FAQs

I am in the office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday from Noon-8:00 PM and Thursdays from 3:00- 8:00 PM.

I also offer phone and/or video sessions at any time Monday through Thursday, if my office hours don’t work for you.

Please call me at (215) 880-7015 or complete the contact form below.

Consistency, Persistence, and Focus = MOMENTUM

And that’s what you need to change your life’s direction!

Momentum is an essential part of realizing changes that you want to feel in your life. For this reason, I usually suggest that we meet weekly in the beginning, for at least three weeks, to provide you with the catalyst you need to get you going down a different path.

After that, whether you choose to meet every two weeks or work really, really hard and meet once a week is absolutely up to you.

Don’t worry! You don’t have to work with horses to work with me.

Nature-based therapy and horse-assisted therapy are simply alternatives to traditional office-based therapy.

If you’re curious but a bit apprehensive or even afraid, rest assured that I’ll never allow you to be in a situation that will compromise either your emotional or physical safety.

The presence of horses is quite powerful, so even having an interaction with a horse with a safe, secure fence between the two of you can be a truly meaningful experience.

Very rarely do we work with horses at every session. It is usually beneficial just to have one session with a horse or the horses and come away from that interaction with a lot to chew on (pardon the pun!).

I used to take most insurances; however, neither my clients, nor I ever saw great benefit.

Let me explain: most people have insurance coverage with extremely high deductibles and/or very high co-pays. This means that most clients, whether they are aware of it or not, are still paying most of their therapy fees while the insurance company pays next to nothing.

Additionally, most clients don’t realize that the insurance company reimburses therapists for only a fraction of the therapist’s regular session fee.

But even worse, in exchange for this “wonderful” insurance coverage, clients must forfeit their right to confidentiality because the insurance company insists on a mental health diagnosis (not always necessary for therapy), and this diagnosis becomes a permanent part of a client’s record (which can be subpoenaed in court)!

The insurance company also has the right to read all session progress notes written by the therapist, and the therapist must write these notes to “prove” that sessions happened and that they are medically necessary.

Ethically, these stipulations have never felt right to me.

On the other hand, being out of network allows me to protect your confidentiality and to protect your public record of mental health and for little to no extra cost to you, the client!

Being an out-of-network therapist means that I have not entered into agreement with the insurance companies to see clients for the standard reduced fee set by the insurance company.

It also means that if you have out-of-network insurance benefits (call your insurance company to find out what they are), you can submit the receipts I give you to your insurance company for direct reimbursement.

For many clients, using out-of-network benefits to see me has resulted in their paying no more for sessions than they would if I were in-network. Go figure!

And don’t forget! The cost of your therapy sessions is tax deductible as a medical expense.

There is one caveat to submitting out-of-network reimbursement claims: Some (not all) insurance companies still want a mental health diagnosis from me before they will reimburse clients for out-of-network sessions.

Again, this compromises your privacy and confidentiality as the diagnosis becomes a part of your record.

Ava is an important part of most of my client sessions. Unfortunately, she is not one of the hyper-allergenic breeds and does shed in the office. If you are highly allergic to dogs, you will probably not be comfortable meeting with me.

Working with a therapist is probably the most personally trusting thing you will ever do.

You absolutely must feel comfortable with your therapist; you must be able to trust him/her/them with your most vulnerable thoughts and feelings.

So, it’s important to feel a sense of connection between us right from the start.

That’s why I offer an initial 20-minute phone consultation free of charge. As we begin to get to know each other, you can get a sense of who I am, and I can likewise get a sense of who you are.

If the conversation feels good to you, we would then schedule a first in-person appointment. If, after that initial in-person meeting, you feel I am someone you can connect with, someone who can potentially understand you and where you’re coming from, then – and only then – do you decide to schedule another appointment.

Of course, you might feel a bit nervous or hesitant the first time we talk. That’s perfectly normal and to be expected. But if you don’t begin to feel a sense of ease after talking to me, then I’m probably not the right therapist for you.

I always say to my clients, “Trust your gut on this one.”

That’s not a strange question at all!

I can truly say that I feel as if I were born to be a therapist. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about human interactions.

I thoroughly enjoy the connection that I have with my clients. I love working with each person to figure out what’s important to them, what they desire, what they want and need, and how to bring it about in their lives. There is nothing more gratifying to me than being a part of someone’s discovery of joy in life.

I celebrate, I cry, I get frustrated with my clients – with them, not at them! lol.

Together, we laugh, become serious, grow quiet, get moving, and find the flow that leads to a sense of healing and wholeness in even the smallest ways.

It is the most worthwhile way I can think of to spend my days on this earth.

That’s why I am a therapist.