Online therapy, also called “telehealth”, is a mode of therapy that is provided via webcam through a confidential and HIPAA-compliant video platform or through the phone. You are able to access this online “therapy room” from the comfort of your home, office, or wherever you have a private space with an internet connection. At the time of your appointment, all you need to do is click on the link to enter the online therapy room.

Yes, research has shown that online therapy can be just as helpful as in-person. Also, many clients have reported a high level of satisfaction using online therapy.

-You must have access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection and a camera.

-For your privacy and to make the most of your appointment, you will need to secure a private space where you will not have distractions or be interrupted.

-Online Therapy is not appropriate for those that are in crisis or have serious mental health conditions. If you are currently in a crisis or a mental health emergency situation, please call 911 or your local crisis hotline.

-Per regulations, therapists can only provide therapy to those in the state of their therapist license. I am licensed in the state of California. Therefore only those that are physically in California may receive my online therapy services.

Yes, I am currently in-network with United Healthcare/Optum and Aetna insurance. If you’d like to use your insurance with UHC/Optum or Aetna, your share of cost would be depending on your coverage (i.e. copay, co-insurance, and deductible amounts). You can typically find this information by looking up your member benefits. Upon completing your intake forms, I will also verify your insurance and let you know the share of cost prior to our session.

If you have an insurance other than what is listed above, then I would be considered an “out-of-network” provider.

If you have out-of-network (OON) coverage (typically with a PPO plan) then your insurance will reimburse you a percentage of the appointment cost. This typically ranges from 60-80% of the cost of each session.

If you’d like to use your OON benefits then you would pay your sessions at the time of the appointment and then I will provide you will a type of receipt called a “Super Bill” at the end of the month that has the necessary information for you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

During our consult, we can discuss your treatment goals and whether EMDR would be a good fit. To learn more about EMDR, please check out this page.

No. There are strict licensing laws around who we can serve for therapy. I am licensed in the state of California and therefore, I am only able to provide therapy to those that are physically located in California at the time of our sessions.

If you live in California and are traveling out of state, I cannot see you during that time. If you travel frequently for work or other reasons, we can still schedule sessions, they will just need to be during the time you are in CA.

I currently do not offer any evening or weekend appointments. I understand that this can be difficult and I find by providing online appointments, many of the obstacles that come up in attending a therapy session are minimized or eliminated.

If you are unsure about how you will be able to fit in time for therapy, reach out and we can brainstorm how to make it happen. Your well-being is important!

Each therapist will have their own personalized way of doing therapy. So while many therapists may follow the same treatment modality (such as CBT), we are also going to bring our own personality into the mix. Studies also show that the most important aspect of treatment success is the relationship between the therapist and client. Finding a therapist that “fits” with you, that you can connect with and feel comfortable with is very important. Not every therapist is going to work well for every person and that is okay.

To find out if we’re the right fit, I offer a free consultation. This is about 15 minutes long and we’ll talk about what you are hoping to get out of therapy, I’ll share how I work, and then can answer any questions you may have.

You can schedule a consultation here.

If we have a consultation and you are ready to move forward, then I can schedule our initial appointment at that time.

You are also able to schedule an appointment here.

Once the initial appointment is scheduled, you will get an email from my client management system (called an Electronic Health Record) with a link to complete your intake forms through the client portal.

Prior to your session, you will get a reminder email or text (depending on what you select) as well as the link to access the video session.

The first session will be more structured than regular sessions. I will go over some important information about therapy then I will ask you a bunch of questions to get to know you better and better understand what is coming up for you. We will cover your mental health history including any past treatment, how long you’ve been feeling the way you feel, and how your symptoms are experienced. We’ll also discuss your goals for therapy.

You can read more about what the first therapy session is like here.

The frequency is up to you. I typically recommend weekly to start and then as you start to feel better, I find that going to every other week can work well.

I find that it takes time for change to take place. Weekly can be really helpful for when we are really struggling and/or have a lot to process through. Then as things calm down, it can be important for life to happen and to have the time to apply the tools we are learning in in therapy.

This is really dependent on what is currently going on and what you are looking for in terms of your therapy goals.

For those with a high level of symptoms, it will take longer compared to those that may be coming with a specific stressor or problem to address.

I find that clients will typically report improvement after 3- 6 months. This aligns with research in this area which has found that majority of clients report improvement after 15- 20 sessions.

Therapy is a process. It takes some time to develop the relationship between client and therapist. It also takes time to sort through what is going on, to learn new skills, and then to implement these skills.

Many times therapy will bring up difficult emotions and people often find that they are more emotional and may even feel worse after initially starting therapy. This can actually be a good thing, as it means the person is actually addressing what is going on (instead of ignoring/avoiding it). There is a saying- “the only way out is through” and this is definitely true for therapy. The hope is that by working through these difficult emotions in a safe and supported way with your therapist, that you will arrive on the “other side” and feel better.

A lot of my clients choose to stay in therapy after their initial concerns have been resolved as they find it helpful to have a continual place to process through what is coming up for them.

This will be dependent on your individual circumstances. If you are struggling with past trauma, anxiety, and/or depression it is highly recommend for you to attend therapy. The Mom Group can be done in adjunct with therapy.

If you are looking for connection and support with other moms and would like to learn more about common pain points in motherhood as well as learn strategies to overcome them, then The Mom Group is for you.

If you are still unsure and/or have questions, you are always welcome to schedule a consult to discuss what would be best for you.