FAQs

Office hours vary throughout the week. I provide evening appointments on Mondays. The first appointment in the morning is at 8 am. Please call my office for specific days/times.

I provide a free initial 20-minute phone conversation to talk about challenges you are experiencing and assess ways I could support you in therapy. If I am unable to support your specific needs, then I am happy to provide you with referrals.

Please call me at least 24 hours in advance to cancel an appointment. If a 24-hour notice is not provided, the regular session fee will be applied to the missed appointment. If unforeseen emergency circumstances occur, please call me and we can talk about it.

Therapy sessions are 50 minutes long. An initial child/teen session is 90 minutes long where both the child and parent are seen independently and together at the end.

Please call my office for the current hourly session rate.

I can accept some clients at a reduced fee based on a sliding scale considering income and ability to pay. If I am not able to accommodate you at a reduced fee (limited spaces available), then I will provide you with referrals for agencies and/or other providers.

When I email you the initial paperwork, you can provide payment information online and will be charged after the session. If you prefer to pay in person, you are welcome to do so. I accept cash, check, and all major credit cards. Payment is due at the time of service.

I do not take insurance. I am happy to provide you with a Superbill that you may send in to your insurance company.

I suggest that you call your insurance provider prior to the first appointment and verify if you have any out-of-network benefits for mental health services. A lot of insurance companies do seem to offer this benefit. If you have this coverage, you will be reimbursed directly by your insurance company for our sessions. This typically is a percentage of the full rate.

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 healthcare 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 http://www.cms.gov/nosurprises

One of my specialties is working with women who experience anxiety and/or depression. I also work with children, men, and families who struggle with different challenges. I do not generally work with couples unless it is related to co-parenting, child rearing, or family therapy.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFC95100) and have earned a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. I received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Jose State University.

My experience is in working with adults, children, teenagers, and families in a variety of settings. I am experienced in working with adults to decrease symptoms and increase healthier coping strategies.

I have worked in a crisis stabilization unit supporting adults who were faced with mental health and substance/alcohol abuse challenges.

Additional training was completed at Uplift Family Services providing therapeutic services within an Intensive Outpatient Program for children ages 5-18 years old. Previously, I worked with younger children and their caregivers, ages 1-5 years old, in a community and clinical setting.

I have worked with adults and families in a Community Counseling Center in the past who were faced with various mental health challenges and stressors. I have gained valuable experience in various school-based environments, working with Elementary, Middle, and High School aged youth, parents, and staff members.

An important part of my background before becoming an LMFT was being centrally involved in a private medical office working closely with an Oncologist and Psychologist for eight years.

During this time, I became very involved in end-of-life transitions with patients and their families during severe distress. This was a profound experience since I worked with patients with a terminal diagnosis as they struggled to stay alive, and I became more comfortable with the truth of death. I now can use that experience to challenge clients to live their life more fully.

I am a certified EMDR Therapist and I have completed my training in the summer of 2021 with Jordan Shafter, MS, LPC at CompassionWorks. I started the certification process thereafter and worked with various consultants and engaged in additional training. EMDRIA provided me with the certification on March 1st, 2023.

I have supported families with children as young as three years old, depending on the needs and goals of the family. This is typically around parenting strategies and ways to support the young child if they are experiencing difficult behaviors, connecting with the parent, or other symptoms. I work with children and adults between the ages of 3 to 80 years old.

I use a variety of modalities within sessions. I provide EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) sessions. Typically, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skill-building strategies. I am not a certified CBT or DBT therapist; however, I utilize these strategies within sessions based on my experience and have found effective symptom relief with clients. I support the client within a humanistic and solution-focused framework.

This varies on the client’s progress and circumstances. Typically, anywhere from 3-12 months, depending on the needs and goals within therapy. I can work with clients for more than 12 months depending on the circumstances.

The goal of therapy is for me to work myself out of a job. My approach is for therapy to be another tool to be used by the client. Sessions mostly start weekly, then might progress to biweekly, and then terminate. Some clients do benefit from periodic “tune-ups” and come into the office after regular sessions have been terminated due to life circumstances, additional skill-building, etc.

No, you can sit up or stand up if you like, too 😊.

Therapy is different for each person depending on your specific needs and goals. We might work on a specific goal or support you in ways to function at a higher level and experience more quality in your life and relationships.

Parenting is one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs out there. I recognize this.

I can support your child, you, and your family as a system and recognize the patterns that might not be as helpful that are occurring. These patterns can be changed, and I can support you through this.

I can assist your child/teen in exploring some of the “underlying stuff” that most likely is occurring – and find healthier ways to release these emotions/thoughts. I can provide strategies to work with different behaviors that your child/teen might be engaging in and decrease symptoms and increase healthier coping strategies.

However, unfortunately I do not have a magic wand. Sorry! You child will continue to be a child/teen and experience some of the normal behaviors that are typical for specific age groups.

I find it to be most effective to have a longer initial session with families. I will meet with your child/teen for the first 40 minutes, then 20 minutes with the parent, and the last 30 minutes will be spent with everyone together to discuss expectations, goals, needs, etc.

Parent support sessions include discussing parenting techniques, coordinating care for the child/teen, questions about behaviors, and treatment goal settings. These are typically 30-minutes and either via phone or in-person, based on the parent’s choice.

No. If there are safety concerns with your child/teen, then I will call you into the session or call you thereafter. Your child’s safety is top priority.

If you have general questions, feel free to give me a call, and I am happy to consult. Phone check-ins longer than 10 minutes will be charged at the regular pro-rated hourly rate. Typically, I find 30-minute phone or in-person sessions with parents on a monthly basis to be most effective in supporting the teen.

Depending on the child/teen, the parent can join the first or last 10-15 minutes of the session to update the therapist of any new concerns, strengths, or changes that occurred since the last session.

I will consult with the parent and teen if they will be present during this check-in, or if the child/teen will wait in the waiting room during this time. This varies from family to family, and I will use my clinical judgement on a case-by-case basis.

No. A child who is 12-years old and has the capacity to participate in therapy has their own right to confidentiality. I am their therapist, and they are my client.

Safety is my priority, and I will include the parent if there are safety concerns. I know you are worried about your child and want the best for them. Details will be discussed during the initial session, and I am happy to answer all questions regarding confidentiality and some of the challenges that come with this.

It is important for the parent to be involved in the teen’s treatment, and I understand that you have your teen’s best interest in mind.

Trust is key in a therapeutic relationship. It is essential for me to build a trusting and healthy relationship with your child/teen, so they can explore what is happening for them – and feel that they have a safe space to do so.

I will discuss a teen’s general treatment progress, goals, and participation with parents and provide parent support sessions as needed to work together as a team toward your family’s goals.

Therapy isn’t forever. The modalities I provide typically are not long-term. They are tools to be used during different situations. How long sessions are provided can be different for each person. The goal is for me to work myself out of a job.

This does not mean once we terminate therapy that my door is closed for you. I believe we all need tune-ups. Life happens, and circumstances change. If you need extra support or to revisit certain aspects of your life that we had previously worked through together, please feel free to reach out to my office and schedule an appointment.

If you are my client, I am committed to our therapeutic relationship and professional care for you. Your well-being and safety take priority.

If I don’t meet with you and don’t hear from you for long periods of time, then I am not actively involved in your treatment and do not know how to support you or how you are doing. Generally, if I have not heard from you in three weeks, sessions will be terminated. I will close out your chart, and you are welcome to resume therapy when you are ready to do so.

Typically, soft tissue. 😊

5’11”