The First Visit

You will receive intake paperwork before your first appointment. Please complete this paperwork 24 hours prior to your appointment. The information gathered in this paperwork helps guide the first session.

Your first several sessions are a bit different from all that will follow. Together we will be exploring what is bringing you to counseling at this time, what’s been helpful for change in the past and what hasn’t. We will talk about your life - what’s important to you, what creates stress, what you want to change. We will explore your goals for therapy. For each part of the assessment I’ll encourage you to share to your comfort level. I will also share with you the policies and ethics that guide therapy- from informed consent, therapist disclosure, privacy and confidentiality, and your rights as a client. I’ll encourage you to ask as many questions as you like.

Cost/ Insurance

My fee for a 53-minute therapy session is $165.

To better understand your options for paying of therapy, including options to make therapy more affordable, please download my eBook: Understanding Therapy Costs: A No Surprises, Good Faith, in Plain Language Guide

Insurance

If you want to utilize insurance, the best way to prepare for your financial commitment to therapy is by calling your insurance carrier (member number on the back of your insurance card) and inquiring about your mental health benefit. Please see the linked guides below.

In-Network

If I am in-network with your insurance, I can bill your insurance company directly for psychotherapy sessions I provide.

Currently, I’m an in-network provider with the following insurances and employee assistance programs:

  • Lyra Health

  • Premera/ LifeWise

  • Kaiser PPO/ First Choice Health 

  • Cigna/ Evernorth

How-To Guide: Calling insurance to inquire about in-network benefits

Out-of-Network

If I am out-of-network with your insurance plan, depending on your eligibility, your insurance provider may reimburse you for a substantial part of my fee as an out-of-network provider. Please contact your insurance provider to inquire about your out-of-network coverage for individual therapy.

How-To Guide: Calling Insurance to inquire about out-of-network benefits

Private Pay

Some clients prefer to not use their insurance benefit. Use of insurance requires a mental health diagnosis and the release of some private health information to your insurance company. For these reasons, and others, some folks opt out of using their insurance benefit in therapy. Risks and benefits to using insurance is part of informed consent - please ask questions about the pros and cons to using insurance at your first appointment.

Office Location  

7901 Skansie Ave, Suite 240, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

My office is located in the heart of Gig Harbor at the corner of Rosedale St and Skansie Ave, a 10-minute walk to Gig Harbor High School and a 5-minute walk to the Cushman Trail, Rosedale St entrance. There is free parking in office lot and my office is accessible via Pierce Transit Route 100 Single-use restrooms available throughout the building (door code 2023). To avoid all steps, please use Neel Ct entrance.