.

Rates

I offer an initial 20-minute phone consultation free of charge. After that I schedule regular 50-minute sessions for individuals and 60-minute sessions for couples. The very first session with couples lasts 90 minutes in order to have plenty of time not only to assess the situation, but also to do something about it! Appointments are usually scheduled on a weekly basis. Please call me to discuss my current fee.

If you would like to schedule a phone consultation or an appointment please call (415) 820-3210, send an email to , or use this email form.

Paying for a Therapy Session. If you would like to pay for a therapy session using your credit or debit card, you can do this right here by clicking the button below. You will be taken to a PayPal page where you can enter the payment amount and billing information. All credit and debit card payments are made through PayPal, but you don't need to have a PayPal account to pay with your credit or debit card. Please add $3.00 to your payment amount to help pay for PayPal's service fee.

Insurance

Presently I am not on any insurance panels and therefore cannot directly bill an insurance company in your name. However, if your insurance covers out-of-network providers, I would be happy to provide you with a bill that you can send to your insurance for reimbursement. Additionally, you may be able to apply your employer’s "flex spending plan", applying pre-tax dollars to therapy costs, or claim the therapy costs as a tax deduction.

A Word About Using Insurance

If you have insurance for psychotherapy available to you, whether or not to use it can be a difficult decision to make. It’s good to understand the consequences of your choice so you can make an informed decision.

Privacy and Labeling. Therapists that bill insurance must provide a mental health diagnosis to the insurance company to show that your treatment is medically necessary. This can include intimate details about your situation, as well as your diagnosis. In contrast, when using private pay therapy, these intimate details remain confidential between you and your therapist. You can read more information about confidentiality and its limits here.

In order to qualify for benefits, insurers require you to be officially diagnosed with a mental illness. Understandably, many people don’t want to be labeled with a mental health disorder. One reason is that a documented history (for example of depression) can have a future adverse impact on your ability to qualify for and purchase things like life insurance.

Finding the Right Therapist. Having a choice is an important factor when it comes to finding someone you trust with your personal concerns. You may for instance prefer seeing someone who was personally recommended to you. When you use your insurance plan, your options are usually limited to therapists within your insurance provider's network. (In some cases you may be able to use an out-of-network provider, see the insurance section above for more on this option).

Treatment Options and Care. When you see a therapist through a HMO, your treatment is overseen by the insurance company who decides how many, if any, sessions to authorize. When you self-pay for therapy, you can get help for whatever issues you wish. For example, conflict in your family, marriage problems, personal issues such as loneliness, and dealing with grief and loss may not be covered by insurance, even though people in all of these situations can greatly benefit from therapy or counseling.