How do I select a therapist?
There are many aspects that impact your experience of therapy. As you think about what you would like in a therapist, you may have some general preferences, such as gender, age range, familiarity with a certain cultural background or lifestyle. You may also have some preferences on structure of the therapy, such as frequency of appointments, goals for length of treatment, range of direction from the therapist. To some degree, you can get a sense of these components from reading about my approach. Or, you may not have specific preferences for therapeutic styles. Whatever the case, it can feel overwhelming to take steps to select a therapist.

Central to the experience is the therapeutic relationship. You will have a unique dynamic with each therapist; this is why the therapeutic relationship is so valued and so critical. The best way to assess goodness of fit is to engage in a session to see what therapy feels like with a particular therapist. Of course, it is expected that the first sessions may feel a bit awkward—especially if you are new to therapy—because therapy is in many ways unlike most other encounters we have in our day-to-day lives. I welcome clients to talk with me about how they are experiencing therapy and myself, because this allows us to figure out together what a client is in need of and what would be helpful. It is okay to get started with a therapist and decide, “Maybe this isn’t the best fit for me.” There is always room to acknowledge this and discuss if a referral to another therapist is needed. Regardless of the therapist or therapy type you choose to seek out, you should feel safe to share with your therapist, and your therapist should be able to keenly listen and talk with you in a respectful and open manner.

How often do we meet for therapy?
Within the framework of my approach, I recommend that we begin by meeting once weekly. This allows us to assess if we are a good fit for your treatment process, while we have a chance to build a sense of one another. During the course of treatment, I usually continue meeting weekly with a client, but we may discuss the potential benefits of meeting twice weekly. In this case, we would collaborate on the decision, taking into account your presenting concerns, our therapeutic process, and your finances. Toward the termination phase of therapy, we will decide together how best to end, and this sometimes leads to spacing sessions to every other week.

What is the cost for therapy sessions?
My fee is $140 per session. I reserve a portion of my caseload slots for sliding scale fee. I also accept insurance. I am contracted as an in-network provider for Aetna and PacificSource. Many insurance companies will pay a portion of your session cost to out-of-network providers, and I can file claims with these insurance plans. I work with an insurance billing specialist who can help you understand your mental health coverage and copayment cost as we discuss scheduling. Because every plan is different, I always encourage prospective clients to speak to my insurance biller in order to know their options.

What if I want to talk to my insurance company directly before I contact prospective therapists?
Questions to ask your insurance provider:

• Do I have mental health insurance benefits?
• How do my benefits differ for in-network and out-of-network therapists?
• Does my plan require a referral from my primary care physician?
• What is my deductible and has it been met?
• How many sessions per year does my insurance cover?
• Is there a maximum monetary limit per year that my plan covers?
• What is the copayment amount per therapy session?