You know how cars have blind spots? We humans also have blind spots…things that are hard to see without additional tools, like the blind spot monitoring on new fancy cars. Because people in our lives love us, they often share the same blind spots, or have trouble pointing them out because they care about us so much. Like a back seat driver, best friends and family members also have judgements and opinions about what we should do about our problems. A trained therapist is going to be able to listen in a neutral, nonjudgemental, unbiased way, help you see your blind spots, and support you in moving forward in a way a friend or family member might not be able to. 

Of course you want to feel better. You've been in pain for a long time. I wish I had a magic wand to wave away your pain and fix your problems. Therapy will help you heal...and the biggest part of healing is your willingness to show up and do the work. We wouldn't have Star Wars if Luke Skywalker had sat down on Tatooine and said "this whole dark side of the Force thing is really depressing...I'm just going to take some meds and read Brené Brown." And while self-help books (I love a good Brené) and medication might be part of your healing, you're still going to have to do the Kessel Run if you want to start feeling better.

Good therapy should be focused on you—your struggles, your wins, and the aspects of your life that are most important to you. In our first couple of sessions we'll work on identifying what success in therapy would look and feel like for you. After we have our map we'll start helping you make "towards" moves—the actions that move you closer to the type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live. We'll also identify what's getting in the way of towards moves and build skills to work with those stuck places. 

I'm going to give you an annoying therapist response to this question...it depends, because therapy is unique to each individual. I can tell you that I encourage people attend 8-10 sessions over 2-4 months before deciding whether or not therapy is helping. This gives us time to build a relationship, understand the changes you want to make, and help you make moves towards the life you want to live. Some people, especially those with complicated or painful pasts, will likely feel nurtured and supported by spending a longer amount of time in therapy—several years instead of several months. Other people might find therapy to be a helpful and necessary part of their mental health maintenance and schedule regular check-ins over a long period of time. The best part about therapy is that personalizable so we can work together to come up with a plan that feels good to you. 

My session rate is $125 for sessions 60 minutes and under. Our first session is $150. Check out my Rates & Insurance page for more information on ways to pay for therapy. 

I am out-of-network with most major private insurance companies such as Blue Cross, Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, and United. I'd be happy to talk through using out-of-network benefits for therapy.

I'm unable to accept payment from Medicaid members. 

It's great to hear that you're invested in your growth! Showing up and being honest and vulnerable is an excellent first step towards getting the most out of therapy. Also, remember that a therapy session is one hour out of the 168 hours in your week, so taking what you learn in therapy and applying it to your life is key to lasting change. Otherwise, it's like buying a new paddle and never taking it on the river, or a new set of skis that never see the mountain.