Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the most common questions I get about therapy

FIRST THINGS FIRST

What You Need To Know Before Starting Therapy

  • Answer: My fee is in 2026 is $265 for a 50-minute session. I offer a sliding scale fee for clients when needed. Reach out here if you have questions about my sliding scale. 

  • I am not currently paneled with insurance companies and only accept private pay clients. I can however provide what is commonly referred to as a “superbill” that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement depending on your out-of-network benefits and specific insurance plan.

  • You can call your insurance provider and ask these questions- 1. Do I have out-of-network benefits for mental health services? 2. What is the reimbursement rate? 3. Is there a deductible before receiving reimbursement? You can also use services like Mentaya to help you understand your out-of-network benefits.

  • My website is as good of a reflection of myself as I can give you without a real-time meeting. If you are feeling like we might be a good fit based on my website, please reach out to schedule a free 20-minute intro-call so that we can have a conversation to see if I might be the right therapist for you. I always assess therapist-client fit at our 4th session to make sure that you or your child are feeling good about moving forward in working with me.

  • Many teens I work with are hesitant for our first few meetings. I often find that after our first session, teens see that having a space to talk can feel relieving and helpful. I encourage you to schedule an intro-call and talk to them about giving it a shot for just 4 sessions. If your teen absolutely refuses to meet with a therapist, I would recommend that you seek some support for yourself for now.

  • My ongoing sessions are 100% online and are held via a secure therapy platform called SimplePractice. I am located in LA and am happy to meet with clients for a “walk and talk” session if you’re in my area and would like to meet in person occasionally.

  • I generally work Monday to Thursday between 8am and 7pm. I like to schedule clients for ongoing sessions in a consistent time slot each week.

  • While I don’t generally offer therapy for parents, I do include parents in my work with their children in a variety of ways. Depending on a child’s preferences, I communicate with parents about their symptoms and progress regularly. When needed, I will also initiate family sessions that include parents or caretakers.

    For parents of children with eating disorders, I offer one-on-one consultation sessions to help navigate the eating disorder landscape. You can learn more about it here.

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GETTING STARTED

What You Need To Know To Get Started With Therapy

  • You can book your free intro-call here.

  • The 20-min introductory call takes place over the phone. I will call you, on the phone number provided, at the agreed upon time and date.

  • During the intro-call I want to learn about your top 3 concerns, availability for sessions, and answer any questions that you have about working with me. The purpose of this call is:

    1) To see if it feels like a good fit

    2) Make sure our schedules align

    3) Schedule our initial session

  • I am currently accepting new clients and can generally begin meeting for weekly sessions within about 2 weeks. 

  • After our phone call, I will send you an email to create a SimplePractice portal login and complete some necessary paperwork before our initial session. 

  • If your teen is feeling less than thrilled about meeting with me, that’s okay! I work with lots of teens who start off feeling uncertain and after a few sessions are much more comfortable and even notice a feeling of relief after having some space to talk. 

    To take the pressure off of your teen, let them know that you’d like them to give it a try for 4 sessions. After that, if they still don’t want to continue, they can opt out. This will help them to feel more in control and will also give us a real chance to see if we can gain some traction in those first few sessions. In my experience, most teens stick with therapy after giving it a fair chance and find that it is more helpful than they expected.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

What You Need To Know About The Therapy Process

  • I accept all types of credit cards including Mastercard, Visa, and American Express. Some insurance companies provide you with a HSA debit card that can be linked to your account and run as a payment method for each session.

  • For all clients under 18, parents will be involved in the therapy in some capacity. This varies widely and will be discussed during our initial appointment to find a plan that will work best for you.

    For parents of children with eating disorders, I offer one-on-one consultation sessions to help navigate the eating disorder landscape. You can learn more about it here.

  • When working with teens, building a trusting relationship with them is my number 1 priority. It is important to me that teens don’t feel I am talking with parents “behind their back” so I encourage parents to let their child know when they are reaching out to me with any updates or concerns. 

    I always keep parents informed of the general themes in therapy and absolutely reach out with any safety concerns that I have for your child. Confidentiality and communication is always talked about as a group in our initial appointment.

  • I share a lot of tools for clients to use and practice between sessions but don’t like to use the work “homework”. Tools can range from thought logs, journaling, and at-home exposures to mindfulness practices, breathing exercises, and initiating difficult conversations.

  • Progress is tracked through regular symptom check-ins during our weekly session and at parent appointments. Occasionally I use symptom trackers like the GAD or PHQ-9 to track symptoms more closely from week to week. I often recommend that clients track their mood and symptoms from day to day in a therapy notebook or journal.

  • I require notice of cancellation or reschedule requests to be submitted in writing no less than 48 hours before the appointment. If a session is cancelled within 48 hours, it will be billed full fee.

  • Once you are my client, we will have ongoing appointments that are pre-scheduled. You will be able to see all appointments on your client portal and can cancel sessions in your account. If you are interested in having an intro-call, you can book that free phone call here.

  • My sessions are held via a secure therapy platform called SimplePractice which can be accessed via a browser on any device with a webcam or via their app on iOS and Android.  

    According to SimplePractice, you will need one of the following devices to join the call:

    • Desktop computer with a webcam, speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM

    • Laptop computer with built-in webcam and speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM 

    • Tablet device with built-in webcam and speakers

    • iPad with built-in webcam and speakers

    • Smartphone with at least iOS 13 or Android 10 (Note: To use a smartphone, you must first download Telehealth by SimplePractice, available for iOS or Android in the app store.)

    You will also need an internet connection that is at least 0.35 mbps. For optimal results, a reliable, high-speed internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 10-15 mbps will minimize connection issues and provide the best quality.

  • 10 minutes before your appointment, you'll receive an email or text appointment reminder with the link to join your call. If you're set up to receive text reminders, the exact time you receive your text reminder may vary based on your cell phone carrier.

    Click the unique link embedded in the email or text reminder. If you’re on a phone, you’ll need to download the “Telehealth” App by SimplePractice. Your video call screen will now open through the app.


    You can also find step-by-step instructions on how to join a Simple Practice session via different browsers and devices here.

  • I like to start all sessions with a brief check in and re-cap of how things have been since our last appointment. Depending on our goals and why we are meeting, we will often jump back into what we left off with in our last session. Of course, if something has come up that week that you need space to discuss, reflect on, or problem solve, we will make time to discuss the most pressing concerns during each appointment.

  • At the beginning of therapy, I require weekly sessions for a minimum of 2 months to help us get to know each other and get going on our goals for treatment. After that, if appropriate, I sometimes will reduce the frequency of sessions to every-other week. When you’re ready to graduate from therapy, I find it can be helpful to have about 6 to 8 once-a-month sessions as you adjust to less frequent meetings.

  • Each session is 50 minutes.