Frequently Asked Questions

a journal and a range of markers, pens, and highlighters. On the page of the journal is a mood tracking chart
Do you accept insurance?

As an out-of-network provider, I don’t accept insurance but can provide you with documentation if you are eligible for reimbursement from your insurance company.

No Surprises Act

Beginning January 1, 2022, the law requires healthcare providers to give clients who don’t have insurance or 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 of the total expected cost of non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.

You can ask your healthcare provider and any other provider you choose for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service or at any time during treatment. If you receive a bill of 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.

How do I get started with therapy?

Please note: At this time there are no openings for therapy and no waitlist.

What can I expect when therapy begins?

Face-to-face video sessions are provided using a safe, secure, HIPAA-compliant format and occur in the comfort of your home.

Before we meet, I will ask you to complete some paperwork about yourself and your reason for seeking therapy.

The first two sessions will be spent getting to know you and completing an assessment. This will help me learn how you decided to start therapy and your goals. I will listen, work to understand what is important to you, and answer any questions you have.

You can expect that therapy will be personalized to you. When appropriate, I will utilize specialized evidence-based approaches designed to address your specific challenges.

I recognize that this is a new relationship and that it may take time to build trust, and comfort, and for you to feel fully understood. I accept ownership of my role in our relationship and will work to develop a partnership with you throughout the therapy process.

How can I prepare for a telehealth visit?

Prior to your visit, identify a comfortable place, free of distractions, where you can be seen and heard.

Make sure your space is secure and private, including from other family/household members, before starting the virtual visit.

What types of therapy are offered?
  • Family, Couples and Individual Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and depression 
  • Mindfulness and Expressive Art Based Psychotherapy
  • Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a time-limited empirically supported psychotherapy that focuses on interpersonal factors (such as the death of someone important in your life, conflict or tension in an important relationship, or a change in roles) connected to or maintaining current distress and difficulty. IPT focuses on decreasing anxiety, depression, or other related symptoms, improving interpersonal functioning, and increasing social support.

For Trauma

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a time-limited, empirically supported treatment for children and families exposed to traumatic life events. Children and their caregivers obtain knowledge and skills related to processing the trauma, managing distressing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and enhancing safety, parenting skills, and family communication. TF-CBT is the most researched and most supported of all current treatments for childhood posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and child trauma.
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a short-term empirically supported cognitive-behavioral therapy for adults with PTSD and related conditions. Trauma can change the way you think about yourself and the world. These kinds of thoughts keep you stuck and cause you to miss out on things you used to enjoy. CPT teaches you a new way to handle these upsetting thoughts.
  • Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) is a strength-based empirically-supported group therapy model for youth ages 12-21 designed to improve the emotional, social, academic, and behavioral functioning of adolescents exposed to chronic trauma and/or stress. It can also be provided in individual and/or family therapy.

    Goals are to help teens cope more effectively in the moment, enhance self-efficacy, connect with others, establish supportive relationships, build awareness, & create meaning in their lives.
What role can parents have in the process?

Family Therapy 
Parents and other caregivers are a crucial part of the healing journey for children. Research and experience show us that the best way to address conflict and stress in a family is by building stronger relationships between parents and their children. We also know that this can be hard. A therapist can help notice patterns, teach skills, and facilitate communication to support change in behavior, manage strong emotions, and improve family connections.

Individual Therapy 
I also know that helping your child cope with stress and adversity can be particularly challenging when there are other demands on your time and day-to-day stressors.

On top of that, providing care to someone else can leave you feeling worn out physically, mentally, and/or emotionally. This can lead to irritability, difficulty with concentration and organization, feeling numb or detached, and intense, lasting thoughts and feelings about what your loved one has experienced.

Many caregivers find that starting therapy for themselves can provide an opportunity for reflection, processing, and skill building. Attending to your own needs can help increase your ability to respond to the needs of others with less stress and frustration.  

What are typical results?

Actively participating in therapy as recommended can lead to meaningful change including:

  • Increasing understanding of your symptoms and reactions
  • Building awareness of your inner experience (thoughts, beliefs, feelings)
  • Decreasing avoidance and emotional numbing
  • Learning skills to evaluate thinking and manage strong emotions
  • Learning strategies for improving communication
  • Reducing level of distress related to trauma memories
  • Managing feelings of anxiety and decrease guilt and shame
  • Improving day-to-day living
  • Feeling more prepared to handle problems and setbacks
Where can I learn more about trauma?

In times of stress, children are likely to act out more and may have overwhelming thoughts and emotions that they have difficulty communicating about and managing.

When youth experience traumatic events (e.g., abuse, death or separation of a loved one, bullying), they can feel out of control in their environment (e.g., no longer feel safe, don’t know what will happen next) and feel out of control on the inside (e.g., experience complicated thoughts, feelings, and physical responses like a pounding heart, feeling jumpy, on edge or numb, and problems with sleep).

Thankfully, there are effective therapeutic approaches that are designed to help children and families address the negative impact of traumatic and stressful events.

To learn more about specific trauma-related information, interventions, and resources based on your child’s needs, visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network by clicking https://www.nctsn.org.

To learn more about Post Traumatic Stress and interventions for adults, visit the National Center for PTSD by clicking https://www.ptsd.va.gov.

To learn more about resources, treatment, and training for Complex Trauma, visit  https://www.complextrauma.org.