1. What is Psychotherapy? Psychotherapy (otherwise known as mental health therapy) is not easily described in general statements. It varies based upon the personalities of the clinician and the client, and the particular issues that you bring forward. Psychotherapy is a process throughout which the client and clinician work together to identify and resolve different issues that may be affecting one’s and/or loved one's life.. It requires courage, trust, and commitment to do such work.
A therapist's (also referred to as a "clinician") focus is not to work for their client, but rather work with their client, as a team.
Our work together requires your best efforts to build awareness to unconscious thoughts and feelings, and change thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors. Change will sometimes be easy and quick, but at times it will be slow and frustrating. There are no instant, painless cures, and no “magic pills.” However, you can learn new ways to looking at your situation that will be very helpful for changing how you feel and how you react. Together, we will work together to make change.
2. Do you offer free initial consultations? Yes! If you are interested and/or have questions about psychotherapy/other services with us, please feel free to contact us via one of the available contact options (located through the CONTACT section). We currently offer a free 15 minute phone initial consultation with one of our Co-Founders.
3. What should I expect over the course of treatment?: Typically, therapy sessions are approx. 50-55 minutes in duration, 1 - 2 times per week (Other arrangements can be made, if clinically needed).
The first few session is spent gathering information, and further evaluating your needs so that you and the clinician can determine the best course of treatment for you to meet your identified goals. The therapeutic techniques utilized and length of treatment will be dependent on your needs and/or the needs of your child. You and your clinician will also focus on harvesting a positive relationship, as trust is the foundation of any positively impactful therapy.
If you will be having session via telehealth, you will receive an email 24-48 hours prior to your appointment with a link that will give you access to your secure-video chat room.
Over the course of treatment, together, we can address your past, present, and future over the course of our work, if you choose. Each session will be tailored to your individual needs and concerns.
Towards the end of treatment, your clinician will discuss with you their clinical recommendations and concerns, and they will have an open discussion to address preparation for termination of services.
4. Do you accept insurance? Yes, some our clinicians currently accept Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross California, Oscar, Oxford, and United Health Care / Optum *It is your responsibility to verify your insurance coverage.
5. What are the benefits of not involving your insurance company in your treatment? There's not a limit to seeing only a specific set list of "in-network" providers No limit of how long you should be in therapy No limit of length of therapy sessions. You can customize how long and/or short our sessions are. No need to verify "medical necessity" for your therapy - per your insurance company's criteria No mandatory diagnoses Quality of the Therapeutic Relationship and Treatment
Learning to trust and get to know someone takes time.. Hence, a benefit of private pay therapy is that the duration and type of therapy is not dictated by the insurance company
Increased Depth of Treatment
Mental Health issues are often complex, hence the duration of of treatment should be based upon your individual needs. so that underlying issues can be addressed so that they are less likely to return after therapy has ended.
Increased Protection and Confidentiality
By not involving your insurance company your private personal information/ therapy records/information stays in my office. (I am the only person who has access to it, except under specific circumstances which are outlined in my informed consent, which is reviewed in our first session
For instance, when you involve your insurance, you must be aware that it carries a certain amount of risk to confidentiality, privacy or to future capacity to obtain health or life insurance or even a job. The risk stems from the fact that mental health information is likely to be entered into big insurance companies' computers and is likely to be reported to the National Medical Data Bank. Accessibility to companies' computers or to the National Medical Data Bank database is always in question as computers are inherently vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access. Medical data has also been reported to have been legally accessed by law enforcement and other agencies, which also puts you in a vulnerable position.
You are in control of your treatment regarding type, when, where, and how that you and/or your loved ones receive treatment.
6. What is culturally sensitive therapy? Culturally sensitive therapy is an approach which is utilized in-combination with traditional clinical theoretical orientations - aimed to emphasize, embrace, and incorporate a client's race, ethnicity, cultural beliefs, experiences, etc into mental health treatment. Clinicians that embrace culturally sensitive therapy often assess, accommodate, respect, and take into consideration how historical and/or current sociocultural aspect's of society, as well as how traditional practices, beliefs, values, and/or opinions of an individual's culture impacts one's own mental health and/or perspective on mental health issues. Together, all of these elements are integrated into developing an individualized mental health treatment plan for the identified client.
7. What is a super-bill? If we are considered an Out-Of-Network Provider with your insurance company, in order to help reduce any financial stress, we can provide you with a detailed medical invoice (if your clinician is not paneled with your insurance), commonly known as a super-bill (upon request), for services rendered on a monthly basis, which you can submit to your insurance company to seek reimbursement of the fees already paid. It will be your responsibility, however, to verify that your insurance company accepts super-bills.
*See Question #5 for more information for not involving your insurance company. **In all cases, however, payment for services is ultimately the responsibility of the client, not the insurance company. ***Payment is due at the time of service. ****PPO insurances typically reimburse only a portion of fees already paid. *****It is important to inform you that often your insurance companies requires that you be given a clinical diagnosis, and that in some cases your insurance company may also ask for your therapy records -- which may be undesirable since the highest degree of confidentiality is often desired by clients.
8. What payment method(s) do you accept? We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, HSA, and FSA *(Other forms of payment are available for speaking engagements, please inquire) 9. How much do standard 50-55 minute session(s) cost? Please see our Fee page for current fee(s).
Fees are set to reflect our clinicians' formal education/experience, state licensing board fees, trainings/continued education, as well as your clinician's time spent outside of session to treatment plan and review your needs to ensure you are continually receiving the highest quality of care.
10. What is the "No Surprise Act"? 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 clients 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. This is just an estimate and as your clinician gathers more information about your symptoms and severity, your Good Faith Estimate may be revised to reflect this new information. Any time your Good Faith Estimate is revised it will be updated and stored in your client portal. You have the right to request an updated Good Faith Estimate at any time in your treatment. You can ask your health care 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. Your Good Faith Estimates will always be kept up to date and accessible for you to download in your client portal.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
11. Do you offer in-person therapy sessions? At this time, we only offer virtual therapy services
12. What is a sliding scale fee? A sliding scale fee is a reduced fee offered based upon our client(s)' financial need.