Frequently Asked Questions
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I charge $175 for a 50-minute individual session, and $250 for an 80-minute individual session.
I currently do not accept insurance. I am an out-of-network provider. An itemized invoice, or superbill, can be provided by the office should you wish to submit for reimbursement to your insurance company. If you are interested in doing this, I recommend contacting your insurance company and asking about “out-of-network mental health benefits.” Please note that not all insurance companies provide coverage for online therapy sessions.
There are several reasons for this. The first reason is that if you use insurance for therapy, your therapist is required to give you a diagnosis on the first visit! Not only that, but the therapist has to report this diagnosis to the insurance company in order to get paid for treatment. Insurance companies also require treatment notes at times as well. I personally believe that this undermines the basic premise of therapy, and it gives a large company access to private health information about you. I believe therapy is a private and confidential service, that should remain private and confidential.
Even if you are ok with your information being shared with your insurance company, it can have unintended consequences in the future. What if the reason you come to therapy is not because you have a mental illness but because you are seeking growth and exploration? Insurance companies don’t consider growth and exploration to be valid reasons for seeking therapy and if you do not have an actual diagnosis they will not authorize paying for sessions, and may continue to not authorize any future sessions. Unfortunately this puts therapists in a very awkward position with three potential options. Either we have to discontinue therapy since they won’t authorize payment, your therapist has to assign you a diagnosis that you don’t meet criteria for so that the insurance company will continue to authorize sessions (which is fraud!), or we continue our work together without a diagnosis while risking claims being denied, and not getting paid for the work.
Another reason why I do not take insurance is because oftentimes insurance requires certain treatment methods only. This means that as your therapist I don’t have as much say in how to treat you, even if I believe a different method could be more beneficial for you. The kicker of this is that most people that work at insurance companies decide which methods can and cannot be used, and they are not even therapists! Deciding on methods requires an accurate assessment which your therapist does during the first several sessions.
The most important reason for me to not take insurance is because of all of the time it takes to complete paperwork, submit claims, and be in constant contact with the insurance companies. I don’t want to spend my time working with them…I want to spend my time working with you! I want to put my energy and focus into doing what I love and am passionate about, which is the therapeutic relationship.
- No labeling- You don’t need to carry the weight of an unnecessary (or perhaps inaccurate) diagnosis on your medical record.
- Confidentiality and privacy-Only you and I will know you are in therapy. You get to decide who you disclose this information to. Session notes are private records, so no one will have access to your private details.
- Self-determination-You get to work with a therapist who has the capacity of taking the best therapeutic approach to help you meet your goals. You and I are the only ones involved in the decision about the length of your care, and you won’t have to continue to seek authorization to continue therapeutic work if you have new goals to explore.
- Quality care and attention-Since I set my own fees, I am not professionally overextended as some insurance taking therapists may be. I am alert and engaged in your session, remembering details of previous sessions, and reachable between sessions. I believe in the same skills and treatments that we talk about in session, including self-care, so you have the help of a professional that is invested in your process of growth because I am taking the time to do the same for myself.
You can call me at 210-800-2113 or send me an email through the contact page.
1846 Lockhill Selma Rd. #104
San Antonio, TX 78213
This is a great question, and one that I do not have an easy answer to. Sometimes people come to therapy to work on one issue, then after that is worked through there are other things to work on. Sometimes people work through the main issue and then decide to take a break from therapy. What I can tell you is that I will be open and honest with you about what I recommend, and we will work together to come to a solution that best fits your needs.
A comfy office, a feeling of trust and warmth, a friendly greeting, a knowledgeable professional, some paperwork, and some explanation of what therapy looks like.
During the first appointment with me we will go over paperwork, answer any questions that you may have, and I will ask questions to get to know you better and see how I can help.
As a therapist I won’t: Try to fix you. Give you advice. Tell you what to do. Pretend I know more about you than you do. Assume what is best for you. Have all the answers. Make the hard stuff go away.
As a therapist I will: Remind you that you aren’t broken. Give you room to access your own wisdom. Support you in figuring out what to do. Recognize that you are the expert on your own life. Remember that only you know what is best for you. Honor that I don’t know it all. Collaborate with you on how to make the hard stuff easier to sit with.