Frequently asked questions.
Do you offer in-person therapy?
At this time I do not offer in-person therapy and only offer virtual or telehealth therapy. I am, however, hoping to be able to offer in-person therapy in the future!
Do you take insurance?
I do not take insurance at this time. If you have out-of-network mental or behavioral health benefits that you wish to utilize I can provide monthly superbills which you can submit to your insurance to try and seek reimbursement for your therapy fees.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Billing is done through Sessions Health, a HIPPA compliant program which keeps your information safe and private. Major credit cards as well as HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) are accepted forms of payment. A credit card is required to be on file even if you are utilizing a HSA for payment in the event that there is a lack of funds in the HSA.
What are your fees?
See my fees page for information regarding the costs of therapy.
What are your hours? Do you have evening or weekend availability?
I know that it can be difficult for some of us to find time during daytime hours for therapy, so I do offer limited evening hours. At this time, I offer daytime and evening appointments on Thursdays, and daytime appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. I do not offer weekend hours at this time.
Is what we talk about in therapy confidential?
Generally, what we talk about in therapy is confidential (or in other words, stays between us), with a few basic exceptions.
First, as a therapist I am a mandated reporter (as are teachers, doctors, and daycare workers to name a few). This means that if a client shares something which causes me to suspect that there has been abuse of a minor, an elderly adult, or a dependent adult (someone with a significant disability which impacts their ability to care for themselves) I would be mandated to report those suspicions to the appropriate authorities in either the state of Missouri or Illinois.
Secondly, I am also ethically obligated to intervene if a *“clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.”
Finally, in order to continue to improve my skills as a therapist and provide my clients the best possible service, I may at time seek consultation from other licensed mental health professions. In this situation, names and identifying information would not be used and only information that was deemed necessary would be shared (i.e. I would share as little as possible and do my very best to protect your privacy). Consultation is a standard part of providing therapeutic care and any licensed mental health professional with which I would seek supervision are held to the same standards of confidentiality as discussed above.
Outside of these exceptions, everything else that we discuss I am legally and ethically bound to keep confidential unless you give me your consent to share information with a third party (examples of this might include wishing me to confer with your PCP, a psychiatrist, a school counselor or social worker, etc.).
Confidentiality and its limits will be discussed during your initial therapy session.
*Source: NASW Code of Ethics
How long and how often will my therapy sessions be?
Therapy sessions last 50 minutes and initially they take take place every week or every other week (depending on client need, scheduling availability and financial circumstances). As a client during the first 12 weeks of treatment you are agreeing to attend sessions at least every other week or to make your best faith effort to do so (we are human after all!). The purpose of such a policy is to give us the time to build a therapeutic relationship. If feasible personally and financially, a frequency of weekly for the first six weeks of treatment is preferred.
Do you see children and adolescents?
I see adolescents age 12 and up and greatly enjoy working with this population! (The first four years of my career were spent providing mental health services at a high school.) I also work with adults of all ages.
Note: in Missouri, minors are unable to consent to their own mental health treatment and the consent of a guardian or parent is required. In Illinois, minors over the age of 12 may consent to their own outpatient mental health treatment. Whether you are located in Missouri or Illinois I will ask that both the adolescent client and a parent or guardian understand and agree to the terms of the informed consent agreement.
If you have further questions regarding the rights of a minor client and their parents or guardian when it comes to mental health treatment, please do not hesitate to ask. This can also be discussed during an initial consultation or a first appointment.
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Yes! All of my sessions at this time are offered virtually through the HIPPA compliant platform Doxy. In the case of technological difficulties a session can be converted to phone. Due to licensing restrictions, I am only able to virtually see clients who are in the states of Missouri and Illinois.
What is your cancellation policy?
As your therapy appointment is reserved solely for you, advanced warning of your cancellation is appreciated so that I have the opportunity to offer another client that appointment time. If you provide me notice of your need to cancel more than 48 hours ahead of your appointment time you will not be charged any fee. If you provide such notice less than 48 hours before your appointment then you will be charge $65 (or 50% of your session). If availability allows, you do have the option to reschedule your appointment for another time during the same week. If you attend that session, your late cancellation fee will be applied towards the cost of that session.
If you fail to attend a session without any prior notice (a no-show), you will be charged the full session fee.
Exceptions can be made to these policies in the event that you an I both agree that the late cancellation or no-show occurred due to reasons outside of your control (personal or family emergencies, etc.).