If you’re here, you’ve likely arrived at the point in your life where you’re considering that you might benefit from doing something different. I want you to know I think that’s a very brave choice and I want you to know how much I would consider it an honor to meet you in that space. If you decide to reach out, here’s what to expect:

• I will respond to you within 24 hours, and I’ll try to respond sooner than that.

• I am happy to call you, email you or text you. I’ll do whatever you prefer, and if you don’t have a preference, I’ll reach out however is quickest for me, in that moment.

• We can have a 10-15 minute chat on the phone, if you prefer. Sometimes, when you’re trying to decide if this path is really one you want to take, it helps to just connect briefly, ask me some questions and “feel it out.” If that works for you, I’m honored to speak with you and I’m also invested in getting you to the best care for you. So, if we talk and decide that we might not be the best fit, I’ve got a fantastic network of other people who do what I do and I’d love to give you some referrals that might work better.

• If you would prefer to just go ahead and schedule an initial appointment with me, that’s also okay. Just reach out via the “contact” page and let me know when you’d like to schedule. If you include your phone number or email address, I’ll text or email you and we can set up our first appointment that way.

• Once we’ve picked a day and time for your initial appointment, I’ll email you some forms to sign (medical and legal stuff) and a couple of questionnaires that will help me understand what you are looking for and help us both gauge if what we are doing is helping, over time. A little objective data is always helpful.

• I’ll also ask you about your payment preferences and make sure you’re comfortable with and clear about any financial responsibilities. As someone who has spent many years navigating the cost of healthcare as a patient myself, I am deeply committed to financial transparency and will work with you to make sure you’re comfortable and clear on this aspect of your care.

• While I am in network with several insurance companies, if I am not in network with your insurance company or you prefer to not use your insurance, I offer self-pay rates that are listed on this site’s home screen. If you are self-paying and want to file a claim with your insurance for out of network reimbursement, I will provide you with a superbill at no additional cost.

• I’ll also send you an appointment confirmation with a link to join our first meeting via a HIPAA compliant ZOOM link. If you have any issues connecting, you can just email, call or text me and we will help you navigate any technical issues you have. Please don’t worry that tech issues will keep you from getting care or cause you unexpected fees. We will work together to navigate any technology issues that come up!

• During your first appointment, we will likely spend around an hour to an hour and a half together. During this time, we will talk about many things, including your current concerns, past medical, family and social history, your current physical health and any concerns you may have, your past experiences with any type of mental health treatment, and, most importantly, your goals, hopes and desires, moving forward. Depending on your symptoms and what’s going on, I may recommend and order further testing, including blood work, physical assessments, imaging, cardiovascular assessments, neuropsychiatric testing or other additional measures. I will also diagnose you with any psychiatric conditions you are presenting with and then we will spend time discussing your treatment options and designing an individualized treatment plan that works for you.

• Your treatment plan may include prescribed medication, recommendations for natural supplements or integrative approaches (for example, meditation or journaling), supportive and cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral modification exercises, and sometimes a referral to a psychotherapist who specializes in more nuanced therapy approaches than I do.

• My goal is to foster a relationship with you that is based on unconditional acceptance, free from judgement, and ultimately, allows us to work together to help you achieve your goals. I’m also going to ask you a lot of questions about how you’re responding to various treatments we might decide on and I’m always mindful of any other health issues that may be contributing to your symptoms. My approach is largely based in the theory of Humanistic Psychology and is also holistic, meaning I approach care from both a psychological health and physical health persepctive.

• If you are working with another healthcare provider or therapist, and we think it would be beneficial for me to collaborate with that person, I will send you a standard “Release of Information” form that allows me to reach out. I am a firm believer in collaborative approaches to care and value intentionally working with any other professional you may be seeing.

• After your initial appointment, we will schedule a follow up visit, usually within a week’s time. This is especially important if we’ve decided to start you on a medication or make changes to your existing medications. I have found, over the years, that meeting more frequently in the beginning of your treatment usually results in better, faster and longer lasting relief of the symptoms you are experiencing. We will likely continue meeting every 1-2 weeks until you are feeling consistently better. Once we decide together that meeting less frequently will be okay, I’ll usually ask you to schedule follow up appointments with me anywhere from every month to every 3 months. Of course, if you ever need to make a sooner appointment, we will meet sooner than originally planned.

• You can communicate with me via email, text or phone. I will return your message within 24 hours, usually sooner. If we find that you are needing to communicate with me frequently in between appointments, it’s likely an indication that we either need to schedule more frequent appointments or that you might benefit from some additional support. This may be a referral to a therapist that specializes in specific treatment modalities or to a more intensive therapy program in which you meet for several hours, several days a week.

• While I am on call for any urgent issues that arise during your treatment, I am not able to respond during sessions with other patients and you will need to leave a message by phone if the issue is urgent. I will return any messages left about urgent issues within 4 hours, usually sooner.

• Urgent issues do NOT include potentially life threatening issues such as trouble breathing or swelling resulting from a medication (allergic reactions), hurting yourself or someone else, feeling like you are going to hurt yourself or someone else, feeling like you are going to take your own life, or any other situation in which you feel you are in need of immediate medical attention. It is very important that you call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if any of these situations arise. You may also contact the national suicide prevention hotline at 988, or text “Home” to 741-741 for immediate support.

• I hope this overview helps you to feel more comfortable about what to expect. It’s important to also know that treatment for mental health issues may last for several months to several years. Each person is unique and therefore, every treatment plan is also unique. People don’t always need medication or other interventions long term, while others do. We will work together to decide if and when you are ready to complete treatment and my virtual door will continue to be open any time you need to check back in or if new issues arise. My hope is to establish a lasting and consistent relationship with each person who I work with and I plan on doing this work for many more years to come!