How do I find a therapist?

Finding a therapist can be tricky. Here are some points to consider and questions to ask when you are searching.

How often should I come? Optimally, therapy occurs on a weekly schedule. Too far outside of a weekly meeting results in lost progress, promotes avoidance of important issues and generally will result in sub-optimal results. In crisis, I see clients twice weekly, and in the later stages of therapy we might drop to every 3 or 4 weeks. But, mostly…weekly.

Can I get medications if I think I need them? You’ll want a “prescriber”. Search for a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner. Want a provider who does therapy and medication management? Search it up. There are lots of providers who do both. Using Psychology Today you can find who prescribes, where they are located, and if they are taking new clients.

You seem to do a lot. Can you do everything? I wish! I refer out for couples therapy, family therapy, court-evaluations, expert testimony, and custody evaluations.

Do you provide companion or emotional support animal assessments and letters? I love that animals are becoming more integrated into the wellness of our society. However, for ethical and legal reasons, I am not able to provide these assessments.

What makes you legit? I’m a Psychologist, Licensed in Colorado #3419. I hold a doctorate degree in psychology, have one year of post-doctoral supervision, and have passed an examination in psychology. 
Prior to that I was a Licensed Professional Counselor, which meant I held a master’s degree in professional counseling, had two years post-master’s practice, and passed an exam in in professional counseling. I have committed my entire education and career to mental health. I center my practice and continuing education around symptoms of trauma, anxiety, burnout and sleep. I’m a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) -Divisions of Hypnosis and Humanistic Psychology, Colorado Psychological Society (CPA), Colorado Hypnosis Society (CHS), and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH).

How do you keep my information safe? There is a whole lot about HIPAA. For providers, there are courses, protocols, rules, sanctions and fear mongering that impresses upon us the importance of protecting privileged information. If I am your psychologist, your information is confidential. I regularly review HIPAA protocol for my practice and only use vendors who will sign a Business Associates Agreement to comply with the rules of privacy. Client charts are encrypted and only data relevant to billing and scheduling is visible to my executive assistant.

What is your therapeutic approach? If you are someone who hates being hot you probably wouldn’t go to hot yoga, right? Similarly, you might want to do a little research to see what approach you like before you begin therapy. I consider myself to have a humanistic orientation with a person-centered approach. With this framework I strive to: incorporate a holistic approach to assessment and treatment, see people’s unique interpretation of events as what influences their behaviors and use empathy and unconditional positive regard to foster a strong sense of self and establish meaning in life.

Additionally, techniques of Hypnosis, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) may also be used to facilitate treatment.

What’s your availability? As a private practitioner my availability can vary from week to week. Feel free to call and if I’m full I have some great referrals.

…I am most available weekdays from 9-4.

Where are you located? In Cherry Creek. 50 S. Steele St. #950, Denver, CO 80209. I also offer Telehealth for established clients.

Can you take Medicaid? I’m sorry I cannot bill Medicaid. Because I am not a Medicaid provider I am not able to see Medicaid clients.

How do I complete paperwork? Handy and available to sign via online portal once we have decided to work together.

Are you affordable? I hope so. I base my rates on my education, experience, and location. My rate is $195 per session. Sessions are 45 minutes. Fees will increase each year based on a factor of overhead and industry standard.

I do not contract with insurance companies. Sessions are billed in full at the time of each service. I provide a receipt for reimbursement (Superbill) that can be submitted to insurance for reimbursement. Because reimbursements vary widely, I recommend contacting your insurance provider to see if you have “out of network benefits” for psychotherapy prior to beginning treatment.

For more information about the No Surprises Act, please refer to this article from the American Psychological Association

Good Faith Estimate: Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Click HERE for a detailed notice of this information.

How do people get comfortable in therapy? That depends on the person, but it gets easier over time. You are likely going to talk about some hard things, so you’ll want to have a great connection. The more you read about me (or any other therapists you are researching) the better you will know if you are going to have a shot at some really meaningful work. Next step, schedule a phone consult to see how that feels. Go ahead and schedule consults with a few therapists! I encourage people to get really informed before they dig in so that they minimize the ‘therapeutic false start’.