Therapy Services
I am a licensed therapist in the state of California, verified by Psychology Today. I have been licensed for many years and also draw upon extensive life experience as a parent, writer, and educator in my practice.
While I appreciate your interest, my practice is often full. Please contact me directly for up to date information about this.
I do offer a sliding scale rate depending on income and life circumstances so please contact me directly for more information. My goal is to ensure therapy is affordable for a wide variety of clients. Thus, I also take several insurance panels in my practice, including Optum and MHN. I am also a contracted outside provider for Kaiser.
Therapy is a form of self-care, and just like other self care practices, there is a fee involved to see someone accredited, licensed, and experienced.
What is therapy for?
Therapy is a form of self-care. It is time devoted exclusively to you, with a therapist who is compassionate, and genuinely interested in you, in your challenges, and in assisting you feel better. This is done by forming a trusting connection with someone who can help you build insight into impairing patterns of behavior, so that you can work on changing them. When life isn't working the way you want it to, you may experience anxiety, depression, frustration, anger, helplessness, or hopelessness. You may even experience thoughts of self-harm. Therapy can help provide tools to cope better, build self-esteem, and change your life and relationships for the better.
CHANGE IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE!
Couples and families also often benefit from a neutral, nonjudgmental person helping them improve communication and to build healthier, more supportive relationships.
Therapy with children can help provide a judgement free environment where a child can relax, feel unhurried, and engage in a game or craft activity with a skilled practitioner, while discussing what feels important to them that day/week. The therapist tracks the child's behaviors, interests and progress over time, a huge benefit of regular therapy. If children are given a safe space, they will often open up to new ways of thinking, and find relief in this structured, unconditional relationship.
Families interested in me providing services to their child should know that I use the modalities of art and play therapy with children under 12. I provide a range of toys, games, and crafts, including a sandtray for free play expression. I believe therapy with children and pre teens should be grounded in the play therapy principals of pioneers like Virginia Axline, and should not be about "fixing" a child.
Here is a short video to learn more about the modality of play therapy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ovwAdxCs0
Therapy methods I use with adults
I practice from a primarily psychodynamic perspective, but I also utilize some aspects of other methods I have had training in, including CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, all grounded in a culturally humble, feminist, LGBT savvy world-view. I believe that it's only by understanding our patterns of behavior and communication methods, and how they developed, that we can change them for the better.
How do I start therapy?
If you are interested in therapy for yourself or a family member, please e-mail me or call me to begin the process.
At that time, I can also inform you if I am taking new clients. It is a big step to take and I understand that it may feel difficult to reach out for help when you most need it.
I promise to offer a timely and courteous response to any inquiry. I can answer any initial questions or concerns you have, via e-mail or by phone (whichever is more comfortable for you) and if I have capacity, and you feel it would be a good fit, we can schedule an initial session.
I do not offer "trial" sessions, due to the high demand for my services.
Rates:
I believe therapy should be affordable for those who seek it and genuinely wish to make positive change happen in their lives.
As such, for those who need to pay privately, I have priced my services lower than many other similarly qualified practitioners.
I am able to do a monthly or yearly superbill for clients submitting invoices independently to insurance.
For those using insurance, co-pays are due the day of service.
If my practice is full:
I do not keep a waiting list, as I urge you to find help when you most need it. Although I don't often have personal referrals to give out, mainly because most trusted colleagues also have perpetually full practices, you can utilize your insurance company's member services to find an available practitioner, and/or utilize the Psychology Today website to find someone in your area.