Do You Accept My Insurance?

  At this time I do not contract with insurance, I am considered an out-of-network provider. This means, you would pay my out-of-pocket rate and I would provide a “super bill” which you would submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement if you have out-of-network benefits. Reimbursement is not guaranteed. You should know that therapy is a medical expensed covered by FSAs and HSAs.

I do not live in California, can we still work together?

  The short answer is, not necessarily. For telehealth, clients must be physically located in a jurisdication (state) where I am actively licensed. At this time I am licensed in California and Massachusetts only. So even if you live full-time in one of those states and travel out of state temporarily, we cannot meet while you are outside of California or Massachusetts, even temporarily. 

How much does therapy cost?

My current out-of-pocket rate is $180 for a 50 minute session. Missed session/Late cancel fees are outlined in my policies which you would get in my intake packet if you decide to move forward (or I can explain during a consult call). I have a very limited number of sliding scale slots available for those for whom therapy would be cost prohibitive. Please let me know if this is a concern for you and we can talk about your circumstances.

Will you make me take medication?

Very simply put…I am not licensed to prescribe medication. I will offer my clinical opinion regarding medication and your condition. Part of that is around risks and benefits. I do believe that there is a time and a place for medication but I also understand that it is not my place to push that decision for any client. In the event that your symptoms are so severe that they are prohibiting progress, putting you at risk or are an indication for a higher level of care I will be honest and share with you that concern. I often do give referrals for medication evaluations at the request of clients, but my goal is always to support a client’s autonomy when it comes to treatment options.

I am a cop. Will my department see my records?

Good question. I am not legally permitted to disclose protected health information to anyone without your consent outside of the following scenarios:

-You are a risk to yourself or others.

-I have concerns about child abuse or neglect.

-I have concerns about elder abuse or neglect.

-I have received a subpoena signed by a judge (we can discuss scenarios where this might occur).

However, if you are pursuing a worker’s compensation claim based on a work-related post-traumatic stress injury your therapy records may be subpoenaed. I cannot offer you legal advice, however I can make a referral to a legal practice that specializes in first responders for this reason.

Will you put a diagnosis in my record?

Diagnoses, for valid reasons, make people nervous. They are primarily used by insurance companies for billing purposes. But there is reasonable concern that if a record goes to court that a person without clinical training would interpret those words and make decisions based on their own understanding of them which may or may not be accurate. This is something we can talk about to go over your specific situation since there is often a bit of nuance to it. Having said that, if you are planning to use your insurance to get out-of-network reimbursement you will need to meet “medical-necessity” and that will require a billable diagnosis. Another scenario where this may come up is if you are applying for another law enforcement job or a job that requires security clearance and psychological screening is a part of the pre-employement process. It is possible that any pre-existing therapy records could be requested and may be required as a condition of employment. I cannot make any claim of how or if the presence or absence of any particular diagnosis or information will or will not impact that process.

Can I refer my co-worker/friend to you?

Maybe. Both of you would need to be aware that I cannot acknowledge either of you to the other even if I know that you talk to each other about therapy. For in-office visits, I do make an attempt to avoid scheduling parties that I am aware know each other at times when they may run into each other in the waiting area. When someone wants to make a referral to someone they know I usually discuss this with them in advance so they can also discuss with the person they are referring me to so that everyone is on the same page.