Common questions

No. I'm private pay only and I don't provide superbills, so sessions aren't reimbursable out of network either. Insurance requires a diagnosis on file and gives the insurer a say in how long we work and on what. Working outside it keeps those decisions with us.

Look at your whole situation, not just your paycheck. Debt, dependents, medical costs, and whether there's family money behind you if things go wrong. Then pick the rate that honestly fits. If you're not sure, bring it to the consultation.

Mostly I want to understand your context. What brought you here, what you've already tried, what your life looks like day to day. You don't need to arrive with a prepared history, and you don't have to start with the hardest thing.

It depends on what you're working on. Some people come for a specific thing and finish in a few months. Others work for years because the work keeps opening. We'll talk about it as we go. You decide when you're done.

No. I'm a licensed counselor, not a prescriber. I'm glad to think with you about whether medication is worth exploring and to coordinate with a prescriber if you have one.

Yes, including triads. Same session length and same sliding scale, whoever is in the room.

No. I work from harm reduction, which means we start from what you want rather than from a goal I've already picked. For some people that turns out to be abstinence. For plenty of others it's using more safely, or changing a relationship to a substance without ending it. You get to define the goal, and I'm not going to discharge you for being honest about it.

One thing I do ask: come to sessions sober, so we can use the time well.

I don't know yet, and I'd rather find out with you than promise. What I can tell you is what usually went wrong for people who say this. They had to educate the therapist about their own life, or they got a technique applied to them, or they said something honest and watched the room change. If something like that happens here, say so. Working through that is not an interruption of the therapy, it's often the most useful thing in it.

Working privately means no diagnosis goes to an insurer and no payer sees your records.

I still keep clinical records, as I'm required to, and confidentiality has the standard legal limits.

Yes. I'm a heritage Spanish speaker and I work in either language.

Then I'll say so, and where I can I'll point you toward someone better suited. That's what the consultation is for, and it's a normal outcome rather than a failure. You're also free to reach that conclusion yourself at any point, including after we've started.