The trust and rapport between a client and their therapist is vital for the success of therapy. So above all when looking for a therapist, you need to find a person who you feel at ease with, a person who you can talk to, and who you feel respects your values, beliefs, feelings, and you as a person.
Expertise in your particular challenges or lifestyle is an added benefit to choosing a good fitting therapist.
I offer an initial 20-min phone consultation free of charge. This provides you with an opportunity to discuss your concerns and get a sense of whether I am the right therapist for you.

Your privacy is one of my highest priorities. As a rule, the information you discuss with me in session is confidential and can only be disclosed to a third party with your expressed written permission. One of the benefits of working independently and not as part of a health insurance is that your information will not be shared with anyone.
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California State law does however provide exceptions for certain extreme situations for marriage counseling in which a psychotherapist may breach confidentiality, and others where they are mandated by law to do so. Examples of these include:
Direct court orders
A client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person.
A client has engaged in or is engaging in the abuse of a child, an elder, or a dependent adult.
A client is at risk of seriously harming her/himself.

Every therapy session caters to the individuals and their unique goals and needs. A typical therapy session lasts 50 minutes for individuals and 75 minutes for couples. The very first session with couples lasts between 75-90 min in order to have sufficient time not only to assess the situation, but also to do something about it! Appointments are usually scheduled on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. During therapy sessions we will talk about the primary concerns in your life, and work together to find solutions. Therapy can be short-term, focusing on a specific issue or goal, or longer-term, addressing more complex issues.

Some of the most important work in therapy actually happens in between the sessions. We will work together to give you tools to process what has been discussed and integrate it into your life.

I offer an initial 20-minute complimentary phone consultation free of charge. After that I schedule 50-minute sessions for individuals and 75-minute sessions for couples (75-90 min for the very first couples session). Please call me to discuss my current fee or to research if a customized couples retreat is right for you.

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. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service, or at any time during treatment. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, or how to dispute a bill, see your Estimate, or visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

I am not in network with any health insurance and am considered an out-of-network provider. I cannot bill an insurance company in your name, nor will I be able to interact with insurance companies directly, or advocate on your behalf. However, I would be happy to provide you with a statement (“Superbill”) that you can submit to your insurance to receive reimbursement for seeing an out-of-network provider. It is your obligation to pay upfront for my services regardless of third-party reimbursement. Additionally, you may be able to apply your employer’s “flex spending plan”, applying pre-tax dollars to therapy costs, or claim the therapy costs as a tax deduction.

It’s very common that one or even both partners are leaning out of the relationship, and while you might be open to some “miracle,” you worry that beginning couples therapy might send a signal to your partner (and maybe even the therapist) that you want to stay together for certain, and you worry about giving false hope in a pretty hopeless situation. We will discuss where you are at in the beginning of our work together. I am there for the health of the relationship. Even if you two make the difficult decision to separate, it can still be useful to improve your communication with each other and take out some of the heat that is fueling your arguments, especially if you are co-parenting.