Frequently Asked Questions

I do general therapy like general stress management, depression, anxiety, parenting, domestic violence and abuse, and more. I specialize in military and civilian trauma.

I am always happy to consult for free before you decide to appoint with me. My initial visit is complex and involves a thorough history, discussing treatment options, and creating a personalized treatment plan. I have a flat fee of $150.00 per session.

That's a complicated answer. Insurance takes a lot of time and money to get on the panels themselves. There's a lot of "behind the scenes" that you as a client don't see. Insurance does everything they can to not pay- that means lots of changing codes, applying, reapplying, arguing, and more. Many offices have a full time person just to handle this! Because it's just me, I can't deal with this and hope to also do therapy and keep the lights on. They also require a lot of information about your care, which I really don't like sharing with others. Often, they also try to tell me how to treat my patients. I can better safeguard your privacy and your program if I'm not involved there. Also, less time arguing with insurance is more time I can spend on you!

I do offer a superbill. This is a bill showing that you have paid and what the cost of therapy is. It has all of the codes and information to send to the insurance company to get reimbursed. If you choose to work with me, this is a good way to try to at least get part of the session reimbursed which will ultimately cut cost for you. This is a personal choice but a lot of my clients do have success with getting some reimbursement this way and it goes towards your deductible!

Your privacy is really important to me. I can't help you if you are scared to be honest with me. Most of the time I can keep things private- part of our first visit includes an explanation of what I am required by law to disclose and discussing any fears you may have about that. There are VERY FEW categories of things I must disclose.

I do not take insurance for multiple reasons. They force me to diagnose in the first visit, which I am uncomfortable with. I am conservative in diagnosing and feel that it should be considered seriously as these labels are not erased from your record. Many of my clients are military and first responders who do not want "paper trails" so they prefer to pay on their own. (I am happy to provide a superbill if you'd like to bill insurance on your own.) In congruence with best practices I do use an electronic health record system. It is protected and encrypted multiple times to ensure security. However, if you feel it necessary you may request a paper record.

Check out my what to expect page

I grew up military. My father was a flight surgeon in the Air Force. My brothers are military, as are most of my friends. I've even had military relationships. I worked at Ft. Hood doing TBI testing, treatment, and emergency visits with soldiers who had hit their limit. I've also worked on a military inpatient unit with soldiers with severe PTSD and drug addictions. I know rank structures, acronyms, OPSEC, PERSEC, and military subculture in general. Honestly, I really love my vets- they are resilient and have a GREAT sense of humor!

It might be uncomfortable, but I try to make it as painless as possible. Facing things that have been bothering you is sometimes difficult. I'm NEVER going to push you into something you aren't ready for, nor will I leave you hanging if something triggers you.

Sometimes that happens. It's important for me to know because sometimes I've triggered something and it isn't actually about me. Sometimes I'm not the right personality fit for you. If we find that is the case, I can recommend someone else for you. I don't take it personally. It's important to me that you get help from whoever makes you comfortable.

I do not provide emotional support animal letters at this time as the Texas LPC Board has stated this is outside of scope of practice without special training.

There’s a few on Google and Yelp. Overall, people don’t tend to leave reviews of therapists unless they’re upset and we’re not allowed to ask for them. I have some organizations that work with me if you want input from someone who is willing to speak with you.

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Unfortunately, due to the nature of trauma work, I require weekly visits. This is because I need to be able to supervise the big emotional responses or correct misunderstandings or make tweaks in homework assignments being practiced. I do move clients to an every two weeks as they phase out of therapy but it's not considered best practice with heavy trauma work. It definitely slows down the momentum of healing and in many ways can prolong unnecessary suffering (and the length of time you're in therapy.) Once a month is a "check in" or maintenance level of therapy.

I do understand that budget is a consideration. As far as a long term investment you'll save money this way because we keep a good momentum in the healing work. However, budget IS an important consideration in determining if a therapist will be a good fit for you. The last thing you need is financial stress on top of everything else!