Your therapy will target your current state and our stated goals. My training includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused CBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and ART™. Central to any therapy is memory re-consolidation and release of trauma at origin.

Our sessions are through a secure video link. Research shows that healing is as successful with online therapy as in-person contact . Most people prefer saving time, fuel, parking hassles and the need to ‘dress up.’ All you need is a computer, tablet or smartphone and good internet access (for ART™ sessions, a wide-screen monitor is recommended).

Additionally, with online therapy, you have access to psychologists statewide and so more likely to find the advanced training/experience for your specific issue.

Q: What is ART™?

A: Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART™) is a unique approach to the treatment of trauma and it’s adaptations or reactions. Because trauma is stored as negative images and sensations, replacement of these images and sensations results in a memory that no longer feels disabling. The results can often be achieved in only one session, but if several layers of trauma are discovered, additional sessions will be needed. In any case, before treatment is complete, triggers will be reduced or gone, and nightmares and repeated intrusive thoughts will have stopped. ART is recognized as evidenced-based by the Society of Clinical Psychology, Div. 12 of the American Psychological Association (APA). See https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/evidence-based/ 

ART™ combines the established power of eye movements to create theta wave movement and voluntary changes in thinking with well-established therapies like Gestalt, CBT and Guided Imagery. Within the ART™ protocol, the eye movements, along with other ART™ enhancements, make these therapies effectively. Studies are showing that mental health issues other than Post Traumatic Stress can also be resolved quickly, such as phobias, anxiety disturbances.

One advantage of ART is that you do not need to discuss the trauma, avoiding re-traumatizing and potential discomfort. This is because ART™ is procedural and you are in control of the process, and the ART™ Therapist only a guide.  Even with very painful experiences that can be uncomfortable to visualize, very early in the treatment process you are moving beyond where the images are stuck and sense calm rather than terror. The following issues have had successful resolutions with ART™ Anxiety, depression, phobias, panic attacks, obsessions and compulsions, Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), performance anxiety, family issues, self image, relationship issues, codependency, grief, job-Related stress, pain management.
 

Q: What is Biofeedback?

A: Biofeedback focuses on learning about how your body responds to stress through non-invasive, live computer feedback. During a session, various physiological changes in your body are monitored, including your heart rate, heart rate variability, breathing, skin temperature, muscle tension, and skin sweat response, which are then displayed on the computer, thus providing the feedback. Sessions involve learning strategies to manage and regulate these responses, leading to enhanced control over emotional reactivity. On average, biofeedback is given concurrently with other therapy and lasts for about 5-12 sessions.

Most people prefer not to purchase their own equipment, which can cost between $1,000-2,500 for home use. If biofeedback will be part of your treatment, we will ship the equipment to you for your use during the treatment period. With an equipment deposit, the set is your to use anytime during the treatment period, and your deposit will be refunded upon return of undamaged equipment. As of November 2025, there is currently a two-month waiting list for remote biofeedback treatment.

Q: What is Neurofeedback? 

A: Neurofeedback (NFB) is an emerging form of biofeedback that measures brainwave activity with real-time operant-conditioning feedback, helping the brain train itself toward a desired state. You wear a headset with comfortable electrodes that measure your brain's electrical activity (EEG). 

Q: What is IFS? 

Working with the parts of you that are stuck in emotional discomfort and negative beliefs, IFS has been shown effective with anxiety, grief, depression, self-doubt, burnout, relationship issues, trauma, shame and spiritual concerns. 

IFS helps heal by building relationships with inner parts; the protective, wounded, and wise aspects of yourself. IFS, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is a deeply respectful and non-pathologizing approach to therapy. It views the mind not as broken or disordered, but as an inner ecosystem, one that is naturally designed to heal when given the right conditions.

IFS sees these inner voices not as flaws, but as protective parts trying to help you survive, even if their strategies are outdated or extreme. Every part has a purpose. Every part is welcome.

The heart of IFS therapy is helping you access what Schwartz calls the ‘Self’ your calm, compassionate, intuitive core; who you were for you learned differently. When you lead from your core, your inner parts can soften, unburden, and relax.

IFS helps you: Develop compassion for your protective parts (like the inner critic or the avoider), gently connect with wounded parts carrying shame, fear, or grief, release the burdens these parts carry from past trauma, build a more trusting, peaceful internal system, access clarity, creativity, and courage from your authentic Self. IFS pairs well with ART™ and other trauma modalities. Sometimes, before you can reprocess a memory, you must meet the part of you that’s scared to go there.

Q: What is Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

A: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is now one of the most researched and widely used forms of psychotherapy. It helps you identify and shift the thoughts and beliefs that influence your emotions and actions.

Trauma-Informed CBT acknowledges that many of your current thought patterns were not randomly chosen—but were shaped by past experiences, survival instincts, and protective adaptations. This approach honors your nervous system, your story, and your resilience. 

We recognize distorted thinking, challenge with truth, and replace with more balanced, empowering perspectives. We move at the pace of your nervous system,  mindful of trauma responses like dissociation, emotional flooding, or inner critics. Over time, this leads to noticeable shifts in how you feel, how you respond to life, and how you see yourself.

CBT is especially helpful for: anxiety and panic, depression and negative self-talk, fears, phobias, behavioral patterns you can’t seem to break 

CBT + ART™ Combination

In most sessions, CBT is used in conjunction with ART™.
While ART™ processes the emotional and somatic residue of trauma, CBT brings clarity to the thought patterns that accompany it. This integrative approach helps you not only reprocess old memories but also build new mental frameworks that support long-term change, resilience, and peace.

Trauma-Informed CBT can help you gain insight, build emotional resilience, and rewrite the inner narrative that’s been blocking you.

Q: What is Energy Psychology?

A: Energy Psychology is a field of therapy that recognizes what ancient traditions have always known: our thoughts, emotions, and trauma are stored not just in the mind, but in the energy systems of the body. By working with both, we open the door to deeper, more lasting transformation.

It blends insights from: traditional Chinese Medicine (like acupuncture meridians), neuroscience, somatic awareness, Quantum field theory and modern psychology. It works with the body’s subtle energy systems such as meridians, chakras, and biofields—alongside traditional therapy to gently release emotional blocks, regulate the nervous system, and support deep healing.

As a Reiki Master and energy practitioner I use mindfulness and energy healing intuitively.  I practice energy healing ONLY as an adjunct to evidence-based standard treatments for trauma and only if appropriate for you. 

Energy Psychology can accelerate restoring energetic flow where trauma has created blockages, release emotional charge held in the body, support grounding and regulation for dissociative symptoms, reconnect you to your own inner guidance and sense of peace.

This can vary from person to person, depending on the concerns bringing you into therapy, support that you have outside of therapy, and therapy you have received in the past.

Many clients benefit from brief/short-term therapy focused on a specific issue or interfering problem, in which case the length of treatment is between 1-5  sessions. For other longer-standing or generalized issues, the first 1-2 sessions are an intake/assessment period, where we explore your background & your goals for therapy. Following that time, we will reach our mutually set goals within 6-10 sessions. Rarely will your treatment period exceed this.

Because buried issues emerge, you may initially feel more ‘worse’ before you start to feel better. However, know that you are doing this work in a safe, therapeutic space, and moving through discomfort usually signals progress.

While I’m not an in-network provider for insurance,  I provide you with a monthly statement that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. I recommend you call your insurance provider to determine your "out-of-network benefits", including your deductible, what your coverage amount will be, and how many sessions might be covered. If you choose to seek reimbursement, I need to let you know that I’m required to include a diagnosis on the superbill, which will be part of your medical record. 

Q: Does my insurance cover telehealth (video sessions)?

A: Yes, most California insurance plans such as Anthem and Blue Shield, cover telehealth psychologists due to state laws requiring payment parity and the expansion of telehealth services. Some plans require use of specific telehealth platforms for coverage. However, as of October 1, 2025 Medicare and Medical telehealth benefits are being suspended.

Please contact your insurance provider to determine your exact benefits. Call the telephone number on the back of your insurance card (there may be a separate number for behavioral health services).

Q: How many sessions am I authorized for by my insurance?

A; This may vary depending upon which insurance plan you carry, or whether you are in an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Some plans allow for unlimited sessions, while others authorize a certain number (and may require 're-authorization' paperwork for additional sessions). To find out how many sessions you are authorized for, please call the telephone number on the back of your insurance card.

Working outside of insurance allows for greater privacy (no required mental health diagnosis on file), more flexibility in how we structure your treatment, freedom from restrictions imposed by insurance companies.

Payments. I accept payment by Venmo, Zelle, Paypal and all major credit cards via our HIPAA-compliant processor. By signing, you authorize charges to the card on file for session fees and late-cancel fees. You can revoke card authorization in writing at any time.

Therapy:

$225 for a 50-minute session (in-person or online)

$345 for a 50-minute session with Biofeedback

$415 for a 90-minute session

ART™ Intensive

$975 for a 3-Hour ART™ Intensive (in-person or online)

This program accelerates the healing process by providing three hours of focused ART™ in a single session (with short breaks for consolidation), home mini-ART™ sessions, and one 50-min follow up session.

Q: What payment methods do you accept?

A: I accept payment by Venmo, Zelle, Paypal and all major credit cards via our HIPAA-compliant processor. By signing, you authorize charges to the card on file for session fees and late-cancel fees. You can revoke card authorization in writing at any time.

Q: Do you offer a free initial consultation?

A: An optional 20-minute video consultation is provided without charge. The purpose is to help you assess your comfort level, to ask questions about the process, and for me to describe what you can expect should we decide to work together. I am able to give very general feedback and suggestions concerning a direction you might take if we recognize that my form of therapy would not be appropriate for you.

The initial 20 min phone or video consultation can be helpful in guiding you in the right direction.

Making the first step can feel difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Just making the first call can start you on a path of positive action, whether we end up working together or not.

Q: Can you complete my disability/LOA paperwork?

A: Completing disability/LOA paperwork is outside of the scope of my practice so I am not able to complete any requests for disability paperwork (for example, State Disability, Leaves of Absence 'LOA', Family Medical Leave 'FMLA'). It is recommended that you consult with your Primary Care Physician, or other trained professional for disability paperwork requests.

Q:   Stress makes it hard to go to work/school. Can you write me a letter stating that I need time off?

A:  Your ability of attend school or work is a complex issue, requiring several layers of information, and beyond the scope of my practice. This assessment and determination would need to come from your Primary Care Physician or specially trained behavioral health specialist. I am able to provide what are referred to as "treatment summary letters" which provide dates of therapy, any presenting symptoms, goals for treatment and any applicable diagnoses (but not whether these symptoms/diagnoses should warrant a leave of absence).

Q: Can you write a letter certifying my pet as an 'emotional support animal?”

A: Certifying an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) requires “meaningful need” training, which is outside my professional scope of practice. The ADA and DOJ do not currently recognize any form of certificate, identification card, vest, or tag as proof of an animal’s designation as a service animal OR an emotional support animal. The only individuals authorized to write ESA letters are qualified healthcare providers, so clients are encouraged to consult with these providers.

Q: Do you offer testing or psychological evaluations?

A:  Administering psychological tests and evaluations is within the scope of my license. More often than not, you will be asked to take one or more ‘assessments’ to help us to decide the most accurate healing path for you. One of those assessments is the TAP-Profile™ which will help us identify the exact patterns you have developed to adapt to trauma, and guide us toward resolution.

That said, there are some psychological assessments including neuropsychological batteries in which I am not ‘current’ and as such are outside the scope of my practice. If you request such an assessment, I will refer to you a qualified colleague. Although I am qualified to diagnose, I prefer not to do so unless required for insurance purposes.

Q: Do you offer psychotherapy outside California?

A: As a licensed psychologist in the state of California, I am licensed to offer therapy only to those who live in California. 

If our assessment reveals that coaching rather than therapy would be appropriate, I am able to offer that service for those who live outside California. If you require therapy, and are not in California, I'll help you research someone in your area.