Fees & Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see you if I’m not located in Minnesota?
Absolutely! I serve clients located anywhere in the United States via televideo (and I see all Minnesota clients via televideo too).
Are online sessions as helpful as in-person ones?
Yes, the research shows that there is no difference in treatment outcomes between in-person sessions and telehealth sessions. Research also shows there is no difference in client satisfaction or the therapist-client alliance when comparing in-person and telehealth sessions (Bulkes, Davis, Kay, & Riemann, 2022; Greenwood et al., 2022; Lin, Heckman, & Anderson, 2022).
Do you see couples, kids or teens?
In the past I did; now my work is all with individuals who are 18 or older.
How long are sessions?
80 minutes.
How often do I need to come in?
I require clients to come in for at least 3 sessions per month, for 80 minutes each session. I work on a 3-weeks-on, one-week-off schedule, so clients get one week off from our sessions each month. I will let you know which weeks we are off.
Timewise, it ends up being 4 hours a month, which is significantly more than traditional weekly therapy (i.e., 30-45 minutes per week, multiplied by 4 sessions per month, for a total of only 2-3 hours a month).
How long is this going to take?
I require clients to make a 6-month commitment in order to work with me. Most of my clients work with me for a year or longer. The intuitive depth work I do with clients is metaphorically akin to neurosurgery. The work is intensive, complicated, nuanced and takes many hours to complete. If you aren’t ready or able to commit the time and energy required to do the work, and stop before the work is done, it’s like getting up from the operating table, halfway through surgery with your brain exposed. We need to be able to finish the work and close up so you can recovery properly.
Why do you require 3, 80-minute sessions per month and ask clients to make a 6-month commitment?
The work I do is very different from that of traditional therapists and involves a level of depth and breadth rarely utilized in traditional therapy, so it requires a different session length, frequency and overall duration. I’ve tried a lot of different session options with clients and have found that 80 minutes, three times per month is the most effective and efficient for this type of work. I've found that clients just don't make as much progress with less 1:1 time per month and the work becomes much harder. With less frequent and shorter sessions, clients’ defense mechanisms seem to become more activated and fight harder against the recovery process.
Can I cancel or reschedule my session?
I will give you a specific day and time slot, and this will be your spot for the duration of our work together. This will give you the ability to plan for this appointment well in advance and will provide you with a guaranteed appointment spot in my schedule.
I have a no-cancellation and no-rescheduling policy, which means you are responsible for your session each week, whether you are able to attend your session or not. I understand that life happens and you may not be able to make it to every session, but please understand that I still have to charge you for your session. Each client I see has a designated time slot, so it’s not possible to fill your spot with another client if you miss a week.
Why don’t you offer the option to reschedule?
I provide specialty care and have very limited availability. The other appointment spots I have available are already designated for specific clients.
How much do you charge per session?
$525 USD per standard, 80-minute session (cash-pay rate).
$350 USD per abbreviated, 53-minute session (cash-pay rate).*
$396 USD per abbreviated, 60-minute session (cash-pay rate).*
The fee is 4% higher than the cash-pay rate when using a card.
*Please note that the 53-minute and 60-minute session lengths are no longer offered. They are only included to illustrate hourly rate for comparative purposes.
Do you offer packages?
Yes, I offer 6- and 12-month packages for clients. Clients are able to receive the cash-pay rate for these sessions by using an ACH transfer and avoid the 4% card fee, which results in a savings of $380 for a 6-month package and $780 for a 12-month package. Packages follow the same pacing, length and policies as regular, non-package sessions.
6-month Starter Package
Comprehensive intake assessment and 19, 80-minute 1:1 sessions
Investment: $9,975 (cash-pay rate)
12-month Package
Comprehensive intake assessment and 39, 80-minute 1:1 sessions
Investment: $20,475 (cash-pay rate)
Why are your rates higher than traditional therapists and coaches?
I’m not a traditional therapist or coach. I was formally trained as a doctoral-level clinical psychologist and I now practice as a Complementary and Alternative Health Care Provider with advanced training and a specialization in anxiety and OCD. My rates are similar to other anxiety and OCD specialists with advanced training.
Do you offer payment plans?
No, I am unable to offer payments plans. Payment is due in full at the beginning of each session, before services are rendered. If you are purchasing a package, the payment is due in full, at least 3 business days before the start date of the package and must fully clear before services can be provided.
Do you take insurance?
No, I am a private pay provider.
You can learn more about why many providers don’t take insurance here.
What are the advantages of seeing someone who doesn’t take insurance?
Private pay providers are able to offer individualized, boutique services, a higher quality of care, more effective methodology for healing clients’ conditions, specialty services, a higher level of privacy, longer sessions, more frequent sessions and a potentially comparable cost of care to insurance-pay providers (because of high premium, deductible and co-insurance costs) but of a much higher quality. When you use insurance, the insurance company dictates all of this, not your provider. Private pay providers also carry much lower caseloads, so they have more time and energy to devote to client care.
The insurance companies require a diagnosis with a mental health disorder in order to authorize payment for services. This means that you will be labeled with a mental illness on your permanent health record. This can be seen by the insurance companies, employers or the government (if they are covering a portion of your healthcare plan) and this diagnosis can be used against you as well as impact your ability to receive other services like life insurance. Private pay providers are not required to diagnosis you with a mental health disorder or include a diagosis in your permanent record.
Not only that, by seeing a private pay provider you are helping to ameliorate the mental health crisis in America by indirectly advocating for better pay and working conditions for therapists, who are being exploited by insurance companies and the current mental healthcare system. Private pay is a win-win.
What if I’m not sure if I can afford your rate or am not sure I am ready to make the investment?
It is really important that you feel good about the financial investment you are making in services with me. My prices and policies are all listed above, so you can get get a good estimate of what it will cost to work with me for the required 6 months (i.e., $9,975 at the cash-pay rate) or longer, if needed.
If the investment feels too stressful, you could end up resenting me and the process and you could also end up quitting before the process is complete, neither of which bode well for healing. That said, if working with me feels very aligned for you and you'd really like to make it happen but don't know how financially, you can try asking the universe/god/source/higher power for help and see what happens. Clients have had some good luck with this practice.
Here are some options for folks who are interested in my services but are unable to see me for 1:1 sessions for one reason or another.
References
Bulkes, N. Z., Davis, K., Kay, B., & Riemann, B. C. (2022). Comparing efficacy of telehealth to in-person mental health care in intensive-treatment-seeking adults. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, 347-353. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395621006531?via%3Dihub
Greenwood, H., Krzyzaniak, N., Peiris, R., Clark, J., Scott, A., Cardona, M., . . . Glasziou, P. (2022). Telehealth Versus Face-to-face Psychotherapy for Less Common Mental Health Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. JMIR Mental Health, 9(3). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8956990/
Lin, T., Heckman, T. G., & Anderson, T. (2022). The efficacy of synchronous teletherapy versus in-person therapy: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 29(2), 167–178. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-17335-001