Psychotherapy
My focus as a psychotherapist is to first establish trust, autonomy, and dignity with my clients. A trusting and safe foundation allows for people to explore their lives – past, present, and future – and use an expanded understanding of themselves to develop compassion and effect change.
I practice psychotherapy that is primarily informed by harm reduction and psychoanalysis, however psychotherapy looks and feels a little different for everyone. Therapy relationships sometimes are brief and focused on a very clear problem and at other times the relationship can last for many years and will encompass all that can be spoken of a person’s life. I work with every client to clarify these expectations early on in the course of therapy. Therapy is most effective when clients can appreciate how their therapy might work and how to best make use of our therapeutic relationship.
I have successfully worked with clients presenting with a wide variety of problems, who themselves have carried many different diagnoses and labels. I have experience working with people whose concerns involve trauma, alcohol and substance use, relationships between food, eating, and body, as well as psychosis. I work to understand these concerns in context of a client’s life, which often involves exploring the connections between these concerns and a person’s emotional, intellectual, and social life.
People exist within a social reality that is structured by race, gender, class, ability, sexuality, age and other categories of oppression, exploitation, and power. Psychotherapy often involves developing consciousness and re-experiencing such social dynamics in a way that can re-shape understanding and change life outside of the therapy relationship. I provide queer-affirming psychotherapy and have experience serving queer and trans people as a therapist.
What to Expect
During the first appointment with me, you can expect me that I will begin by reviewing your right to confidential treatment and the limits and protections involved in confidentiality. I will also explain baseline expectations for how I run my practice. Once I ensure that you have this critical information, I will spend time listening to your concerns and the context in which they exist. At the end of the first session, we should share an appreciation of what brings you to therapy and whether I recommend that we work together.
The first few appointments will focus on deepening our understanding of your concerns, establishing a relationship, and elaborating the details of your life that will help us to understand what you are going through. Often, the first few appointments involve me listening and asking questions while adding very few comments until I have a better appreciation for who you are and what you experience in life.
Therapy may be short and focused, with clearly-defined limits on how long it will last or it may last many years with no pre-determined expectation of when it will end. Therapy appointments may vary in frequency (from several times per week to less than weekly). You can expect that I will work with you to develop a therapy based on your goals and expectations.
Fees
My standard fee for a 1 hour appointment is $160, however I am committed to proving accessible psychotherapy services and encourage you to contact me if you require psychotherapy for a lower rate than this.
I do not accept health insurance plans as payment for services. Health insurance companies are primarily focused on increasing shareholder profits, which comes at the expense of our work together. Insurance plans require justification of medical necessity and limitations on the scope of psychotherapy that can inhibit the efficacy of the relationship.
I accept payment by cash, check, or IvyPay