What is your fee?

My fee is $160 for individual 60 minute sessions. $160 for 60 minute couples/ family sessions. 

Do you take insurance?

I do take some insurances. I am leaning more into not taking insurance. Insurance companies require a medical diagnosis at the first session which allows them to determine if sessions will be covered. People come to therapy often times for support, or just personal growth and don’t meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Services in this case would not be covered. I also feel it is premature to provide a diagnosis after meeting with someone for 50 minutes. Insurance companies often require pre- auths or deny sessions after a certain point. I think your treatment should be determined by you, and not by an insurance company.

WHAT is emdr?

EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) is a structured therapy that encourages the client to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements, tapping…), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes, showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019).

EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.

EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other psychotherapies.

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.- EMDRIA

Would my sessions be weekly?

When we first begin treatment, weekly sessions are most beneficial. It gives us an opportunity to build rapport and a relationship and for me to begin to learn more about you. Sessions less frequently than weekly or biweekly, seem to be too far apart to really get treatment going in a certain direction. Once we have established a relationship and are moving in the direction you want to go, you can determine how frequently you would like to come in- whether that is weekly, bi weekly, every 3 weeks or monthly.

What can I expect from therapy?

Everyone’s treatment and experience in therapy is going to look so different! A lot of it depends on what you are going through, goals you have for yourself for treatment or how willing you are to ‘do the work’ in and out of our sessions. You can expect me to show up for you, support you, provide a sense of safety and calm in my office, guidance, and a lot of empathy and compassion. Some sessions are harder than others, where uncomfortable material comes up. Other sessions feel lighter. We may be working hard toward increasing / decreasing certain behaviors, we may be using EMDR to help process traumatic memories, or you may be just benefiting from an hour of “couch time”- something that I think we would all benefit from.

What other treatment modalities are you trained in?

In couple’s therapy, I primarily work from an attachment Emotionally Focused Therapy lens (EFT).  This really helps couples be able to identify their triggers or cycle (what every couple experiences) and be able to understand the role that this cycle plays in their relationship.  This helps with being able to identify what each partner does in their own protective places, which may be moving the couple away from one another instead of toward connection- which is what we all ultimately want! The EFT model is incredibly successful with couples and individually in terms of being able to have the awareness about out our own emotions and ways we show up in the relationship.

I am also trained in the Gottman Method (for couples) Level 1 & 2.

I am trained and certified in TF-CBT (trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy) through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Seeking Safety (a model for substance abuse and PTSD), The Incredible Years (parenting program), FOCUS- Individual and Family Resiliency Training for Military and Veteran Families through UCLA Nathanson Family Resiliency Center, MAP (Managing and Adapting Practices) through National Institute of Mental Health as well as DTQI (Depression Treatment Quality Intervention) through California Institute of Behavioral Health Solutions.

I am also a Certified Integrative Mental Health Practitioner (Nutritional and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health).

What is your approach?

My approach is warm, considerate, thoughtful, caring. It is also curious and at times, fairly direct. Blending relationship building with skill building. I appreciate the organic flow of treatment and sessions without the expectation that we should have an agenda. Because treatment for everyone is so individualized and tailored to what each person needs, my approach may look different for every client. I tend to be humanistic, integrative, attachment based, collaborative and relational.