“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”Jon Kabat-Zinn

Evidence-based psychotherapy refers to techniques that have been extensively researched and are supported by science. Simply put, these are therapies that have been shown to be effective for specific problems. In my practice, I utilize techniques from the following evidence-based treatments:

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)  
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)  
• Mindfulness  
• Mindful Self-Compassion  
• Motivational Interviewing (MI) 
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)  
• Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) 

I strive to use innovative techniques that are backed by research. However, I also recognize that psychotherapy is not a “one size fits all” enterprise. I will work with you to collaboratively develop a treatment plan specific to your therapy goals.

I believe that successful treatment stems from accurate assessment. Thus, the first few sessions are devoted to assessment so that I can get to know you, and fully understand your psychiatric history and goals for treatment. These first sessions also allow us to determine if we are a good fit for working together. I will send you intake paperwork to complete electronically that outlines your psychiatric history to help streamline this process. After the initial assessment sessions, we will develop a unique treatment plan that is tailored to you, integrating techniques from evidence-based psychotherapies that I believe will address your therapy goals. I typically meet with clients through a HIPAA-compliant videoconference on a weekly basis and monitor progress   to evaluate how well therapy is working for you.

My style in therapy has been described as collaborative, integrative, and warm. Therapy is transparent—with clarity between of us regarding where we are headed and what we are trying to achieve. Generally, therapy focuses on teaching you skills to address or cope with problems in the here-and-now, with acknowledgement of how past experiences may have shaped current difficulties. I strive to be genuine and authentic with clients, and I take an active role in teaching techniques in session. At the end of therapy sessions, we will also negotiate things for you to do between sessions to allow for practice and generalization of skills to everyday life. Therapy is most effective when clients take an active role in practicing techniques learned outside of our sessions.

My rates are comparable to those of other psychologists in the Bay Area at the doctorate (Ph.D.) level. I do not offer a sliding scale for services at this time and I am not currently contracted with any insurance carriers. I am considered an out-of-network provider and payment for my services is due in full at the start of each session. If you wish to use insurance for therapy sessions, I will provide you with a receipt that has everything on it that you would need to submit to your insurance carrier (i.e., diagnosis code, my tax ID, etc.). You will then need to submit a claim form (typically this can be downloaded from your insurance carrier’s website) to your insurance carrier along with receipts from our session. Your insurance carrier will then process the claim and send reimbursement directly to you. The amount of reimbursement varies by insurance carrier and plan. If you have questions about this, it would be best to contact your insurance carrier and ask about reimbursement for sessions with an out-of-network psychologist.