Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer in-person therapy?
While my practice is almost exclusively virtual, I do occasionally offer in-person services home or community-based recovery coaching, peer support, psychotherapy, and / or community integration services.
I do not have a physical office space.
How much do sessions cost?
For my primary services, virtual psychotherapy, my rate is $135 for 45 minute sessions and $180 for one hour sessions.
Community Integration services are $45 per 15 minutes.
Travel for community or home-based, in-person services is $15 per 5 minutes for one-way travel from my residence in Austin, Texas.
Do you take insurance?
I am not an in-network provider for any insurance panels.
I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement via SimplePractice.
How can I pay for sessions?
Payment is accepted via credit card. I hold telehealth sessions and bill through SimplePractice.
How old are your clients?
I work with Texan adults over the age of 18.
Do you see any clients who don't use drugs?
Absolutely! While my main area of interest is harm reduction (which includes abstinence) I have specialized training and expertise with a variety of concerns, including mood & personality disorders, suicidality, thought disorders, and process addictions.
Do you work with families?
At this time, I only work with individuals.
Do you offer sliding scale services?
I do provide a portion of my services at a reduced fee for those in financial need. I am happy to discuss your particular situation and the availability of reduced fee services.
What do the letters after your name mean?
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LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. This means that in addition to receiving a master’s in social work, I completed 2000 hours of supervised clinical work to be able to work independently. “Clinical” work means I provide therapeutic services directly to clients.
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LCDC stands for Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, which means I received extra training and certification in problematic substance use and treatment to ensure I can support people dealing with alcohol or other drug problems in the way they specifically need.
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PSS stands for Peer Support Supervisor. This means that I have received training and certification in supervising other peer support specialists. By blending my personal experience serving as a peer specialist with my clinical training, I am able to provide a uniquely balanced perspective to other peers.
Is online therapy as good as in-person therapy?
The honest answer is online therapy will be more comfortable for some people, totally unworkable for some people, and comparable to same-site therapy for others. These days, technologies like text, Facetime, and email have become a normal part of maintaining relationships. Some people experience relationships via technology with the same level of connection or “realness” as in-person interactions and some people don’t. As with any therapeutic relationship, it may be helpful to have a few sessions to see how we connect over a virtual platform.
Do I need to be very tech-savvy to do telehealth sessions?
I do not believe you have to be particularly tech-savvy, but you will need to be able to utilize a webcam and microphone. I have chosen to use SimplePractice for my virtual practice, where clients are able to access a "patient portal."
What are some helpful tips for telehealth therapy?
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Make sure your internet is working well.
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Minimize the "self view" if it appears.
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Exit all other programs before the session.
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Consider wearing headphones and finding comfortable seating for the session.
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Mute your cell phone and other text notifications that may come through on your computer.
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Verify that antivirus program and system software updates aren’t scheduled to run during the session.