FAQ

Do you meet in-person or online?

For in-person sessions, there is an option to meet in my office or outdoors at a community park. There is also an option to meet online through telehealth video.

Do you take insurance or have a sliding scale fee?

I do not currently accept medical insurance and am not a network provider for any insurance plan. But if your medical insurance plan includes out-of-network coverage, I am able to provide a receipt that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

I do not currently have a sliding scale fee.

For fees and payment methods accepted please see my Fee page.

Do I need to live in the San Francisco Bay Area?

My license allows me to serve anyone that resides and is physically located in California. We can definitely discuss this more to see what would make the most sense for you. In some situations, such as, if there are safety concerns, it may be more appropriate to find someone in your area that is currently meeting in-person. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that my knowledge of potential resources is mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, more specifically in the South Bay region.

If you would like to meet in-person when the option for that resumes, it would work better if you live in the South Bay or Peninsula regions of the Bay Area.  Otherwise, we can continue to meet online.

Is therapy confidential?   

Therapy is a safe space where confidentiality is taken very seriously and protected as much as possible. However, there are some circumstances where therapists are mandated by law to break confidentiality on a limited basis. Potential instances where a therapist may have to break confidentiality on a limited basis is when the client poses a significant threat to harm themselves (e.g., suicide) or harm others, information regarding a child or elderly person being abused, or court subpoenas.

For effective therapy with children and teenagers, confidentiality is critical in order to build and maintain trust with the child or teenager. To facilitate this, an agreement is made with the parents to keep what the child shares in session confidential unless there is a safety concern. Outside of safety concerns, the therapist will share more generally with the parents about how the child is doing in therapy.

How often should I be attending therapy sessions?

Typically, for therapy to be helpful, the frequency should be once-a-week. There may be times, such as a crisis, where the frequency is temporarily increased to more than once-a-week. And there may be times, such as when there is a plan to soon transition to end therapy, where the frequency may be reduced to less than once-a-week.

How long do I need to be in therapy for?

There is no set duration of time that one needs to be in therapy. Some people may only need a shorter duration of a few months and some may find it helpful to have a longer duration of a year or even longer. Therapy can also be helpful at different times in life, so one could end therapy at one point in their life and then re-engage in therapy at a later time in life where challenges may arise again.  You are able to choose to end therapy at anytime. However, it is generally more beneficial to work together with your therapist to create a transition plan to end your time in therapy. 

Therapy is not necessarily meant to be something you need for a very long time or for your whole life. It is meant to help support you in the stage of life you are in, to learn new ways of thinking, new ways of being, different perspectives, new strategies and skills to use, help build positive sources of support, so that you are able to live your life fully. It is a positive thing for both client and therapist when the client gets to the point where therapy is not needed anymore.