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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Below, I do my best to answer ALL of the most common questions someone might want to ask a potential therapist, so you can know “on paper” if I’m a good fit for what you’re looking for in a therapist.

I also answer a variety of questions to help you know what to expect from your experience in psychotherapy, including how our relationship will work and your rights as a client. I also address the policies specific to my psychotherapy practice, helping you to understand more about how I operate as a therapist and the policies and procedures I expect my clients to follow over the course of treatment.

transparency!

There are NO stupid questions, so if you don’t see yours answered here, then shoot me an email or we can talk about it during a consultation call!

The relationship that you have with your therapist is suuuper personal…and yet it’s still a professional relationship too - you sign a contract and pay money for services. Which can make the whole thing a little confusing with plenty of opportunities to feel awkward.

Feeling awkward sucks, and this FAQ page has the solution:

AKA more information than you probably would ever want to know, but freely available in case you are wondering

General Questions

WHo do you work with?

I work with female-identifying adults 18+ who are seeking therapy that will help them process and heal from trauma.

Where are you located/where will we meet?

I live in Denver, CO and I meet with clients virtually. I am licensed to see clients who are anywhere in the states of Colorado or Georgia (even when therapy is provided online, therapists can only provide services to clients who are physically located in the states where they are licensed).

I provide sessions virtually using a HIPAA-compliant video platform, so you can access therapy on your phone, tablet, or computer from anywhere across the states of Colorado or Georgia.

You can login from your living room, your office, your (parked) car, or even your bedroom closet… and it doesn’t matter if you woke up 5 minutes ago or have to hop on a work call after your session, or if it’s snowing or you’ve got a little one at home with you.

Do you offer in-person sessions?

No, my practice is entirely online with all sessions held on a HIPAA-compliant video platform. 

However, I understand that for some people, wanting in-person sessions is a deal breaker. If that’s you, I fully support that! But that does mean you will need to look for a different therapist.

HOW LONG CAN I EXPECT TO BE IN THERAPY FOR?

It’s hard to say. Some people may just need help navigating a specific transition or situation, or only need to process a single-incident trauma such as a car accident, and this can usually be accomplished over just a few months.

Most of the clients I work with are working through a variety of concerns and have multiple past experiences that need to be processed and healed. It’s not at all uncommon for me to work with a client for 1-2 years and I have a few that I’ve been seeing for over 5 years.

It’s also very common for clients to have seen satisfactory progress after a certain amount of time but choose to continue coming on a less frequent schedule so as to maintain that progress and address new issues as they arise.

So it really depends on your goals and ultimately it’s up to you - you can continue with therapy for however short or long a time feels right and is of benefit to you.

Can someone else take part in my therapy?

I only provide individual therapy and do not offer ongoing couples or family sessions. However, the occasional participation of another person in your therapy can be very helpful in gathering additional information or insight, or assisting a key support person in your life to better understand your struggles and what you need from them. 

The most common person to participate in your therapy would be a partner or someone else you live with, but could also be a friend, family member, or another healthcare professional.

When someone other than the client (you) participates in your therapy, that person is called a “collateral.” This person would be required to sign a Collateral Participant consent form, acknowledging that they are not a client and they do not have a right to any of your records, including records from collateral sessions.

What if your approach isn’t working for me?

It’s natural to experience some discomfort when trying something new, and sometimes people do feel a little worse after starting therapy before they start to feel better. 

I invite you to be open with me about how you are experiencing and responding to our work together, and my goal is to collaborate with you to identify an approach that feels right and works for you. If something isn’t working, let’s talk about it and see what we can do instead.

If at any point it becomes clear to you that the kind of therapy I offer actually isn’t right for you or that I am not the right person to help you reach your goals, then I would love to help connect you with someone who is a better fit. 

So while you have the right to stop therapy for any reason and without any explanation, I do encourage my clients to commit to attending at least one additional session if at any point you wish to stop therapy, so that we can discuss any referrals or resources I can provide for you, review the progress you have already made, and help you to feel confident about your next steps in working towards your goals.  

Appointment Questions

What paperwork will I be required to complete before our first session?

1) You will need to sign a Notice of Privacy Practices – This is a standard document outlining your rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information according to HIPAA.

2) IF you are in Colorado, you will need to sign a Mandatory Disclosure Statement – This document includes information required to be provided to all clients according to Colorado’s Mental Health Practice Act. Some of this information is explained in more detail in the Informed Consent document.

3) You will need to sign the Informed Consent for Psychotherapy – This document informs you as to what to generally expect from your experience in psychotherapy. If this is your first time working with a therapist, be sure to read this carefully and let me know if you have any questions or hesitations. This document also informs you of the policies specific to my psychotherapy practice so you can understand more about how I operate as a therapist and the policies and procedures I expect my clients to follow over the course of treatment. 

4) You will need to fill out and sign the Informed Consent for Telehealth Services – This document informs you of the specific risks and limitations of telehealth services, and the additional procedures used to maintain your safety and confidentiality. You will need to provide the address you typically expect to be at during your sessions, and the name and phone number of an emergency contact if something happens during a session.

5) You will need to fill out an Intake Questionnaire – This questionnaire includes all the questions I wish to ask in the entire “intake process.” (see below for an explanation of why each question is included). You may answer as many as you wish ahead of time, and for any that you would prefer to discuss together, we will go through those during our initial session(s). 

7) You will need to fill out a Demographics Form – This form is used to collect basic profile and contact information.

8) You will need to fill out and sign a Credit Card Authorization - This form allows you to enter whichever card you would like to use to pay for your sessions (including HSA/FSA cards). The card you put on file will be automatically charged the day of your session. As discussed in the consent form, 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or reschedule all appointments - with less than 24 hours' notice, your card will still be charged the full session fee. 

9) You will need to sign a Good Faith Estimate - This final form is required for all private pay (not in-network) providers to protect patients from surprise medical bills. So this form is for you to acknowledge that you understand exactly what your cost will be per session since I will not be billing your insurance.

For what reasons did you choose all the questions you have in the “Intake Questionnaire”?

I have chosen to include ALL the questions I wish to ask during the “intake process” in the questionnaire, rather than sending a shorter questionnaire to start and then having another fixed set of questions to ask during your first session.

I did this because I recognize that each of my clients will have varying levels of comfort sharing personal or vulnerable information before even meeting for an initial session. Similarly, some of my clients want to take this process slowly, while others are frustrated by the time spent in the "information-gathering" phase and want to dive in as quickly as possible to start resolving their issues. Finally, I know that my clients vary in whether they communicate best verbally or in writing. This approach gives clients the greatest freedom in choosing how to share their information.

Some clients are also curious why I’ve chosen to ask certain questions, so here are the different reasons why each of the intake questions was included:

1) to help me understand first and foremost what your concerns are and how you are hoping therapy can help so that I can make sure our work together is focused on that outcome

2) to learn about different factors that may be contributing to or affected by the problems you are experiencing - some of these may not seem relevant to your problem at all, which is completely understandable when you are "in it." But part of my job is to help you see the bigger picture and identify how different things are connected, and understand that helps me to provide treatment that will address ALL the pieces that will contribute to you being successful in achieving your goals for therapy.

3) to gather information that allows me to further tailor your treatment to your unique circumstances, personality, and strengths.

4) a few questions may be unlikely to be relevant or important to your treatment, but I need to collect this information in accordance with the ethical standards and/or state laws about clinical record-keeping in psychotherapy treatment.

What can I expect during my first appointment?

An initial therapy appointment is known as an “intake session.” We will go through the “Intake Questionnaire” together, giving you the opportunity to answer any that you haven’t already answered and allowing me to ask additional questions to clarify or have you expand on the answers you’ve already given.

The “intake session” is sometimes only one session, but it actually often takes 2 sessions to finish talking through everything together. By the end of the intake process, I will have a good sense of your concerns and your goals, and all the different puzzle pieces we’ll need to put together to help you reach those goals. We will talk through where it makes the most sense to start in your treatment and what the next few steps will look like. I’ll answer any questions you have to make sure you feel confident about moving forward!

What days and times do you meet with clients?

I generally meet with clients Mondays-Thursdays between the hours of 11:00am-5:00pm MST. Time slots before 11:00am/after 5:00pm are only rarely scheduled due to illness/other conflicts (mine or yours) or due to holidays.

How long is a psychotherapy session?

Most clients schedule sessions for a “clinical hour,” which is 50 minutes, but you can also choose to meet for an extended 75 or 100 minute session. Note: if you intend to seek reimbursement from your insurance according to your OON benefits, be aware that insurance will only cover the first 50 minutes of extended sessions.

Once an appointment time is scheduled, I am committed to being available to you for that period of time, including starting and ending on time.
  • If you arrive late for your session, we will still end on time and you will still be responsible for your full fee.
  • If it is more than 15 minutes into your session time and you have not arrived, and also have not called, texted, or emailed me to let me know you are running late (please do not text or email me while you are driving!), I will log off of the telehealth platform. This would be considered a “no-show” and you would be responsible for the full session fee. I cannot guarantee I will be checking my phone/email if you log-in or contact me more than 15 minutes into your scheduled session time.   
  • On the rare occasion that I am late in starting our session, I will extend your session accordingly so we can still meet for your full session time.

How often is it recommended to schedule appointments?

I provide long-term, consistent therapy. My therapeutic approach is not well-suited to someone seeking "drop-in" therapy or who only wants to attend a handful of sessions.

I ask all new clients to commit to scheduling weekly sessions for at least the first few sessions in order for us to get to know each other, build trust, and get momentum going.

After that, we can discuss if you would prefer to continue meeting weekly or biweekly. I expect clients to attend either weekly or biweekly sessions for the duration of treatment, or until we have mutually agreed to step down to a "maintenance" schedule. 

If you attend less than two sessions per month for two consecutive months, you will be asked to review your commitment to the therapeutic process and we will discuss if another form of treatment may be better suited to your current needs. Exceptions will be made if sessions are missed due to holidays, days I am out of the office, or extenuating circumstances communicated in advance.

How do I schedule appointments?

For your convenience, I use an online scheduling portal where you can view all my available appointment times as well as cancel/reschedule your upcoming appointments up to 24 hours in advance. 

My schedule is consistently full, and so I highly recommend for my clients to schedule a recurring appointment (i.e. every Thursday at 3:30pm, or every Monday at 11:00am). If a recurring appointment is not currently available at your desired time, or if you choose to schedule on a session by session basis, I recommend requesting your future appointment(s) as soon as you are able (up to 4 weeks out whenever possible), in order to ensure you can reserve your desired time.

Will you remind me about my appointments?

Yes, you will automatically receive email reminders 48 hours prior to your appointment, and a text reminder 24 hours prior to your appointment. You may opt out of email or text reminders at any time.

Please note that I cannot guarantee the functionality of reminder services via text or email, and you are still responsible for all scheduled appointments even if you do not receive a reminder.

What if I cannot make my scheduled appointment?

If you need to cancel or reschedule one of your appointments for any reason, you are required to give at least 24 hours notice from the start of your appointment time. 

The easiest way to notify me is by cancelling/rescheduling through the online scheduling portal. If you do not have access to the site or are having issues logging in, you may also email, text, secure message, or call me to let me know.

If you need to cancel with less than 24 hours notice, you will be unable to do so through the scheduling portal and will need to contact me directly. 

If the cancellation is less than 24 hours in advance or if you do not show for your scheduled appointment, you will be charged for your session as a late-cancellation/no-show.

Although only 24 hours’ notice is required, please be mindful of other clients who may benefit from the availability of your session time and try to submit your cancellations as soon as you know you will be unable to attend. Please also understand that recurring appointments are a courtesy provided upon the request of the client. In order to offer session availability to all clients equally, if you have frequent cancellations, you may be removed from a standing appointment time and asked to schedule on a session by session basis. Repeated late cancellations or no-shows are grounds for discussing the termination of our work together.

Questions About the Therapeutic Process

What are the different stages of therapy?

Because each person has different issues and goals for therapy, therapy will look different for everyone. In general, you can still expect your therapy to progress through three stages:

1) Assessment
This stage usually takes one to two sessions. With all of my clients, my initial objective is to try to understand as fully as possible the things that have brought you to therapy, and the background and underlying factors behind them. Then I work with you to envision your preferred reality and I use a strengths-based, collaborative approach to develop specific goals for your time in therapy.

2) Intervention
With your goals in mind, we will begin to engage in therapeutic work. This stage progresses in two substages:

i. Coping
First we focus on improving day-to-day functioning by developing coping strategies to manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. In this phase I use techniques from the “Resourcing” phase of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), the “In-sight” technique from IFS (Internal Family Systems), and a handful of strategies pulled from CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy).

ii. Healing
As things begin to feel more manageable, we transition to identifying and working to heal the root cause(s) of your mental health challenges. Most unwanted behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and psychosomatic symptoms are driven by underlying - and sometimes unconscious - core beliefs that define the way we view ourselves, others, and the world in general. These negative core beliefs are actually emotional learnings stored in implicit memory and can be permanently transformed through memory reconsolidation, which I help my clients accomplish through an integration of EMDR and IFS.

The intervention phase can last anywhere from two months to several years, depending on the goals you would like to achieve and the challenges you are currently facing. We will periodically evaluate your progress and continue to collaborate to ensure that your treatment is furthering your healing and growth.

3) Termination
This is the process of finishing treatment and is a valuable part of your work. Ending relationships can be difficult, and so the termination process is important in order to achieve some closure. Psychotherapy services are terminated ideally when the therapist and client agree and are reasonably clear that treatment no longer serves the client’s best interests or needs. 

You have the right to terminate treatment at any time for any reason, with no explanation necessary. However, if your treatment is being terminated against my professional advice, it is my responsibility to advise you that my recommendations are for continued treatment and intervention, and to provide you with referral information for other qualified psychotherapists from whom you may seek further treatment, and to facilitate concluding our work together as constructively as possible. 

Therefore, I encourage my clients to commit to attending at least one additional session if at any point you wish to stop therapy, so that we can review your progress, identify any referrals or resources I can provide for you, and provide closure to our work together.

What are the potential benefits of therapy?

Therapists can provide support, problem-solving skills, and enhanced coping strategies for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationship troubles, or unresolved childhood issues. Many people also find that therapy can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, family concerns, marriage issues, and the stressors of daily life. 

Therapists can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution. Ultimately, you may attain a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values and find resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy.

What are the potential risks of therapy?

The process of psychotherapy may include feelings of frustration, fear, anger, pain, and sadness. You may have to talk about things that are difficult or unpleasant to discuss or revisit hurtful experiences from your past. You may have to make some changes in your habitual ways of doing things, and this may feel challenging at first. 

You may disagree with my perspective and/or recommendations regarding your situation. Also, you may have new insights into yourself and others that may initially feel uncomfortable or begin to push you in different directions. Friends and family members sometimes need time to adjust to the changes made and the new dynamics created as you gain skills and approach challenges in a healthier manner. 

It is also possible that therapy will not produce the results that you had hoped for, and unfortunately I cannot make any promises regarding the outcome of our work together.

What is my role in the process?

It is important to understand that the outcome of your treatment depends largely on your willingness to actively participate in the process by attending your sessions consistently and putting into practice what you learn. 

The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, beyond the work you do in our therapy sessions, we will collaborate to decide on some things you will be expected to do between sessions to support your progress – such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, or taking action on specific goals.


What if something happens to you and we have to pause or stop therapy?

In the event of my unplanned absence, whether due to injury, illness, death, or any other reason, I maintain a detailed Professional Will with instructions for an Executor to inform you of my status and ensure your continued care. My Executor will access your clinical and billing records only in accordance with the terms of my Professional Will, and only in the event that I experience an event that has caused or is likely to cause a significant unplanned absence from my therapy practice.

How does confidentiality work in therapy?

Disclosures and communications between client and therapist are considered privileged and confidential, and I only release information about your work in therapy with your written permission. This means that even if your spouse or psychiatrist contacts me, I could not confirm nor deny whether you were even a client, let alone speak to them about your treatment, without a signed release of information where you give me permission to speak to them and outlining what I can/cannot share.

Occasionally I may need to consult with other professionals in their areas of expertise in order to provide the best treatment for you. Information about you may be shared in this context, but I would do so without using your name or revealing any identifying information.

The law and standards of my profession require that I keep appropriate treatment records for a period of seven years, including progress notes which document information about therapy sessions, case reviews, telephone/email contacts, and any other work provided on behalf of the client. Information may include, but is not limited to, the date, time, and length of the session, therapeutically relevant information disclosed by the client, treatment objectives, movement toward treatment goals, and the goals and date for the next scheduled session. Your records will be electronically stored through a HIPAA-compliant Electronic Health Record system called SimplePractice


What are the limits of confidentiality?

There are a few limits to confidentiality – some required by law, and others required or implied by professional ethics. Should such a situation occur, I would make every effort to discuss it with you before taking any action if possible. Instances include:
  • Immediate plans to harm yourself or someone else, or with knowledge of imminent harm to another
  • Child and elder abuse and neglect
  • Subpoena by a judge


What are the expectations for interacting outside of our therapy sessions?

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy, and it may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship.

If we happen to run into each other somewhere in person, I will not acknowledge you first. Your right to privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me, and I do not wish to jeopardize either. However, if you acknowledge me first, I will be more than happy to speak briefly with you, but understand that it would not be appropriate for us to engage in any lengthy discussions in public or outside of your therapy sessions.


Questions About Fees and Billing

What are your fees?

The fee for a 50-minute individual diagnostic session (aka your initial, or first session) is $225.

For all sessions after the initial session, the fee depends on the amount of time we are meeting for. For a standard 50-minute session, the fee is $175. For longer sessions (highly recommended when actively engaged in trauma processing), we can meet for anywhere from 1.5x as long (75 minutes = $260) or twice as long (100 minutes = $340) up to a half-day “intensive” (3.5 hours - 200 minutes with a 10 minute break = $825).

Do you accept insurance?

No, I am not “in-network” (INN) with any insurance companies. This means that I will not bill your insurance for your sessions, and you are responsible for paying the full session fee at the beginning of each session.

I am also not a contracted “out-of-network” (OON) provider with any insurance company. I can still provide you with a “Superbill” (a special kind of receipt) for the payments you’ve made for your sessions if you wish to submit this to your insurance to request to be reimbursed based on your OON benefits, but I cannot guarantee reimbursement. 

Therefore, if a client elects to request Superbills for their sessions, the client agrees that it is their responsibility to contact their insurance to check their mental health coverage and find out what they need to do in order to request reimbursement. The client further agrees that even if they verify their OON benefits, their insurance company could still reject the claims they have submitted for reimbursement. If the client’s insurance rejects their claims for any reason, no refunds will be issued by the therapist, and the client will need to reach out to their insurance if they wish to appeal the decision. The therapist does not engage with insurance in any way and therefore cannot assist with the appeal process beyond providing a corrected Superbill if there was an error, or providing the client with any records they request.


Why do longer sessions cost less but the intensive costs more?

Yes, if you’re good at math (or used a calculator) you may have spotted that the cost per minute goes down a little for the 75 and 100 minute sessions, but is higher for the intensive. I promise I’m not trying to be sneaky, so here is a fully transparent explanation of why I intentionally priced my sessions the way I did.

Slightly longer sessions have the benefit of being more efficient for you in making progress more quickly but without requiring more from me in preparation or stamina. On the other hand, an intensive does require a significant increase in preparation beforehand as well as being demanding enough that I intentionally do not schedule any other sessions on the days I book an intensive. But the advantage and ultimate savings for you is significant - in the same amount of time as four 50-minute sessions and slightly less than the cost of five sessions, clients tend to make as much progress in a half-day intensive as it might take for them to make in 2 months or more of weekly therapy. 


Do you offer a payment plan for intensives?

Sort of. While the full fee is due at the time of your intensive, the cost is split into two payments: a 50% non-refundable (but transferable) deposit is due in order to schedule your half-day session, and the remaining 50% is due on the day of your intensive.


When is my payment due?

The full session fee is due at the start of each session. If your card is declined, we can still meet but I will not be able to schedule you for any future sessions until the balance is paid.

Can I pay with a HSA or FSA card?

Yes! Psychotherapy services are considered an eligible medical expense according to the IRS - however, different employers or card issuers may be more limited in the services that are considered eligible expenses for a particular HSA or FSA account. 

Therefore, if a client wishes to pay for their therapy with a card linked to a HSA/FSA account, it is the client’s responsibility to carefully check the terms of their specific account to determine if psychotherapy would be considered an eligible expense, and/or if the receipt for services needs to contain specific information to be considered eligible. The therapist is not liable if the client knowingly or unknowingly pays for ineligible expenses with their HSA/FSA account.


Do I have to pay with a card and do I have to keep a payment card on file?

Yes, since I only meet with clients virtually, I do not accept payment via cash or check. Integrated within my electronic health record system, SimplePractice, I use an established PCI-compliant payment processor called Stripe that accepts all major credit cards, debit cards, HSA cards, and FSA cards.

Yes, all clients are required to keep a current payment card on file so that I can charge your payment method at the start of your session. After I accept you as a client, I will send you the link to fill out a credit card authorization form through your secure SimplePractice client portal. SimplePractice is fully HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST certified. If you wish to pay for your session with a different card than the one you have on file, please notify me prior to your session. 

If you choose to have a HSA or FSA card as your default method of payment, and it is declined at any time for insufficient funds, you will be required to keep a back-up card on file going forward (even if more funds are added to your account). 


Do you charge for late cancellations and/or missed appointments?

Yes. I know that life happens, and so I offer two ways to waive the fee. 

First, if you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice but are able to reschedule your appointment within the same week (i.e. to sometime before your next scheduled appointment and without canceling that appointment), then I will charge your card for the missed session and apply the payment to your rescheduled session. Note that even if you are committed to re-scheduling, I cannot guarantee that I will have availability and will not be able to waive the fee if I do not have any spots available to reschedule. 

Second, I give clients one “freebie” every 12 months. If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice (and are not able to reschedule) or do not show for your appointment, and this is your first late-cancellation or no-show, then I will offer you the choice to use your freebie now or to save it for the future. I will charge your card for the missed session, and if you elected to use your freebie, then I will waive the fee and apply the payment to your next scheduled session. Once you have used your freebie, any future late cancellations that cannot be rescheduled or no-shows will be charged the full session fee with very limited exceptions. 

Due to the flexibility that telehealth offers and In order to not allow any of my conscious or unconscious biases to favor waving the fee for certain clients or circumstances and not others, I will only waive the fee beyond the initial freebie under the following circumstances: 1) you are in the emergency room for yourself or a family member/member of your household, 2) you are in a serious automobile accident, 3) you are in a situation that involves law enforcement or incarceration, or 4) you or a family member/member of your household has died.

To avoid missing your appointments, you can elect to receive appointment reminders.


What is a Good Faith Estimate?

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical 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 bill for medical items and services.

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

• Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or 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 www.cms.gov/nosurprises


Can I prepay for several sessions at once?

No, unfortunately pre-payment goes against my code of ethics as a therapist. My standard is to only charge your card at the start of each session, or in accordance with my late-cancellation/no-show policy. If you wish to pay in advance, you can only pre-pay for one scheduled session at a time.


Can someone else pay for my therapy?

Yes, if someone has agreed to cover or partially cover the costs of your therapy, my recommendation is to pay for your services yourself and then have the person pay you. 

However, if you or the person/entity paying for your services wants to pay me directly, then you will need to fill out an authorization for disclosure and release of information that is specific to third party payors. The person or entity paying for your services will need to complete a third party payor agreement and provide a valid photo ID. The financially responsible party will need to keep a valid, current card on file, no exceptions. If this is your situation, please let me know and I will provide you with the necessary forms.


Communication Questions

What is the best way to communicate with You Between Sessions?

If you need to contact me between sessions, you can (in the order in which I will see your message soonest): send me an email, send me a text, send a secure message through your SimplePractice client portal, or you may call and leave a message on my voicemail. If you leave a voicemail, I will email or text you in reply.



What kinds of things can I message you about between sessions?

Email, text messaging, and voicemails are not always completely secure methods of communication and therefore I cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication except for SimplePractice’s secure messaging system.

Therefore, whenever possible I ask that we communicate via email/text only for scheduling, logistics, or other brief communications (i.e. asking for or sending resources or referrals).
I also request that you do not use any method of communication to discuss therapeutic content at length. A pro-rated hourly charge may apply if you choose to send messages requiring extended review outside of your scheduled session time.



Can I contact you early or late in the day or on the weekends?

If you are a current client, feel free to email, text, or call at any hour, any day of the week. I keep my notifications set on silent, so you don't have to worry about waking me or interrupting me. However, do not expect a response outside of business hours (see below).


How quickly can I expect a response from you? 

I generally check and reply to messages between ~8am-5pm Monday-Friday. 

For current clients, I am committed to responding to any messages by the end of the next business day. If you have not heard from me by then, it’s safe to assume that I did not see your message - please try again, and try emailing me if you had used a different form of communication.



Contact

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