FAQs
- How can counseling benefit me? People come to counseling for many reasons. Some are dealing with long term difficulties like depression, anxiety, and mood stability issues. Others come in for support during challenging life situations such as divorce, a traumatic experience, or phase of life issue. Therapists can offer an alternative perspective to what you are experiencing and help explore new ways of handling situations. Therapy provides tools that can be utilized over your life time, such as: new skills to manage depression, anxiety, ADHD symptoms, life stressors, skills to create and maintain more positive relationships, improved self-confidence, as well as increased self-awareness and understanding.
- What is counseling like? A typical session is 45 to 50 minutes long. Therapy can be short-term, focusing on solutions for a specific issue or on a more long-term basis when working on complex issues. You will be asked to complete tasks between sessions, though often the tasks are to practice a skill we learned in session, notice certain emotions or thought patterns, and increasing self-awareness/mindfulness. This is very important as change best occurs when you are able to integrate what you are learning into your daily life. We will work together to create goals, process situations and emotions, increase awareness of patterns that are no longer working for you, and explore topics from multiple viewpoints to help you find more flexibility in your life. In sessions with me, you can expect to feel supported, respected, and encouraged to challenge yourself as we work on identifying and changing patterns in your life.
- How should I go about choosing a therapist? It is very important that you feel comfortable with the therapist you choose to work with. Explore their websites, educate yourself about what types of therapy are out there and what has been shown to work for what you may be experiencing. You can contact me at 916-346-1848 to set a free 15 minute phone consultation. At that time, you can choose to schedule an initial session and begin services or you can request the names of a few other therapists in the area if you feel we are not a match.
- What is your current rate and what forms of payment are accepted? The current rate is $200.00 per 45 to 50 minute session, including initial evaluation session. I accept cash, major credit cards, and HSA cards. Good faith estimate: To determine the estimated cost of treatment, most clients attend sessions 2 to 4x per month. For 2 sessions per month, one would estimate to invest $400. For 4 sessions a month, one would estimate to invest $800 per month, etc. My goal is to decrease sessions when appropriate, eventually only having sessions as needed until my clients are ready to end treatment. If a new issue arises, clients can always return to services.
- Do you take insurance? I am not paneled with insurance carriers at this time.
- Out-of-Network Services? Some insurance companies will pay a percentage of services from a provider not in their network. If you would like to attempt to be reimbursed for treatment, I can provide you with a receipt to submit to your insurer. You will need to discuss with your insurance company to determine if this type of receipt (a super bill) is accepted. If you choose to attempt reimbursement, your insurance company will need a diagnosis code, which is something I like all clients to be aware of.
- What will I need for the first session? Prior to coming in for your first session, I will email you a link to the client portal. There you will create a log in and can complete intake paperwork prior to your appointment. If you are seeking services for a child, ideally both parents will need to sign the consent forms for treatment (based on legal custody and custody agreements, if applicable).