FAQ’s

What is EMDR therapy?

“EMDR is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.  Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal.  EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma.  When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound.  If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes. 

EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes.  The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health.  If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering.  Once the block is removed, healing resumes.  Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.” (EMDR.com, 2020).

Learn more about EMDR here.

What is Creative Arts or Expressive Therapy?

The creative arts therapies and expressive therapies focus on supporting people explore and process their emotions through a variety of ways. Many people find success with traditional talk therapy and many of my sessions still use traditional talk therapy, but we have many other tools to use within our sessions. I often blend evidence-based practices such as EMDR, CBT, DBT, mindfulness approaches, and others alongside expressive modalities to support emotional processing.

Sometimes we aren’t able to put things into words and this is where play, music, art, sandtray, video games, board games, mindfulness, and other creative experiences can come into the picture. Play therapy is the most recommended therapy for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Therapy looks different for every individual and the focus is on creating a space that is unique to you or your child.

What are the fees?

Sessions are $135 per hour. I do offer sliding scale rates if you are in need of support. I have a limited number of sliding scale openings available but please feel free to reach out and inquire about reduced fees.

Do you accept insurance?

At this time I am an out-of-network provider and do not directly accept insurances. However, many insurance plans are able to reimburse you for your out-of-pocket therapy expenses. This means that you are responsible for your up-front therapy expenses at the time of service. I can then provide you with a detailed invoice (called a “superbill”) that you can sent to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement. It may be a good idea to reach out with your insurance company to determine their process in handling out-of-network providers.

What frequency do you recommend?

I recommend weekly therapy for consistency.

Quite often, clients move to a bi-weekly frequency once they’ve progressed through their treatment goals. Eventually successful treatment can be terminated and some clients even prefer to have check-in sessions once every few months for a “tune-up”.

Are you doing telehealth or in-person?

I am seeing all clients in person and via telehealth at this time.

Via telehealth, I am able to provide online therapy services to those living in Maine, New York, and Colorado.

What does the therapy process look like?

Assessment

Our first few sessions will be dedicated to getting to know each other. This is a time where I will complete an assessment based off of information you have given me and information you’ve completed in the intake paperwork. An assessment will help us form a solid idea of what is going on for you or your loved one and guide us in determining our path moving forward with treatment and goals.

Treatment

Using our goals as a guide, I will continue to support you or your child by continuing to utilize preferred experiences (play, music, games, anime, tabletop gaming, verbal processing, mindfulness, reflection, etc.) throughout our treatment. During this time, it is my job to take notice of thought patterns, emotions, behaviors, and other concerns that arise within these experiences. Using evidenced-based practice, I will use empathy, authenticity, insight, interventions, and/or practices that can lead you or your loved one towards growth.

Again, the foundation of therapy is creating a space where you or your loved one feels safe and wants to be there. Therapy is a place to feel empowered and it’s my job to walk alongside you as we navigate the best path forward.

Termination

Once we’ve completed our goals and you or your child is ready to move on from therapy, we make a plan to terminate. Usually at this point, you are feeling confident with your skills to manage anxiety and don’t need as much support in your day to day. You’ve found the relief.

From here we may move to bi-weekly sessions, monthly sessions, or “tune-up” sessions depending upon you or your childs needs. Eventually we make a plan for our last session where we celebrate all of the hard work that you or your child has done!

From here I am always only a phone call away if things get tough again and we can do a “tune-up” session or schedule a few sessions as needed.