Where do sessions take place?

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Most sessions take place via zoom in the client's home. I am licensed to provide psychotherapy services throughout Pennsylvania, and I am a registered telehealth provider in Florida and Delaware. Where possible, if you are within a 30 minute drive of my home, I prefer to do the first session, which is a 90-minute intake/assessment, in person at your home, but this is not a requirement. Depending on availability and location, later in-home sessions may be possible at an additional fee. Feel free to inquire about this.  

 

Can I refer my mother/father/sister/friend for psychotherapy or care consultation? They could really use your help!

 

I am happy to speak with you in a free 15 minute psychotherapy consultation to discuss your concerns and whether I might be a good fit for you or your loved one, but ultimately therapy clients will need to contact me themselves to get acquainted and schedule a first appointment.  Full, informed consent is a must for therapy to have any chance of success and is required by law.

 

Eldercare consultation is a different thing altogether. Some clients contact me themselves to engage services, but I often work with concerned family members and caregivers living nearby or at a distance when their loved one is unwilling or unable to consent themselves. ​

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What is your therapy referral and onboarding process?

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After receiving your referral, you and I will have a brief (15 mins) telephone or zoom conversation to get acquainted where we will discuss your needs, ask questions, and determine if we think we may be a good fit. We will review my fees and scheduling options and if we decide to schedule a first session, I will send you my intake packet via internet. This includes a bio-psychosocial history, consent forms, and practice policies, which you must complete and return before our first meeting. It is my practice to meet with all prospective clients 3 times for us both to evaluate whether it feels like a good fit. A good therapist/client match is essential for a successful therapy outcome and, while I have a lot of experience and professional training under my belt, I might not be the best fit for you and your needs for a variety of reasons. If that is the case, I will do my best to offer you appropriate referrals to clinicians that may better meet your needs. 

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Why did you stop accepting insurance?

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After being an enthusiastic participant for over 30 years, I made the difficult decision to opt out of insurance. I did this after careful thought and consideration, as I believe access to affordable mental health care should be a fundamental right covered by insurance for all. Unfortunately, the rigid constraints insurance companies impose around diagnosis, medical necessity, and length of treatment make it nearly impossible to do the work I enjoy--the work I feel my clients deserve, without fear of punitive oversight and audits which seek to limit clients' use of benefits. 

In reality, many of my clients don't have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Many are coming to therapy to improve self esteem and assertiveness, heal old wounds, develop new insights, get support, let go of old, self-limiting patterns, or deepen their capacity for intimacy--all things that fall more under the heading of personal growth than mental illness, and the need to document "progress" and discharge within a "reasonable" timeline places constraints on the work I am no longer comfortable with. While it pains me to limit my practice to private pay only, it is a compromise I have decided is necessary for my personal and professional integrity at this point in my career. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, we will need to sign a Medicare Private Pay Contract indicating neither of us will seek reimbursement from Medicare for my services. 

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