Like many therapists, I am out-of-network. This means you pay me directly; I prepare a bill for you to submit to your insurance company; your insurance company reimburses you.

If you want to check with your insurance company about your coverage, here are some questions you would need to ask them:

1. Do I have “out-of-network” mental health insurance benefits?
2. What is my mental health deductible and has it been met?
3. How many sessions per year does my insurance cover?
4. What month does the coverage begin and end?
5. What is the coverage amount per session? They may ask for code numbers. Here are the codes number you would need to give them: 90791 and 90837.
6. Do I need to have prior approval from my primary care physician?

Insurance companies require that you have a diagnosis in order to be reimbursed. Your insurance company may ask for significant personal information about you and your symptoms in order to decide how much treatment it will authorize. You and I can discuss what information you are willing for me to disclose.

A really important question. Research has found, over and over again, that the quality of the relationship with your therapist is more important than any particular therapeutic approach or orientation of the therapist.  When we meet face-to-face, you will be listening to yourself as to how comfortable you feel with me, if you get the sense that I’m understanding you accurately, do you trust that I am competent, professional and well-trained.  Most of all, though, ask yourself, “Do I like her.”

Although most people feel a little anxious coming to a therapist for the first time, you’ll discover that your description of what’s going on in your life and my questions begin a very comfortable conversation.  This is a joint endeavor from the very beginning.  For a start, I’ll want to know what your life is like and what made you decide to start therapy.  I’ll want to know how you’d like things to change. For our first few sessions, I’m gathering information and formulating in my mind what’s going on for you and how therapy can begin to shift things.  I share all of this with you. Maybe some of my thoughts you dispute. I, then, shift and understand you better.  Most importantly, I want to connect with and understand you in an empathic way.  When you come into therapy, you are hurting, and I want to be able to offer you comfort as well as understanding. Therapy continues unfolding like this.

There’s no simple answer to that. It depends on what your goals are and what the nature of your problem is.  Even “Brief Therapies,” can evolve into other issues and no longer be “brief.”  Sometimes, a problem that seems daunting is quickly resolved by a shift in perspective.  Most often, though, therapy takes several months, at the least.  The issues that bring people into therapy have, generally, been simmering for a long time.  They are habits that are rooted in patterns you’ve had for years.  So, discovering them, questioning them and developing a new way of thinking takes some time. Therapy with me is, sometimes, brief, a few months.  Other times, it’s much longer, as one change opens a door for more change.  When you start feeling better, we may see each other less often until, ultimately, we say a fond goodbye.

This is a great question to ask your therapist. There’s no pat answer. But here are some things to think about.

You may notice that you are becoming more curious about yourself and your thoughts and reactions to things, noticing connections that you hadn’t put together before. These sorts of insights mean that you are developing greater self-awareness. You might be less reactive, or you may feel emotions more deeply. While this process may not be easy or pleasant, it has a solid feeling of truth about it.

Your sessions should have a balance of challenge and comfort. You can expect to feel uncomfortable as you grapple with a new awareness or possibility. There should be a sense that you are learning something, that things (you) are shifting and that you can act in your life differently.

In your everyday life, between sessions, you may find yourself feeling lighter, more clear-headed and hopeful. This lighter mood is not likely to be permanent initially, but it is a beginning of a good change.

Overall, it’s important to keep your goals for therapy in mind. Those goals may expand, and you may want more for yourself than you had originally thought. But the goal, always, is your increased satisfaction with your life.

We’ll talk about your progress in therapy whenever you want. It’s a good conversation to have to keep us on track and to recognize how much you have accomplished.

In general, the law protects the confidentiality of all communications between a person and their therapist . No information can be disclosed without your prior written consent. There are three exceptions to this law:

* Suspected child abuse or abuse of a dependent adult or elder require that the therapist notify the appropriate authorities immediately.

* If a patient is threatening serious bodily harm to another person, the therapist is required to notify the police.

* If a patient intends to harm him- or herself, the therapist will make every possible effort to work jointly to ensure their safety. If the patient’s safety cannot be assured, additional safety measures will be taken.

You can check the “Privacy Policy” page to read my Privacy Notice in full if you wish.