I see clients between 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. I am sometimes available after 5pm or on weekends to give presentations, assist support groups, etc.
Therapy differs for each individual. Typically, I meet with clients one hour per week, though in time we may choose to decrease the frequency of treatment once you start feeling better. The first few sessions will allow me to gather information that will give me a better sense of your needs, and will give you an opportunity to see whether you feel my approach is the right fit for your needs. The length of treatment is decided by you and will depend on your therapeutic goals and how challenging those goals are. In other words, therapy ends whenever you decide your needs have been met.
Finding the right fit in a therapist is so important. While most of my clients will find that we are an excellent fit, presumably some will not. In such cases, I will gladly help you find a therapist who better fits your therapeutic needs and your personality, taking into account practical considerations as well (e.g., someone who accepts your insurance or whose office is close to where your live or work).
When trying to find a therapist, a common mistake people make is trying to find someone who is “like you.” It is human nature to seek out a therapist who is similar to you in age, gender, race, religion, etc., and to believe that this person will be best able to understand you because of their similar background. However, a therapist whose understanding of you is based on their own experiences really doesn’t understand you or your struggles at all; they just understand themselves and their struggles. A good therapist understands, appreciates, and values a client’s background, experiences, feelings, and struggles by listening closely to that person, seeing their humanity, and understanding their unique experiences.
The ideal of making therapy cheaper and more accessible is very much a noble one, but the reality is that therapy apps are problematic for many reasons. There is often a high turnover rate among these therapists, meaning you may have to start over with new therapists again and again. Clients commonly complain of unresponsive therapists, who often carry such large client loads that they struggle to remember which client is which. Therapy is supposed to be confidential, but therapy apps have a well-documented history of sharing clients’ personal information. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commision concluded that one of the biggest and best known therapy apps “betrayed consumers’ most personal health information for profit.” According to a 2023 article in the Washington Post, these companies make money by selling your mental health information, and are able to do so without your knowledge or consent. “One company advertised the names and home addresses of people with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress or bipolar disorder. Another sold a database featuring thousands of aggregated mental health records …” Some of them “offered personally identifiable data featuring names, addresses and incomes.” According to NPR, a 2020 investigation by Jezebel found that client information from a popular therapy app “was being shared with Facebook, including metadata of messages between patients and therapists.” The lead author of the Mozilla *Privacy Not Included Guide described most therapy apps as “exceptionally creepy,” explaining that “they track, share, and capitalize on users’ most intimate personal thoughts and feelings.” There is a reason therapy apps often charge less than private practice therapists: because someone else is paying them for your private health information.
Some therapists have an allegiance to a particular style of therapy that they utilize with all of their clients; I do not. There is a saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Well, I can tell you that all problems aren’t nails, so why would you want a therapist who only has one tool? My approach to therapy is to first listen to your personal history, your struggles, and your needs before I determine which approach to therapy will be optimal for you.
Some people will tell you that a specific modality of therapy (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) is best. This simply is not the case, though it may well be the case that certain therapeutic modalities are better matches for certain individuals or for certain problems or disorders. A gifted therapist is one who can skillfully tailor therapy to the needs of each individual client. Research indicates that commonly accepted therapeutic modalities tend, on average, to work about as well as the others (researchers refer to this phenomenon as the “dodo bird effect”). In other words, the specific style of therapy is not what matters most; instead it is the therapist’s degree of skill in their approach to therapy that matters, as well as a trusting, unconditionally supportive therapeutic relationship that creates the safety needed to be vulnerable and to explore painful and challenging areas of our lives.
Most clients feel nervous about starting therapy with a new therapist. Why wouldn’t they? You don’t know me and you have no reason to trust me with your care or with your story. The first appointment gives you the opportunity to get a sense of your level of comfort with me before we get deep into the therapy process and is designed to be low-pressure. You will be asked to arrive early to complete paperwork if you have not done so in advance (new client paperwork will be emailed to you and can be completed online). We will first address any questions or concerns you might have and discuss your goals for therapy. My goal for the first appointment is to learn more about you, since I approach therapy differently with every person based on who they are and what their needs are. At the end of that appointment, I will offer my conceptualization of your presenting concerns and will suggest how I think I may (or may not) be able to help you toward achieving you goals. You will then be able to decide whether you would like to schedule another appointment with me.
I am authorized to practice telehealth to 37 states as well as the District of Columbia. To see if your state is one, click here.
I am an in-network provider for Medicare and am out-of-network for all other health insurance plans. If you have a PPO plan with another insurance company, your insurance company will often reimburse part of the cost of treatment when you receive care with out-of-network (OON) provider like me. No matter what insurance you have, I will be glad to help you find out the cost of therapy to you whether you plan to use health insurance or not.
When you opt to use your health insurance benefits to pay for your care: your doctor must assign you a mental health diagnosis that will become part of your permanent health record; your doctor must turn over any and all requested treatment records, including personal disclosures, to your insurance company or to a third-party contractor they employ when insurance companies perform random audits of services provided to their subscribers; and your insurance company has the right to discontinue payment for your treatment without advance notice if they determine that treatment is not or is no longer medically necessary.
Payment is accepted in the form of cash, check, or most major credit/debit cards. For those who prefer telehealth appointments, payment is processed through a secure online payment site using a credit/debit card or bank account. Payment is due at the time of service.
I hate the idea of fees for late cancellations or missed appointments, but they remain necessary. Here’s why: when you schedule an appointment with a therapist, you are securing not only their professional services but also their professional time. I typically offer only six appointments per day, so failure to keep a scheduled appointment profoundly impacts my ability to care for my other clients and to provide for myself. As such, if one of those precious few appointments is reserved for you, you are financially responsible for the full fee for the time you reserve whether you keep the appointment or not, unless you provide at least 48-hour advance notice of cancellation. Late cancellation and missed appointment fees are not a punishment or an expression of disapproval; they are simply reimbursement for the time – typically an entire hour – that was reserved for strictly for you. Please be advised that if you are using health insurance benefits to pay for psychotherapy or evaluation services, your insurance company will not pay for a missed appointment or late cancellation, so fees for missed appointments and late cancellations are fully the responsibility of the client regardless of whether they self-pay or use insurance.
No. Psychologists are doctors who provide psychotherapy (“talk therapy”) and evaluation/testing services, but are not licensed to prescribe medications in the state of Florida. If you are seeking medications, you should schedule an appointment with your primary care physician or a psychiatrist. If you are interested in both psychotherapy and psychotropic medication, I will be glad to be your therapy provider and offer you a referral to a psychiatrist for medication.
No. I am an adult psychologist, and do not work with children. At times I will work with older adolescents on a case by case basis. If you are a parent and think that I may be a good fit for your adolescent , I encourage you to call my office so that we can discuss their needs. In the case that a minor child’s parents are divorced and have joint custody, written consent for treatment will be required from both custodial parents.
No. I am not a forensic psychologist, and do not prepare evaluations, reports, letters, or testimony for legal matters.
No. I do not provide evaluations or endorsement statements for the purpose of securing special benefits, services, or accommodations, including but not limited to emotional support animals, educational/work accommodations, Social Security disability, disability insurance policies, and service animals. If you are seeking or anticipate needing endorsement for special benefits, services, or accommodations, please discuss this with me prior to scheduling an appointment.
Yes. I maintain a strict confidentiality policy. No information is released without your written consent except when disclosure is required or allowed by law. Examples of situations in which disclosure is required or allowed by law include when there is an immediate cause for concern about potential harm to you or to others; when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child, elder adult, or vulnerable adult has been or is being abused, neglected, abandoned, endangered, or exploited; when allegations are made by a patient of sexual misconduct committed by a licensed healthcare professional; if I am a party defendant to a civil, criminal, or disciplinary action arising from a complaint filed by a patient; and when the release of records or information is authorized by a signed court order. In addition, individuals who use health insurance to pay for psychological services agree that their full treatment file will also be available to the insurance carrier as indicated in the insurance contract. Because of this, many individuals who have health insurance prefer to pay for services on their own in order to avoid the involvement of their health insurance provider and to retain the privacy and confidentiality of their personal health information.
You can read more about confidentiality and patients’ rights under HIPAA by clicking here.
I am not directly reachable outside of designated work hours and am not reachable while in session with other clients. In the event of a crisis or emergency, do one of the following immediately:
- Dial 911
- Call or text 988 to connect with the free and confidential Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat at 988lifeline.org. For TTY, use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988. En Español, 1-888-628-9454
- Text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line
- If you are in Sarasota County, contact the 24-hour Behavioral Health Crisis Line at Lightshare Behavioral Wellness and Recovery at (941-732-6837)
- Visit your nearest emergency room
Take a chance on yourself.
Call or email today.
941-444-5578
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call/text 988 or text HOME to 741741.
For TTY, use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.
En Español, 1-888-628-9454
