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Plant in White Pot

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have more questions or would like to connect over the phone, please visit my contact page to set up a consultation.

Are you accepting new clients?

Yes! I currently have in-person and telehealth openings for adolescents (13+) and adults living in New York State. Telehealth therapy sessions are held over HIPAA-compliant Zoom. In-person sessions are held in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

What is your approach?

I believe in a therapeutic relationship that is safe, affirming, and collaborative. Broadly, I am a CBT therapist with a strong ACT foundation (see the next two FAQs for a description of CBT and ACT!). What that means is that we will focus on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to identify areas to intervene, learn skills, and reduce psychological pain. I approach clients with curiosity, flexibility, and acceptance- and I will encourage you to approach yourself the same way! Together, we will find creative ways to face your fears, test your beliefs and assumptions, learn new skills, replace unhelpful habits, and move forward toward your goals and values. 

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an effective, evidence-based, psychotherapy treatment for a wide range of mental health conditions. It's a very "here and now" treatment that focuses on a person's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and how they might be getting in the way of leading a meaningful, fulfilling life. Together, we will work on growing awareness of your thoughts and emotions, and learn new skills to manage the particularly difficult ones when they come up.

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I am trained in CBT, as well as several of the more specialized research-supported treatments that fall under its umbrella, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, exposure work for phobias and panic disorder, habit reversal training (HRT) for body-focused repetitive behaviors and hair-pulling, and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) for PTSD.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

ACT has been described as an "existential humanistic cognitive behavioral therapy." As an evidence-based form of CBT, it focuses on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Though in ACT, there is an additional emphasis on values, acceptance, meaning, compassion, and living in the present moment. At its core, ACT encourages us to be present, do what matters, and remain open and flexible. My goal would be for you to create a rich and meaningful life by developing psychological and behavioral skills to effectively reduce the impact of difficult thoughts and feelings and focusing your attention on what is important and meaningful to you.

What is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning is a broad term referring to the higher-level cognitive abilities of planning, organization, time management, attention, working memory, emotion regulation, flexible thinking, shifting attention, behavioral inhibition, task initiation, self-monitoring, and self-awareness. All of us have varied profiles of cognitive strengths and weaknesses and for some folks, executive functions are more challenging. Performing these tasks can be especially difficult for someone with ADHD or autism. The good news is that there are skills that can be developed and strategies to employ in order to increase functioning in these areas. There are also some amazing superpowers that can come along with ADHD and autism! I specialize in helping adolescents and adults with executive functioning difficulties find and capitalize on their strengths, increase functioning in weaker areas, and make the functional changes necessary to thrive in their best life.

What is therapy like?

Most individual therapy sessions are 45 minutes long, and are scheduled weekly. The first session is an intake session, which is typically scheduled for 90 minutes. During the intake, I will ask a lot of questions about your current concerns and goals for treatment, as well as your social, educational, occupational, family, and medical history. This begins the assessment and conceptualization phase, where we will collaboratively map out your presenting concerns and begin individualized treatment planning. During weekly sessions, we will focus on thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns in order to collaboratively make active change toward a meaningful, fulfilling, and values-directed life. 

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What about fees, insurance, and sliding scale options?

The fee for an individual, 45-minute psychotherapy session is $290. Initial intake sessions are typically booked for 90 minutes and are billed at $580.

 

I am not contracted with any insurance providers and am considered an out-of-network provider. However, many insurance providers will still cover a portion of outpatient psychotherapy fees through out-of-network benefits. I will send you a monthly superbill, which you can submit for reimbursement. I recommend consulting with your insurance provider for your specific reimbursement policy.​​

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I aim to make therapy accessible and I offer a sliding scale for those with financial need. I have partnered with Open Path Psychotherapy Collective to help facilitate the process for clients seeking therapy on a sliding scale. Clients who obtain services through Open Path pay between $40 and $70 per session. Please check my Open Path profile to see whether there are currently sliding scale openings available. I also welcome you to reach out to me directly to discuss sliding scale options.

What is your billing and cancellation policy?

I keep a credit card on file through a secure electronic medical billing platform. Fees are automatically billed the day after the session takes place. Please let me know if you'd like to discuss an alternative payment method or schedule.

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A minimum of 24 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule a session. In the event of a no-show or a late cancellation, I will charge the full session fee. I give each client one free "pass" on this rule, and after that the full fee will be charged for each no-show or late cancellation.

I still have more questions!

That's awesome! Please get in touch through my contact page and we can schedule a free 15-minute phone or zoom consultation and talk it out.

What is a Good Faith Estimate?

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.

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