Frequently Asked Questions

This is one of my favorite recent questions to explore, as I think it gets at what makes us human, and what makes human relationships so uniquely capable of growth and nourishment. Conversation, validation, and clear next steps are a big part of a therapeutic relationship, and can be simulated by AI, but so much more exists between two humans. There are parts of ourselves that we can only discover in the context of a safe, trusting relationship with another person.

Therapeutic relationships allow for useful friction, warmth, discomfort in the service of growth, and feeling “felt” by the humans sitting with us in all of our story. It’s good for us to have to take time between sessions to ponder, practice and integrate the work we do. Although instant 24/7 feedback might feel good in the moment, it’s not building what we need for the long term.

Therapy helps us to feel understood. That understanding can only be provided by another human who has lived through pain, love, struggle, anxiety, and true connection.

Additionally, though this technology is changing incredibly quickly, mental health concerns with AI still abound. AI can induce psychosis, encourage disordered eating, and increase secrecy and suicidality. I am hopeful that things will get much better in this regard, but it is good to be aware of the current risks and know when a therapist is a better choice for what you’re working on.

Therapists go through 3000 hours of training beyond graduate school, take licensing exams, and are required to take continuing education in law and ethics as well as other topics. Those are just the requirements! Most therapists I know have been lifelong seekers of healing and growth. There’s so much subtlety and nuance and creativity in this work that makes it deeply precious, irreplaceable and human.

I do not use AI tools in my practice due to confidentiality concerns. I want you to know that your story stays with me, alone, and our sessions won’t be recorded or transcribed with AI tools.

What is shared between client and therapist is sacrosanct, and should remain that way.

Insurance companies request information from therapists and clients and set constraints around treatment that often interfere with how we might want to work together. 

For example, my standard sessions have always been 60 minutes-it just feels a bit more luxurious to me than a 45 or 50 minute session that insurance companies and many other therapists prefer. Since I work mainly with people who are pregnant, have new babies, or parenting, it gives us wiggle room if something or someone (maybe even you!) needs tending to during a session. You can grab a snack, put a baby down for a nap, respond to an urgent text, etc. without feeling rushed. Usually, we just use those 60 minutes to talk in more depth, but it’s really nice to have that full session time. 

Additionally, I don’t think therapy should necessarily be dependent on a mental health diagnosis. I think diagnoses can be useful if they connect us with others, help us understand ourselves better, etc., but often what’s going on inside us during these incredible transitions doesn’t fit neatly in a box, and I like to have room to talk together about all of it, for as long as you’d like to, independent from what insurance companies think about that. 

I provide Superbills on request, which do require a diagnosis for reimbursement. I am very happy to help make therapy with me more affordable in this way.

I am also committed to offering a few sliding scale spots in my practice, so just let me know if that’s something you’d like and I can share if I have current availability.

Often, we will likely be talking about these important friend and family relationships in therapy! It can be incredibly useful to have a person in your life that can remain both caring and impartial. Friends and family members have a different history of you, and a different investment in your well-being (or remaining stuck). Also, unfortunately, it can be rare to find someone who can deeply listen at a regular time each week without sharing their own struggles.

Pregnancy and parenthood in particular are also a time of well-meaning comments or advice that often miss the mark or make things worse. We learn that in our time of need, it’s hard to know who to turn to that won’t judge us or insert their own agenda. 

I’ve been in private practice for over 10 years and I have heard it all. You won’t surprise me or push me away. I feel honored to be in this role!

I specialize in a really profoundly impactful stage of life, and it’s something that I value immensely and find infinitely interesting. I will say that I have met many therapists that do this specific kind of work in the Bay Area, and have found them all to be spectacularly smart and kind humans-so if we have a consultation and we’re not the right fit for logistical or style reasons, I have lots of referrals and know you’ll be in great hands! What’s most important to me is that you find the right fit for you. 

I feel very invested in our time together. You should know that if you work with me, I will gather my years of education and experience to craft treatment that is unique to you as an individual. Each person I work with has my personal, creative, warm attention, and no session is the same. 

I have a deep belief that we all have our own unique inner wisdom-you will very rarely find me giving advice or telling you what I think you should do. I consider my role more as a guide to help you discover and stand in your own wisdom-especially when everything around and within you might be changing or uncertain. 

In the beginning stages of therapy, it can be helpful to provide practical guidance and support-how to sustain yourself when a tiny human is taking every waking and sleeping moment, for example. I do have plenty of experience of what often helps people feel their best, and I always love sharing things I’ve come across that might add to our discussions (podcast episodes, articles, books, etc). For some people, this can be enough. For others, after things feel more stable, it’s our opportunity to go deeper and explore longstanding (even inter-generational) patterns. I love both short and long-term work.

My education and training is in feminist psychodynamic therapy-I’ve always loved looking at our stories in the context of the systems and social conditions that we’re a part of and shaped by.

My current fee for individual clients is $200/60 minutes. I often have sliding scale options open, so please let me know if that’s something that would help therapy with me feel more accessible.

We will meet weekly at first and for as long as you’d like. We can meet more frequently than once a week if needed, and can also transition to every other week once we really get to know each other and both feel like that’s sufficient (usually several weeks in.)

I have noticed that meeting less frequently than every other week usually feels more like a “check in” and our work doesn’t usually have the same momentum or expected progress, but I trust that you and I can figure out a cadence that feels best for you.

Since 2022, in California, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. 

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.  

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. 

You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. 

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

 For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 985-3059.