Commonly Asked Questions
What are your fees?
My fees are based on the customary hourly rate for Bay Area clinical psychologists. Please book a complimentary consultation session with me to discuss my fee structure.
Do you take insurance?
I am currently an out-of-network provider and not affiliated with any insurance panels. I do not work directly with insurance companies, but if you have a PPO or another plan that allows you to select an out-of-network provider, you may be eligible for reimbursement. I assist with this process by providing you with a copy of my statement for you to submit to your insurance company. While you would be responsible for payment at the end of each month, this makes the reimbursement process go as smoothly as possible. You may also use your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay for your appointments since mental health care is a covered benefit of these savings accounts. However, health care plans can vary significantly, and I recommend checking with your insurance company to determine the extent of your out-of-network mental health (or “behavioral health”) benefits, including your annual deductible, the number of sessions covered per calendar year, and whether or not your sessions need to be pre-authorized.
Do you prescribe medication?
I do not prescribe medications. If I believe that adding medication to your treatment regimen will be helpful for you, I will provide appropriate referrals to psychiatrists who can consult with you.
How do I book an appointment?
You can directly book a new appointment by clicking the “Let’s Connect” or “Book Consultation” buttons throughout this site - finding a therapist is hard enough, booking should be easy. For future return appointments, you can also check my site and directly book a recurring series or one appointment at a time, to fit your needs and lifestyle.
Do you provide virtual / telehealth appointments?
Yes, I am currently only providing telehealth appointments due to the current pandemic environment.
Can you fix me?
No, because although you may be suffering, you are not broken. What I can offer is my skills and expertise in guiding you through the process of better understanding yourself so that you can do the hard work of changing internal patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that have been keeping you stuck and creating uncomfortable symptoms, such as anxiety and depression.
Will you tell me what to do with my life?
No, I can’t, because you are the expert on your life, not me, and while I wish I could predict the future to help you avoid suffering, I am no more knowledgeable about the future than you or anyone else.
What I can do is to help you cope with the way the past has unfolded - since we cannot change the past - and, more importantly, help you make wiser and more informed decisions for the future life you wish to have. Usually, the more information and awareness that we have about ourselves and a situation, the better choices we can make. Together, we can do the hard work of learning more about what has driven you to make decisions in the past, as well as what feelings you may be having about what is going on in the here and now. So if you have made decisions that were driven by feelings or impulses that you didn’t fully understand, contact me and we’ll figure it out together.