Frequently asked questions
How long is a typical session?
I offer sessions of two different time lengths: 50 minutes and 75 minutes. When we settle on a regular weekly time to meet, you will also choose whether you would like to do traditional 50 minute sessions or 75 minute sessions.
Do you have evening or weekend appointments?
Yes, I have daytime and evening hours at my office in West Mount Airy. I also have certain hours available for walk-and-talk therapy at Wissahickon park. I also offer therapy intensives on some weekends.
*note that while I work several evenings per week, there is a waitlist for evening appointments at this time.
Are you seeing clients in-person?
Yes, I offer therapy in-person either at a traditional office space in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia or via walk-and-talk therapy at Wissahickon Park. I also see clients from anywhere in Pennsylvania virtually via Zoom.
Do you work with couples?
Yes, I offer therapy for couples; you can learn more on my couples therapy page.
Do you offer Zoom or walk-and-talk couples therapy?
Yes, I offer both. In the case of Zoom, I tend to prioritize in-person where possible but am open to Zoom when circumstances make it more accessible to clients.
For walk-and-talk, I am open to this but can only accommodate this if appointments fall at the beginning or end of my schedule for a given day, as most of my walk-and-talk hiking trail options are not wide enough for three. One exception is that at times in couples therapy, it makes sense to do some individual sessions as part of the work. When this comes up, walk-and-talk would always be an option weather-permitting (no matter the start time of sessions). Note that some days I work only the morning or evening, so mid-day sessions are still possible for walk-and-talk depending on mutual availability.
How does walk-and-talk therapy work? What about bad weather?
I have recently moved offices such that my office is now within walking distance of a beautiful hiking trail that's part of the Wissahickon. Because of this, I am able to let clients decide day-of if they'd rather walk or stay in the office on a particular day. With most walk-and-talk clients, we default to walking unless the weather doesn't cooperate. On any given day and in any session time, we can take an 8 minute walk together from my office to the trailhead. If you prefer to meet at a different trailhead on the Wissahickon, I can usually accommodate this for the first or last appointment on my calendar for each day.
Some clients find walk-and-talk helpful for more than just a chance to be outside--the reduced eye contact and feeling of moving while talking is supportive of the therapeutic work itself. With clients for whom this is true, when the weather is unagreeable we will often get out drawing supplies and do "art-and-talk" together instead of a walk. This creates a surprisingly similar feeling to walks for clients who prefer less eye contact in sessions or who simply find it helpful to be doing something with their hands while they talk. Art-and-talk is also open to anyone, regardless of whether you also enjoy walk-and-talk sessions.
Do you work with teens?
Yes, I work with teens age 16-18. Within this population, I have the most experience working with teenage girls who are struggling with anxiety. If you'd like to connect about therapy for your teen, reach out and we can schedule a free parent consultation.
How long will I need to be in therapy?
As you might guess, this depends on the person and situation. I've had clients who come in with a specific issue and feel relief or find change within a session or two enough to finish therapy, but this isn't typical. Counseling is often a process of small "shifts" where things start to fall into place without you even exactly noticing what's happening.
It's only when you look back that you see how far you've come--often very far! But it feels so natural to start living more freely and flexibly that it can feel like "of course I'm living this way" when, in fact, aspects of it can be very new.
Many clients experience significant improvement after ten to twelve sessions, but everyone is unique. Three to seven months of therapy is common, with a good number of outliers in either direction.
It can be helpful to remember that you are in control of the length of your therapy, in the sense that you can choose to end at any time. You can choose to decide up front "I am going to commit to four/six/eight sessions" and stick to it. There can be value in having time-limited therapy, and this works well particularly for people who are already functioning well and are looking for a boost or help moving through an aspect of life where they feel stuck. It's not uncommon for people to experience significant improvement within a month of beginning therapy.
I also offer therapy intensives for people who are looking to make significant progress in a short period of time with specific goals to work on in that intensive. See my "intensives" page to learn more about this option.
Do you accept insurance?
No, I do not accept insurance directly. But, if you have out of network benefits, you may be able to use those to receive reimbursement for sessions. We offer "super bills" which you can submit to your insurance company directly for out of network benefits. For a lot of clients with PPO's, their reimbursement ends up being very similar for in- or out-of-network. You can review your out-of-network benefits package or reach out to your insurance provider to see how much they cover for a therapy session.
I am part of Eclipse Therapy Group where I work closely with John Armando, LCSW who is my supervisor and the owner of the practice I'm part of. All intake paperwork and company policies are through Eclipse. Please note that intensives are not generally eligible for insurance reimbursement.
What is your fee?
Individual Therapy:
50 minute sessions- $140 per session
75 minute sessions - $190 per session
Couples Therapy:
50 minute sessions - $165 per session
75 minute sessions - $225 per session
Compass Reset Weekend Intensive - $650
I reserve several sliding scale spots ranging from $80-120 for individual therapy; please inquire if you need one of these.
Why do you offer 75 minute sessions?
I offer 75 minute sessions because this feels like the right amount of time for many clients, particularly with clients who have a long attention span, the ability to reflect deeply about themselves and the desire to truly grow and change as a person. There's no sense of rush, and by the time you get to the essence of whatever you're discussing there's still plenty of time to dig deep and explore and ultimately make space for growth.
The traditional 50 minute therapy hour is ubiquitous largely because insurance companies have chosen it to be so. But, it's essentially arbitrary. And in my experience with many clients and as a therapy client myself, ending sessions at 50 minutes can feel like it's cutting off growth and ultimately making therapy less efficient in terms of time in sessions. Sessions often pick up momentum as you go and together you find your way to the crux of whatever it is that's being discussed often around the 35-40 minute mark. But, this leaves very little time for actually working with the crux of the issue once you find it, which can artificially limit movement/growth/understanding that would've occurred if you had time to reach an organic resolution in the moment. While in theory you can pick up where you left off the next week, in my experience there's still a loss of having been "in it" in a way that it's hard to return to a week later. After experiencing this frustration many times, I realized that as an out of network provider, I didn't need to stick with the norms set by insurance companies--I can just offer what is most helpful to the clients I'm working with.
This isn't the best fit for everyone. 50 minutes is a great amount of time for a lot of clients, but if you've been in therapy before and experienced the feeling of being cut off over and over again and had the gut feeling that you could've really used the extra time, this might be a great fit for you. I also offer therapy intensives which offer a chance to do an even deeper dive in a more limited amount of time. See the intensives page to learn more about those.
What do pre-licensed and pre-LPC mean?
These both mean the same thing. Being pre-licensed as a counselor means that I've completed my Master's degree in counseling and am currently working towards my LPC license. During this phase, I meet with a supervisor regularly to continue building my skills as a counselor. I work as part of Eclipse Therapy Group, a practice that specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and am supervised by the founder/director there, John Armando.
I am a mother and work as a therapist part-time; because of this, my journey towards licensure has been a slower one than many of my peers. While on this journey, I am fortunate to benefit from frequent supervision and the opportunity to work with an expert in the type of therapy I practice.
I'm interested in therapy. What are my next steps?
I invite you to connect with me via the contact form below or on my booking page, or send me an email or phone call. We can have an introductory free consultation session to meet and connect about what's going on to see if it seems like a good fit. This is usually over Zoom but I can do in office if scheduling allows. In this conversation, we will talk about what has led you to decide to seek therapy right now and how you hope things will be different by the time you're finished, and I can share about what you can expect from therapy with me and answer any questions you have. This is a low-stakes, no pressure call. You don't have to move forward with therapy just because you connect with me about it, so feel free to schedule even if you're still deciding.