Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker? An LCSW is someone who has completed a master’s program in social work and has fulfilled the requirements for licensure. In Colorado, these requirements include taking a licensing and jurisprudence exam as well as accruing 3,360 hours of supervised work experience over a minimum of two years. A social worker must have at least 96 hours of clinical supervision in order to qualify to become an LCSW.
An LCSW’s approach to therapy is strength based and holistic. We work with clients to assess what natural skills, talents and resources they possess and harness those to help clients with their challenges. We look not just at an individual alone, but how social and environmental factors are impacting their functioning.
How will therapy help me? Therapy provides a safe, confidential space and relationship in which you can explore behaviors, feelings and relationships that might be holding you back from feeling fulfilled and engaged in your life. A therapist can help provide insight, support and new strategies for different life challenges. This can include helping you learn new ways of responding to stressful situations, providing a sounding board for difficulties you face and empowering you with tools for handling future challenges.
What is my role in the therapy process? Therapy is a collaborative process between the therapist and the client. In order for therapy to be effective, you should be committed and willing to do the work required outside of our sessions. Therapy is usually just one hour, once a week- in order for you to feel better and see change, it will require you to apply the skills and ideas we discuss together in your everyday life.
What is your approach? While I use the approach that best fits the needs of the client, I tend to most often use techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT is about using mindfulness techniques and values work to help you accept what is out of your personal control and commit to action that improves your life. I use this approach to help you to discover and change your unhelpful patterns, which in turn can make you feel better. You can learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy here: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/acceptance-commitment-therapy
What issues do you treat? My primary therapeutic focus is working with women facing life transitions, self esteem and relationship issues. I have a special interest in working with women facing parenting stress. I limit my focus to areas where I have skills and experience and am happy to refer clients with problems beyond my scope to therapists who are experts in those issues.
How long will treatment last? How will I know when I’m ready to complete therapy? How long therapy lasts will depend on what issues you would like to work on and how committed you are to doing “the work” outside of sessions. Together we will set goals for therapy during our initial sessions and you will know that you are ready to “complete” therapy when you have achieved your goals. We will talk together about your progress throughout our sessions to ensure that we are moving towards completion. Of course, you are also free to end therapy at any time if you choose.
I’m new to therapy- what should I expect? During the first session or two, I will want to get a good understanding of your current situation and may ask a lot of questions. Gathering this information may take one session or could take more, depending on you and what your specific needs are. Together, we will create goals for our work together so that you can get the most out of our sessions and start feeling better faster. I will likely have you complete a brief questionnaire so I can get a baseline for how stressed you are, so that we can measure your progress and help us see what tools are working (and what aren’t).
My approach relies heavily on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques. This is a goal oriented approach that may feel different than the talk therapy you may have done in the past. Together we will identify the areas that are holding you back, and work on specific skills to help you get “unstuck”. My goal is to help teach you new coping skills so that you are empowered to help yourself. This means there is work to do between sessions- together we will come up with an “action plan” at the end of each session. This Action Plan may include applying these new skills to situations in your life, recording them on worksheets and then discussing together during the next session. This is where the real work happens in therapy and it is an essential part of my approach. Please be honest with yourself about whether you are willing to commit to doing this work outside of our sessions.
What if I want to do additional “work” outside of sessions? Great! I am always happy to recommend additional resources such as podcasts, books and articles to supplement the work we do together in session. This is not mandatory by any means, but available for those who want more.
What is your availability? Can I see you on weekends or evenings? At this time, I am unavailable for sessions on evenings and weekends. I have appointment times between 9am and 2pm on Mondays-Fridays. I am currently only seeing clients via telehealth.
How long is a therapy session? A therapy session is approximately 50 minutes.
How often should I expect to attend therapy sessions? I believe in finding a balance between making therapy feel helpful and not something that creates stress in an otherwise already busy schedule. I am flexible in working with you on what feels like the best frequency for your situation. I have clients that prefer to come in weekly and some that come every 2-3 weeks- I am open to whatever feels right for you.
Where are your office locations? I am currently only seeing clients via telehealth.
Do you accept insurance? What are your rates? I strongly believe that therapy should be affordable and accessible to all, which is why I choose to take clients with private insurance. I am in network with the following insurances:
*Cigna
*Aetna
*United Healthcare
You are responsible for paying your copay at the time of our appointment. You will be asked to provide a credit card number that will be kept in my secure, online system that can be used for copays with your permission. If you prefer to pay out of pocket, my session rate is $130.
Good Faith Estimate
Under the Federal No Surprises Act (H.R. 133 – effective January 1, 2022), you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.
Note: A Good Faith Estimate is for your awareness only. It does NOT involve you needing to make any type of commitment to the length or frequency of therapy sessions.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.
The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call the Colorado Division of Insurance at 303-894-7490 or 1-800-930-3745.
Are my sessions confidential? Yes, I take your privacy very seriously. As a mental health provider, I am bound by HIPPA laws (The Healh Information Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the Colorado Revised Statutes 12-43-218. There are a few exceptions to this:
*If I suspect child abuse or dependant adult or elder abuse or if a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person, I am required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately (as well as inform the intended victim).
*If a client intends to harm him/herself: I will make every effort to enlist their cooperation to ensure their safety, but if they do not cooperate further measures may be taken without their permission in order to ensure their safety.
*If a court of law issues a subpoena: I am required to provide the information required by the subpoena.
*If a court of law has ordered you to participate in therapy then the results of the treatment must be revealed to the court.
*If a client is being evaluated for disability compensation by the Bureau of Workers Compensation, an attorney, insurance agency, Social Security or an employer I must comply with the disclosure.
If you choose to use your insurance to pay for our sessions, your insurance will receive information about a diagnosis as they use this information for billing purposes. If you choose to pay out of pocket, your insurance will not receive any information from me.