re hoping for from our work together. From there, we’ll start shaping the path ahead.

It is expected that life will occur and sessions will need to be cancelled, however, I ask that you do your best to keep to our agreed upon cadence for sessions, as best you can.

When an appointment needs to be cancelled due to a conflict, I will do my best to fit you into a different slot that week.

In the case of late cancellations, less than 24 hours prior to our appointment, the full fee will be charged. In the event of unexpected illness or family emergency, please do let me know in the event a fee waive is applicable.

I am currently an out-of-network provider and do not directly accept insurance. However, if you have a PPO, I work with Mentaya, who will automatically file out-of-network claims for you so you can avoid the hassle and overwhelm of this, and help you potentially get partial reimbursement for my services.

You can use this tool below to check your insurance and see what portion of my fee your insurance will cover.

Check Your Benefits Here

It is your responsibility to pay our agreed upon fee for services at the time they are rendered, regardless of your insurance arrangements. Services may be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee benefit plan.

I generally believe that therapy is not needed in perpetuity and that people are best served by strengthening the supports and resources in their lives, both internal and external and then trusting in yourself to fully actualize your intentions.

However, everyone is unique and life is unexpected, so it is impossible to predict how long it will take to resolve the issues you came to therapy to address. My commitment to you is to openly discuss this and to support you, as best I can, to get to a place where we can mutually decide that therapy is no longer needed.

It is not uncommon for these to be conflated, but they are actually quite different.

Mental health is a general term that usually refers to one's emotional, psychological and social well being. It also helps determine how we relate to others, manage stress and make choices in our life.

Mental illness refers to a health condition that involves changes in one's emotions, thinking or behavior, or some combination of them all and is causing a significant impact on one's ability to function in some area of their life, either socially or occupationally and are usually persistent for periods of time, not intermittent.

Some mental health conditions are shorter in nature, usually when they have been triggered by a life event, and are deemed “Adjustment Disorders'', but others can be more long standing, or episodic, like Major Depressive Disorder, or Bipolar Disorder.

If you think you have a Mental Health Disorder, this is something we will certainly discuss and address in the course of therapy.

According to Ca law, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical 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 bill for medical items and services. This appears to apply to mental health care as well.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or 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 or call 1-800-985-3059.

I always say, I did not decide, it decided for me. After nearly 20 years working in non-profit organizations both training and supervising therapists, as well as providing care to young adults and families, I left to work for a large corporation overseeing mental health programs. When the pandemic hit, everything changed. It was a winding path, but despite not thinking I would ever open my own practice, it is where I find myself now and I could not be happier.