Frequently asked questions about therapy in San Marcos, CA.
+ Are you accepting new clients?
- For information about my current availablity Click here to visit my contact page
- If I am not accepting clients, and you would like to be made aware of therapy openings, please send me an email through my contact page stating that you would like to join my newsletter. I announce new therapy openings through my newsletter.
+ I am new to therapy. What’s the process?
Here are the steps to getting started with therapy in San Marcos, CA. or Online. Not all therapists do things the same way, but here is my process.
Schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation.
The simplest and fastest way to book a phone consultation is through my website contact page.
Once you access my scheduling calendar, choose a time and date that works for you.
Provide your name and the best phone number to contact you for the consultation.
Please add my name & number to your contacts, so that my call will ring through at the time of our call.
Consultation call.
- At the scheduled time, I will call you. The purpose of the call is to learn the reason you are considering therapy for yourself or your child. We can determine together if I am the right therapist for your needs based on the available schedule, the fee, and the issue.
Decide to schedule your first appointment, or not.
If it's a good fit, then we'll schedule a 60-minute intake session. If you're a parent who is planning to bring your child to therapy, the intake session is for parents only.
If I am not the right therapist for your needs, I will do my best to provide you with appropriate referrals.
Set up client portal account.
Once you schedule an appointment, I gather necessary private health information (like the full name of the client, birthdate, address) and set up a client portal account. I also require a form of payment to hold the appointment (credit card, debit card).
Then the portal generates a welcome email with a link to your email address. Once you access the portal, you will have access to necessary forms, billing & payment information, and secure messaging. You can also upload documents to the portal.
You will receive text and/or email appointment reminders for your appointment. You can adjust what reminders you receive by accessing the client portal. If it is a telehealth session, the link for the call will be in the email reminder.
Prior to the first session.
You will complete and sign necessary forms (all electronic paperwork).
This will allow me to look over your paperwork and prepare for our session. This will include consent forms, a payment authorization, history form, and information about my office policies.
If you are scheduled for an online therapy session, you will be sent additional information about using the telehealth system and/or preparing for the session from your home.
Meet for first session.
We will review the paperwork and go over any questions you may have.
You will have an opportunity to share more about yourself or your child.
We will work on setting a goal(s) for our work together.
If you are preparing to bring a child to therapy, the first session will not include your child to enable you to share more in detail about your concerns and allow us to discuss a plan. This is a 60-minute intake session.
Schedule next session.
If the first session was a parent meeting, we will schedule your child’s first individual session.
I meet with my clients weekly. Most clients find it helpful to reserve a standing appointment to simplify scheduling and prioritize their therapy sessions. (Please see below if you would like to learn more about the therapy process with children).
Ready to schedule your free, 15-minute phone consultation? Click here to visit my contact page
+ Do you accept insurance?
At this time, if you have a PPO insurance plan with Out-of-network benefits, I can provide you with a special receipt (called a superbill).
You would be responsible to pay the full payment for each session at the time the session is held.
Then you would submit the special receipt to your insurance company for reimbursement. They would send a reimbursement check directly to you. Please see the information about an app called REIMBURSIFY below.
I recommend that you contact your insurance company and ask about your Out-of-network, Behavioral/Mental health Care benefits and learn more about their process for reimbursement.
Please note that insurance companies require that I provide a diagnosis to demonstrate medical nessessity for therapy. The special receipt for insurance reimbursement will include a diagnostic code for your or your child's diagnosis. Thus, your insurance company will have access to this private information.
REIMBURSIFY
My practice has partnered with Reimbursify for you to easily submit your claims for out-of-network health insurance reimbursement from your smartphone. We are currently using the Practice BASIC plan. Download the app and get your first claim free.
+ What is the cost of in-person Therapy in San Marcos, CA?
15-minute initial phone consultation is free
45-minute individual session of psychotherapy is $195 per session.
60-minute initial parent/guardian consultation meeting without the child present is $265.
60-minute individual intake session for teens and adults is $265
60-minute family psychotherapy session is $235
+ What is the cost of online therapy in Encinitas, and throughout California?
15-minute initial phone consultation is free
Session fees are the same as in-person therapy in San Marcos, CA
+ Good Faith Estimate Notice
As of January 2022 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.
+ When is payment due?
Payment is expected to be paid for each session at the time the session is held unless we agree otherwise.
I do not bill/invoice for services or carry account balances. A credit/debit card is required to be held on file for the 48-hour cancellation policy.
Debit cards, credit cards, and Health Savings Account cards are acceptable forms of payment.
+ What forms of payment do you accept?
I accept debit cards, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express
I also can accept FSA (flexible spending account) and HSA (health savings account) cards if you would like to use these funds for mental health services
+ How often will I need to come to therapy?
The best standard of care is considered weekly sessions, until you or your child meet the goal(s) of therapy.
I work to provide this standard of care by reserving a weekly time slot for each of my clients.
The expectation is weekly participation.
Frequency is specific to our work together, and may change as our work continues over time, or goals are adjusted.
In times of crisis, more sessions may be needed.
If you are seeking bi-monthly, or monthly therapy sessions, my services may not be a good fit for your needs.
+ When are you available to meet with clients?
I meet with clients in-person in San Marcos on Mondays-Thursdays.
Because I see many children during afterschool hours, free phone consultations, parent meetings and individual adult therapy is available in the mornings and midday before schools get out.
+ Where do you provide therapy in San Diego North County?
Currently, I am seeing clients at 365 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, in San Marcos, CA.
I formerly saw clients for therapy in Encinitas. Now Encinitas adult clients can be seen online or in-person in San Marcos.
If you are looking for therapy for adult anxiety, or parenting support/coaching I do provide video sessions.
For those in San Diego North County, I ask that you first come to the office for 2-3 sessions to gauge if online therapy is the right option.
To view the map and access a link to photos of my San Marcos therapy office please visit my location page
+ Do you offer online therapy, telehealth, or video sessions?
Yes, I provide online therapy sessions using a private and secure HIPAA compliant platform. I offer telehealth for adults in California where I am licensed. This includes parent sessions and other meetings wiht parents, regarding their child.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please feel free to contact me or click here to visit my online therapy page
+ Who do you work with?
- Elementary school-aged children struggling with anxiety, trauma, grief & loss.
- Adults needing support parent coaching
- Adults struggling with anxiety
I have several specialities based on areas of training and experience. Click here to read more about my training and credentals.
- Anxiety
- Life transitions
- Grief & Loss
- Trauma
+ How long does each therapy session usually last?
Individual sessions of therapy are 45-minutes in length
Intake sessions are 60-minutes in length
Family sessions are 60-minutes in length
+ Do you work with teens?
Many parents contact me because their teen loves art and believe that their teen will love art therapy. While many teens love to draw on their own, the main issue is a therapist's ability to connect well with a teen in therapy.
I have found that making a strong connection with a teen is not my strongest skill. That said, I sometimes see teens who I worked with when they were younger because there is already a trusting relationship established.
+ What is a Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT)?
- Marriage and Family Therapists in California are mental health providers regulated by the Board of Behavioral Services (BBS). In the course of training, MFTs are required to earn hours specifically working with couples, children, and/or families. To verify my MFT license #95728 and learn more information please visit the BBS website. https://search.dca.ca.gov/
+ What is Art Therapy?
It's an active therapy that incorporates creativity and image-making in the context of a trusting relationship with a trained and credentialed art therapist. It’s used to help children and adults tell their stories, and share their emotions in powerful ways with fewer words.
According to the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), " Art therapy uses art media, the creative process and the resulting artwork as a therapeutic and healing process. Clients - young, old and in-between - are able to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety and increase self-esteem".
"Art therapists are trained in both art and therapy. The process isn't an art lesson - it is grounded in the knowledge of human development, psychological theories, and counseling techniques". (ATCB)
For more information please visit my Art Therapy San Diego website page.
+ How long does each therapy session usually last?
- Individual sessions of child therapy are 45-minutes in length
- Individual sessions for adult therapy can be booked for 45 or 60 minutes. The 60-minute rate is $230.
- Intake sessions are 60-minutes in length, this includes initial sessions with parents who are preparing to bring their child to therapy.
- Family sessions are 60-minutes in length.
+ What is the process for child therapy?
Your child's first therapy session. I spend this session connecting with your child, to build a therapeutic relationship. The foundation of therapy is a relationship of trust. If a child does not feel comfortable with me, then usually it is best for me to provide you some referrals to other therapists who may be a better fit for your child.
Generally speaking, I am able to create a safe, trusting relationship with children early in the therapy process, within the first 1-2 sessions, that allows us to move on to the middle phase of therapy. The first session involves orienting your child to the therapy process, explaining confidentiality, and asking them questions to get to know them as a person.
About the middle part of therapy. The middle of the therapy process is considered the working stage of therapy. This is the stage where I am engaging your child in the therapy process, teaching him or her about issues in age-appropriate ways, helping communicate about difficult issues, identify and express emotions, learn positive coping skills, and have fun in the process.
Yes, fun. Children learn much better if they are having fun or engaging in something they find enjoyable. This is the part of child therapy that sometimes is confusing to parents, especially if a parent has been to therapy and sat in a chair and talked about issues with a therapist the entire session.
The ending...Because therapy is a relationship, the ending is just as important as the beginning. In therapy terms, the ending is literally called “termination”, which is a term I do not use with children. I explain to children at the beginning, that there will be an end to coming to visit me, sort of like when they have a teacher in school for 2nd grade, then the next year they don’t have that teacher anymore because they graduated, even though they really may have liked the teacher, and the teacher may have really liked them. Children seem to understand they are moving on because they learned/mastered the skills they needed to learn.
So all along the way, but especially as we are getting to the ending, it is important for us to talk about the gains in therapy. While you have every right to discontinue therapy at any time, I ask that you provide your child an opportunity for closure, to say good-bye, because therapy is a relationship with a trusted helper.
+ How do I talk to my child about coming to child therapy?
For my suggestions about talking to your child about coming to therapy, Click here to access a blog and a video about explaining therapy to your child
+ How many sessions of child therapy will my child need?
The number of sessions depends on factors such as the duration and intensity of your child’s symptoms, your child’s developmental level, and personality.
I have worked with young children for 5-6 sessions and parents have reported improvement, and I have worked with older children, and it took at least 10-12 sessions before things were getting better.
That being said, therapy is not a guarantee that your child's behaviors or symptoms will improve.
+ Can I be with my child during their therapy session?
- In some cases working with a parent and child together is beneficial, and this is considered family therapy. At other times a child needs individual therapy based on his or her developmental level or the issues we are working on.