FAQ

I see clients locally in San Diego in an office in Sorrento Valley and online throughout CA, CO, NV, and AZ via a secure Zoom portal.

While in-person therapy certainly has benefits, online therapy also has real advantages. Clients report:

• Convenience of avoiding traffic and commuting,
• The comfort and safety of being in their own space,
• Flexibility to travel (within California or the other states I’m licensed in) and still receive therapy,
• Feeling more at ease to open up in their environment,

Integration support, since you’re already home and can immediately ground what we do in session.

Yes, somatic therapy can be done online. I guide you through grounding, orienting, and resourcing practices. Sometimes, I may invite you to stand up, move, or notice sensations as you describe them.

Occasionally, I’ll ask, “How does the idea of a hand on your shoulder feel?” to support felt-sense awareness. We work with what’s happening here and now. It may surprise you just how powerful and intimate this work can be remotely.

I see clients M–Th early mornings (8:00 or 8:30 AM), Midday from about 12:45 to 2:00 PM PST, and Thursdays beginning at 11:30 AM PST. Fridays start earlier, at 10:00 or 11:00 AM.

The rest of my schedule is reserved for my work with The Meadows’ Virtual IOP program.

Sessions are generally 50 minutes. Occasionally, they may run a few minutes shorter or longer, depending on the session’s natural flow and ending point. I’m skilled at closing sessions gently and intentionally with no abrupt cutoffs. Very rarely will a session go over 55 minutes.

Start by scheduling a free 15- to 20-minute phone consultation. We’ll chat briefly to see if we’re a good fit. If we both feel aligned, we’ll book your first session and possibly establish a regular time slot. If it’s not a fit, I’ll still offer guidance or referrals to help you on your path.

I accept Aetna, Quest, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA. For all other insurances, I am an out-of-network provider. However, I can provide you with a monthly superbill you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement.

I recommend reviewing my [Office Policies] for more details, but here are a few highlights:

• Time off from therapy: If you miss three or more consecutive weeks, I may open your recurring time slot to someone else. Teletherapy is an option if you’re away but still want to meet.
• Therapist time off: I typically take at least four weeks off yearly. If needed, I’ll give you advance notice and refer you to a trusted local therapist for support.

I support high-achieving adult women – often therapists, healers, creatives, and professionals – who appear successful but feel disconnected, stuck, or burdened by old wounds. They crave deeper fulfillment, more authentic relationships, and a sense of home in their bodies. I help them reconnect with themselves, move through trauma and patterns, and reclaim the vitality that’s been there all along.

Somatic therapy is a body-based approach to healing that helps regulate your nervous system, release stored trauma, and reconnect with your felt senses. Unlike traditional talk therapy, it incorporates body awareness, movement, and present-moment tracking to help you experience more safety, ease, and connection.

Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a trauma-resolution modality that gently helps renegotiate the effects of trauma rather than relive it. We work slowly and respectfully to track sensations, support self-regulation, and help your body complete protective responses that may have gotten stuck. You don’t have to tell your story in detail for this to be effective. More info here: www.traumahealing.org.

My specialty is working with developmental, relational, and complex trauma. This includes early attachment wounds, childhood emotional neglect, chronic stress, PTSD and CPTSD, betrayal, grief, and trauma stored in the body.

I help clients untangle old patterns rooted in survival strategies so they can feel more at home in their bodies and empowered in their lives.

Yes – profoundly and intentionally. As a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual therapist with roots in several cultures, I am passionate about supporting clients from various backgrounds. My practice welcomes individuals of all genders, sexualities, faiths, races, and cultures. Past clients have included folks from India, Mexico, the U.S., Argentina, Germany, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Scotland, and beyond. Whether you’re queer, polyamorous, monogamous, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, spiritual-but-not-religious, or still figuring it out – you are welcome here.

Clients often say I bring both deep presence and gentle humor. I hold space with compassion and care, inviting you to be curious, embodied, and authentic. I listen deeply, not just to your words, but to what your body, nervous system, and inner knowing are saying.

I make connections you might never have thought of – or acknowledged without a witness. Our work might include talking, noticing sensations, exploring patterns, and bringing kindness to the parts of you that have been carrying so much.

Not at all. You get to decide what to share and when. Therapy unfolds over time, and I respect your pace. We go as slow as the slowest part of you wants us to go.

Start with a free consultation – it’s a chance to feel into the fit. Ask yourself: Do I feel safe, seen, and not judged? Do I feel like I can be myself here? That “click” matters more than anything on paper.

I may not be the right therapist for everyone, and that’s okay. I’ll help point you in the right direction if I’m not. I’m also happy to give you three journaling questions I’ve given hundreds of people at the end of our free initial consultation to help them decide.

Yes, but only what’s necessary to support your care.

*My Office Policies:

Touch – I am trained and experienced in using body-sensing awareness and, at times, supportive touch. Such practices are supportive and noninvasive, done only with the client’s explicit permission and cooperation and within legal and ethical guidelines.

Confidentiality – Information disclosed in therapy is strictly confidential and will not be released to any third party without your written authorization, except where required or permitted by law. Exceptions to confidentiality include but are not limited to reporting child, elder, and dependent adult abuse when a patient makes a serious threat of violence towards a reasonably identifiable victim or when a patient is dangerous to themself or the person or property of another.

Technology, Privacy, and HIPAA – I use G Suite to manage my practice (which means I use various Google products) and Venmo to accept payment. Some of these products are covered by a HIPAA BAA (Business Associate Agreement), which ensures they are HIPAA-compliant, while others like Google Voice, Google Hangouts, and Venmo are not. I am NOT a HIPAA-covered entity. HIPAA compliance is required when a healthcare provider (myself) communicates a patient’s PHI (protected health information) electronically (via the Internet) to a third-party payer (your insurance provider).

As a licensed psychotherapist, I am beholden to legal and ethical standards that require me to take steps to protect your privacy. When you engage in teletherapy, call or text me, or use Venmo for payment, you do so knowing that HIPAA standards do not protect your privacy.

Therapy hour – Unless an alternate agreement is made, therapy sessions are 50 minutes long and occur once per week. Longer sessions and increased frequency may be available. Based on my clinical judgment, I may suggest increased contact. You may also request increased contact, and we will decide how to proceed.

Time off from therapy – I cannot reserve your appointment time if you miss your scheduled session for three or more weeks.

Therapist time off – I will take at least four weeks off throughout the year when I am unavailable for sessions or phone or email contact. I will give you advanced notice and provide you with the contact information for a local therapist who is available to you during that time.

Fees and sliding scale – Fees may be adjusted and reviewed anytime. I increase fees annually in April by $20. If your financial circumstances change and you can no longer afford therapy at your current fee rate, please discuss the matter with me during the session to explore our options.

Additional services – Additional services, such as requests for documentation or consultation with your other providers, will receive a prorated charge based on your hourly session fee.

Termination of Therapy – You have the right to terminate therapy at your discretion. I also reserve the right to terminate therapy at any time and will provide referrals for alternate services if that is the case.

Email/Cell Phone Communication – Please be aware that while all communication is held in confidence, email and cell phone communication can be more easily accessed by unauthorized sources. Email, in particular, can be vulnerable to unauthorized access by persons known or unknown to you. Please let me know if you would prefer in any way to limit how communication occurs or if you are in any way concerned about the confidentiality of a specific form of communication.

Availability – If you would like to speak with me outside of your session for reasons concerning scheduling, fees, or urgent issues that occurred after a session, please call or email me. Please be clear in your message as to whether or not you want a return call. Any phone contact (including text messages) extending beyond 5 minutes will be charged prorated, based on your hourly session fee.

Crisis – If you need emergency services, and I am not available, please dial 911 or the following crisis services: Suicide Prevention: 9-8-8, San Diego Access & Crisis Line (ACL) 1-888-724-7240. I encourage you to contact me if you are in a severe emotional crisis, although we are not an immediate crisis intervention center.

Policy Updates – I reserve the right to adjust my practice policies within legal and ethical standards at any time. You will be informed verbally or in writing when such changes occur.