What is your fee? Do you take insurance? Good Faith Estimates?
Fees – My fee is $325 for a 90 minute session and $225 for a 50 minute session. I schedule all sessions as 90 minute sessions whether we are doing counseling, trauma therapy, EMDR therapy or career coaching. I typically meet with clients weekly or every other week based on their preference. The 50 minute sessions are for when we are at a point in our work that 50 minutes is sufficient to cover the topic you would like to address. I do not offer any reduced fees or sliding scale fees. Payment in full is due at the end of each session and can be made by cash, credit cards, debit cards including health savings account cards through your employer.
Insurance – I do not take insurance or contract with any insurance companies. If you want to use your insurance, I will provide you with a receipt that you can use to file for reimbursement with your insurance company. Prior to scheduling an appointment, you will need to contact your insurance provider to verify what dollar amount your insurance plan covers for 90 minute psychotherapy sessions with an out-of-network provider. There is no guarantee that they will reimburse you for your sessions. I do not work with insurance companies or communicate in any way with your insurance company. For an insurance company to pay for any counseling, the therapist must assign the client a mental health disorder diagnosis code.
I do not view my clients as having mental health disorders. Rather I view my clients as having understandable reactions to upsetting life events or the inevitable ups and downs of life. When you file your counseling sessions through your health insurance, your mental health disorder diagnosis code becomes part of your health record and so there is a possibility that others may have access to your diagnosis.
Your diagnosis codes can also be used to determine your future health insurance premiums. If you choose to assume this risk and if your symptoms meet the criteria of a mental health disorder code, I will provide you with a receipt that has all the codes and information that your insurance company requires for you to file a claim to be reimbursed by your insurance company.
Good Faith Estimates – You have a right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges for services per the federal government’s “No Surprises Act” that went into effect 1/2/2022.
How many sessions will I need?
Many of my clients report significant improvements or benefits after just a few sessions. Most of the work I do is brief, focused trauma therapy where we meet weekly or every other week for anywhere from a few months to one year to address your goals. Clients often comment on how quickly we resolved issues that they’ve been struggling with for years.
Some clients choose to work with me for a year or more as they are working on a range to different topics and/or want the healing power and benefits of an on-going therapeutic relationship. Many clients work with me for a few months on some issues and then they may reconnect with me months or years later to work on a new topic or stress that has come up due to the inevitable ups and downs or changes in life.
Some clients who contact me specifically for EMDR therapy experience significant shifts and relief in just a few sessions.
It is not possible for a psychotherapist to know in advance how many psychotherapy sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given individual. The number of psychotherapy sessions that are appropriate for your situation depends on your individual needs and circumstances.
More specifically, the number of sessions an individual needs depends on a variety of variable factors including: the number of symptoms/issues/topics to address, the nature of those issues, client’s family of origin dynamics, client’s trauma history, the client-therapist relationship, client’s ability to engage in the process during sessions, client’s ability to apply or reflect on what is discovered or discussed during sessions, unforeseen stressors, circumstances or other changes that may happen in the client’s life during the course of therapy.
Depending on your needs and circumstances, you may need anywhere from 12-48, 90 minute individual psychotherapy sessions with me over the course of a year. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of psychotherapy sessions you choose to attend.
Attending one or more sessions does not obligate you to continue or to attend a certain number of sessions. You are free to discontinue therapy sessions at any time.
Research on the effectiveness of therapy consistently shows that the single most important factor for determining the effectiveness of therapy is the relationship between the client and therapist. We heal, change and grow through our relationships with others. So when you think about the number of sessions you need to meet your goals, you need to factor in the time it takes to develop a relationship where you trust the therapist and feel comfortable expressing yourself.
My goal is to facilitate your process of meeting your goals for our work. I am conscientious about clients not becoming dependent on the counseling relationship, and I do not prolong therapy when you have met your objectives or if the process is no longer beneficial for you.
How often will we meet?
Typically, we will meet every week or every other week. Frequency of sessions and session length depends on what we are working on, your schedule and your preferences.
Can you help me with...? What issues do you work with?
Click here Counseling to see a list of the issues or topics I can help with.
Can I work with you without reprocessing a memory with EMDR?
Yes. The choice is yours. In addition, not all issues require desensitization and reprocessing of upsetting memories. EMDR is not a technique. It is a psychotherapy orientation that recognizes that the root cause of many present days problems are memories of upsetting events that are stored or encoded in your brain in a way that doesn’t serve you. My orientation as a therapist is not simply short term symptom relief, but identifying and treating the root cause of your present day problems, so you have lasting improvement in your well-being. EMDR is a highly efficient and effective way of doing this. However, it is not the only approach I use. It is not a cure-all and is not applicable or appropriate for all situations or clients.
Do you offer online sessions, including EMDR therapy online? Do you offer in-person sessions?
Yes. I am licensed of offer teletherapy to clients who are physically located in Georgia, Florida or North Carolina at the time of their therapy session. To learn more see this page of my website Online Therapy
Yes, I also offer effective EMDR therapy online. To learn more see this page of my website EMDR Online Therapy
Yes, I also offer in-person sessions in my office in Atlanta, GA.
What are some of the benefits of counseling?
Counseling is a way to work on your emotional muscles and become emotionally stronger and healthier. Counseling can help you identify and strengthen your positive qualities, provide support during a transition, help you understand and break negative patterns, help you gain perspective on a situation, solve a problem or heal from emotional wounds or upsetting experiences.
Counseling can also help you understand yourself better and become more conscious of how your history, perceptions, feelings, attitudes and behavior patterns influence how you relate to others and move through the world.