In the first few sessions, you will tell your story. You’ll talk about background issues that may have led you to seek counseling. You’ll build rapport with your therapist, and you’ll start to get a feel for connection and fit between the two of you. You may identify goals, both short-term and long-term, and develop a treatment plan. Once you’ve established that initial structure, long-term work can begin.

At this point, you will start to dig more deeply into treatment goals, moving from planning to action. It’s important to note that timelines are variable based on presenting needs, your comfort, and your therapist’s discretion.

The further you proceed in counseling, the more you will develop and strengthen coping skills, foster communication and self-advocacy, and begin to see the fruits of your labor. Ultimately, you are the one driving the therapeutic process. Your therapist is like the navigator, along for the ride, sometimes pointing out detours or stops or pausing to reflect, but you are the one behind the wheel.*

*It’s also important to emphasize that work continues outside of session. Progress in therapy also relies on putting work into action, practicing coping strategies, and holding yourself accountable.

Therapy is a deeply personal, individualized concept. Everyone will be ready at different stages of their life. Some people may find that addressing an issue quickly after an event may be most beneficial, while some may prefer to take their time, try to self-process and heal, before entering counseling. Here are a few concepts that might help you make that decision:

Am I on the right track?

Whether your goals relate to to personal healing, professional growth, relationships, or otherwise, it’s important to consider your sense of comfort, happiness and contentment in this current place in your life. Is there something missing from your life you’d like to strengthen? Perhaps a sense of purpose, fulfillment, or a sense of inner peace?

Are there areas of stress or tension that are impacting me right now?

More often than not, we can identify some particular stressor or trigger in our life. It may be small, or it may seem massive and insurmountable. But it’s nevertheless important to recognize if there is some type of obstacle, hurdle, that you are working to move past or overcome. This is often a major driver for those deciding to seek therapy.

Am I seeking to grow or adapt? Am I willing to make changes in my daily life, the way I respond to challenges, the way I cope with stressors?

Progress in therapy relies on some willingness to learn, to grow, to shift one’s perspectives. That isn’t to say you need to be 100% ready to change every aspect of your life. Nor should you. Therapy should be something that integrates with your life, not derails it. But if there’s no part of you that’s willing to shift in some way, no part that’s willing to adjust the way you approach life’s challenges, you may simply not be ready yet. And that is completely okay. Can you benefit from therapy? Absolutely. But you should also be comfortable engaging in the process. Be patient with yourself. Give yourself time to think. And if you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out for a free 15-minute consult to see if therapy might be right for you.

For psychotherapy, I am in-network (INN) with most major insurance companies, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Cigna, and Oxford, as well as some Medicare plans. For a complete list of insurance I accept, or if you’re unsure if your benefits will be accepted, please contact me for a free 15-minute consultation call, and I will work to get you an answer as soon as possible.

Even if you’re out-of-network (OON), some insurance plans may still cover our sessions. Much like in-network insurance, you might be responsible for a co-pay or co-insurance, based on your plan.

For those who don’t have compatible INN or OON insurance, or who would simply prefer to pay out-of-pocket, I accept self-pay at time of service via credit, debit, PayPal or Zelle. My self-pay rate for individuals is $150 for a session, and $175 for couples.

For text-based coaching, the weekly rate is $200. See below for further details.

That depends! In response to the growing demand for non-traditional forms of support, I’ve created a coaching tier as an alternate way of engaging.

What Do You Receive?

For clients seeking feedback and guidance outside the realm of psychotherapy, I offer text-based coaching with unlimited messaging access Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 9 PM.

Coaching is a private-pay service at $200 per week, payable weekly or monthly.

During service hours, you’ll receive thoughtful responses throughout the day—most often within hours. In rare cases, it may take up to 24 hours. My focus is on reflective, meaningful interaction rather than rushed replies, so your messages get the time and attention they deserve. This creates continuity and support beyond what’s possible in a single weekly appointment.

The flat weekly rate reserves this access in advance. Your availability is held throughout the week, regardless of how often you reach out—even if you only message on a few days.

Distinctions & Expectations

Coaching and therapy serve different purposes. Coaching emphasizes:

• Personal growth

• Stress management

• Accountability

• Practical strategies

Coaching does not involve diagnosis, treatment of mental health conditions, or crisis intervention.

Availability & Boundaries

Messages sent outside service hours (before 9 AM, after 9 PM, or on weekends) will be addressed the following service day. These boundaries ensure consistent, reliable access during the hours promised.

Safety Protocol

Coaching is not appropriate for emergencies or acute distress. If you are experiencing a crisis, please call 988, 911, or your local emergency services.

Confidentiality

Your communications will remain private and confidential. If a safety concern arises (such as imminent risk of harm), we will discuss the appropriate steps, which may include contacting emergency services.

Commitment & Cancellation

Coaching is billed at a flat rate of $200 per week. This reflects the reserved access and ongoing availability you receive during service hours.

You may pause or cancel a week with at least 48 hours’ notice. Because access is reserved in advance, refunds are not issued retroactively for unused days.

(Re: psychotherapy) - The short answer is that it differs for every person. Some people may benefit from relatively short spans of therapy, perhaps no more than 3 to 6 months. Others benefit from the structure and continuity of therapy over a matter of years. It really depends on your background, your experiences, and your presenting issues. It’s also important to consider how long you’ve been dealing with an issue. For some individuals, the impact of a significant event or trauma may require a longer course of treatment. For others, events may be more situational or transient, and may be addressed in a shorter period of time.

(Re: coaching) - This is highly variable, and depends on client need, availability, and topics to be explored in coaching sessions. Messaging access is based on weeks, differing from psychotherapy which is based on numbers of individual sessions.

(Re: psychotherapy) - Sessions will be held on a weekly basis. Research indicates that consistent initial progress is impacted by cadence (frequency of sessions). I find that those who begin sessions on a weekly basis are more likely to engage in therapy, and more likely to make consistent progress. I will commit to finding a weekly space for you. This is another benefit of having a small, boutique private practice, where I have full control over my schedule and hours. If you are interested in more than 1 session per week, I am happy to accommodate this as well.

(Re: coaching) - Clients have 12 hours access to unlimited messaging Monday through Friday 9 AM to 9 PM.

I make every effort to respond promptly, but advise clients that response times may take up to 24 hours. I make my every effort to check messages throughout service hours, and emphasize that while responses may not be immediate, they will instead be thoughtful and meaningful interactions. Additionally, this rate does not change based on messaging frequency, meaning weekly cost remains the same even if a client only utilizes the service on 2 out of the 5 days that week.

(Re: psychotherapy) - I ask that you provide 48-hour notice if you need to cancel or reschedule our weekly session. For any sessions canceled within that 48-hour window, I assess a $125 cancellation fee. I have a limited cancellation policy because I have seen the most progress when we meet weekly and consistently. We can discuss this further in our complementary call. I am happy to accomodate vacations and to discuss make-up sessions, as well.

(Re: coaching) - Please provide 48 hours or more advance notice prior to the next service day, or you will be billed the $200 weekly rate.

We refer to this phase of therapy as the maintenance phase. Triggers and stressors may be less pronounced. But they likely haven’t disappeared altogether. At this point, you’re building off of and maintaining the progress and structure you’ve developed in earlier sessions. For some, this means a reduction in session frequency. For others, they may want to maintain frequency, duration and structure of sessions.