FAQ

I am in the office by appointment, generally Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 7 PM.

I work with couples and on occasion will see couples with their children.

I focus on individuals, adults and older adolescents, closer to adulthood.

I am in network with some products managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicare, and Tricare. It is important to verify with your insurance if my services are covered.

For example, I am not in network with Magellan and some products with Blue Cross Blue Shield have contracted out their mental health benefits to Magellan.

The first session is slightly longer than the subsequent sessions, at least 90 minutes. I generally make my intake packet available to you by email prior to our first session. We will review this, and we will make a verbal contract about how we will both show up and how we will work together.

I schedule for 90 minutes so that I can get some background information and complete a review of the paperwork. We will discuss the particulars around what brought you in and review strategies to begin implementing immediately, so that you can feel some relief.

I require 24-hour notice for cancellation, otherwise I charge a $150 no-show fee. A missed appointment is a loss for everyone. A last-minute cancelation is keeping someone else from getting the help they need and leaves me with a hole in my schedule with no time to fill it. I love what I do for a living and I want people to be present when they are scheduled to meet with me.

I do not believe this is a “forever” relationship and want folks to resolve the issues that bring them in to therapy completely and in as short a time frame as possible.

I tell my clients that the truth is, I am not going anywhere and if a “tune-up” is needed I will be here. I want to work myself out of a job from the initial appointment, not to string someone long indefinitely. That require people to show up for their scheduled sessions.

The other truth is that I am not right for every person that comes into my office. My commitment to you is to let you know if I think you need someone else to work with and I need you to commit to the same.If at any point you do not feel I am the right therapist for you, let me know and I will help you find the right person!

If I happen to be in-network with your insurance I accept assignment from them, meaning I accept payment from them, leaving you responsible for the co-pay. I accept cash, check and credit cards. I do charge a .03% for credit card payments. I can provide you with a receipt to file with health savings accounts or insurance companies that I am not in-network with, so that you can seek reimbursement. I am not able to process flex-spending credit cards.

I often ask my clients to practice the things we discuss in session – homework if you will. Practicing the things we discuss in our sessions makes the sessions more impactful and helps to create the change you are looking for in your daily life. I see my office as the practice field.

We look at what you are doing and determine where changes may be needed. We practice them in my office and then you take that out in to the world and continue to practice. The saying that “recovery is about progression not perfection” applies.

I will likely share a Naughty Word List with you during your first session. These are words to eradicate from your vocabulary. The top two naughty words, that appear at the bottom of my list (because they are not the first to come up in discussion with me) are shut up and stupid. I encourage cursing about situations and not directly at anyone. I have a personal favorite and cannot wait to hear what words you like to use most often to vent. I also look forward to helping you get creative about shifting the dialogue so that communication goes deeper and so the connections between you and those you love is strengthened!

During our first session we will negotiate a verbal contract regarding how we will work together and as part of that process I will provide an example of what that looks in real life from my own life.

The example I use involves cribbage, a game developed in the 1600s in England. In my family, learning to play this game is a rite of passage, if you will, and leads to getting to “sit at the big table.”

Essentially this is a card game that involves scoring points by playing and grouping cards in combination. The game involves a board, a treasured item in our family, to keep score, though you can use pencil and paper. There are two, three, four or more players, each having a hand, the crib, which goes to the dealer and two scoring stages, the play and the showing of the hands.

The Brits claim it as their national card game and as part of my family history it is a pastime of my Quebecois roots, my French-Canadian heritage.