Honestly, there is so much to gain from therapy. But its benefits largely depend on your personal goals. What do you want from therapy? To process and learn ways to cope with a traumatic experience? To learn how to cope with social anxiety? To lower your stress? To find healthy ways to communicate with someone you love? To learn how to make better decisions?

Some people want to improve their mood and feel less anxious or depressed. While others want to learn how to address current stressful life events. Still, some people just want to stop reliving the past and focus on their future. My hope is that you gain a greater sense of calm and peace in your life, learn more about your own needs and desires, and feel empowered to
make sure those needs are met.

Not sure how in-person therapy varies from teletherapy? Well, you are not alone.

Both in-person and teletherapy counseling sessions are effective treatment options for most mental health issues. Some people prefer in-person therapy because it provides them with an “escape” or a safe, independent place to share their fears, concerns, questions, and issues. This therapy format also allows the therapist to observe a person’s non-verbal communication patterns and gestures more closely than with an online format.

Conversely, other people prefer teletherapy because of its flexibility and accessibility. This therapy format is especially attractive to people who have strict work schedules, those who suffer from chronic illness or are home bound, or those who travel a lot.

I do not take every insurance primarily because I do not agree with the current changes in insurance coverage. It is not, however, because I do not care about people who need mental health treatment – because I do. Many insurance companies have become increasingly intrusive over the years. They have taken it upon themselves to dictate how, when, and who I can treat as a psychologist. I disagree with this rationale because I believe it restricts me from treating people to the best of my ability.

I feel like I cannot provide you with the best care if I am forced to stay within the confines of overreaching insurance guidelines that I feel do not always have the individual’s health and well-being in mind. Therefore, after much thought and consideration, I have decided to only accept a few insurance plans that allow me to provide much-needed therapy services to underserved populations.

If you would like to know if I take your insurance or if you would like to discuss possible alternative options, please contact me. I will do my best to work with you so you can get the help you need and deserve!

The length of time you spend in therapy largely depends on your personal goals, your willingness to work towards those goals outside of therapy, and the severity of your symptoms (i.e., the extent to which they are negatively affecting your life).

But because the length of therapy depends on the individual, it is hard to say before your first therapy session how long it will take. Remember, the goal is to help you find solutions to your issues, improve your coping skills, and empower you with the tools and resources you need to make better decisions, feel good about yourself, address traumatic events, etc., so you can finally be the person you want to be and have the life you want to have. I’m not going to lie to you, this may take time. I will tell you this – we will discuss the amount of progress you are making toward your goals and estimate the length of your individualized therapy journey during each session, so you will always know where you stand in the therapeutic process.

First, and foremost, you do not have to talk about anything, you always have free- will during your therapy sessions. But I hope we will get to a place where you want to talk about them with me. Remember, I am here to help you – not judge you. I want to hear about your traumatic experiences because I care. I want you to feel like you can trust me and that my office or my presence provides you with peace.

My goal is to be your “safe place” so you can allow all of the emotions, thoughts, fears, worries, concerns, doubts, and so much more to flow freely from your heart and mind. I will never judge you – that is not my place. My place is to listen and try to provide you with support while you work through issues that have been plaguing you for weeks, months, or years. Trauma is hard and it can follow you throughout your life, placing roadblocks in front of your health and happiness. Trauma can make you feel like you cannot breathe.

My job is to help you breathe again. I can help you learn how to process what happened to you so it no longer has the power to control your life. If one of your goals is to address your trauma, the best thing you can do for yourself is to talk about it – in your own time and in your own way. Understand, however, that I will never force you to talk about what happened to you until you feel safe and ready to process with the conflicting or intense emotions, thoughts, and memories that may arise once we begin to address your trauma.

Currently, I am only providing Intensive Therapy Sessions (please read the section on Therapy Intensive Sessions); however, this may change in the future. My Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) online class is offered on a continual basis. If you are interested in attending this class, please click the email below.