Therapy

I am a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of California under the license number: PSY 29147. I currently provide Internet-based psychotherapy for residents of California at a rate of $250 per hour. Specifically, I provide individual and couples therapy to clients 16 and older. I specialize in treatment of a variety of psychological issues including anxiety and depression. My approach is integrative, meaning I borrow the most useful pieces from a variety of modalities such as cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, and psychodynamic therapy.

INSURANCE

I accept medicare insurance for both therapy and assessment, which does not require pre-certification and covers 80% of the cost of the service. The remainder may be covered by co-insurance or billed directly to the client. I am not on any panels other insurance providers, but PPO insurance can be used in some circumstances. Many PPO insurances will reimburse the client directly for psychotherapy services. In this case, the client is required to pay in full for sessions and then I am happy to submit the relevant paperwork to their insurance company for reimbursement. If you are interested in utilizing your insurance plan, it is recommended that you contact them to determine whether they reimburse for psychotherapy and what rate they provide for the service. In circumstances in which PPO insurance is used, the client is reimbursed directly after submitting paperwork. I am more than happy to sign off and mail/fax insurance paperwork as necessary, but I am not responsible for determining your particular coverage.

Ask you insurance about the following CPT codes if you are checking coverage:

• 90791 Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation
• 90837 Psychotherapy, 60 minutes with patient and/or family

WHAT IS INTERNET THERAPY?

Internet therapy is essentially the same thing that you would experience in typical face-to-face therapy, except it is conducted over a different medium. Research has demonstrated that online therapy through video, audio, or even text is efficacious and seems to be just as effective as traditional therapy for a wide variety of issues. The biggest advantage over traditional therapy is that you can attend Internet therapy sessions from the comfort of your home or even while traveling. My doctoral dissertation was about Internet therapy, which you can learn more about here.

I am skilled in providing therapy over video or audio chat, as well as text (instant messaging) for a variety of issues. When undergoing internet-based therapy, you are always welcome to schedule an in-person appointment at the office. You are also allowed to vary the particular medium that we use week to week. For instance, I have had a client that normally meets with me over video chat occasionally conduct sessions via instant message (text) when they were travelling for business and did not have a fast internet connection.

The cost for internet therapy is the same as for face-to-face sessions and many insurance companies have begun to cover this form of treatment, so be sure to check with your PPO about reimbursement for online therapy if that is relevant to you.

Important note: For the most part, I am only able to see residents of California for online therapy. There are exceptions to this for residents of certain states that do not have their own regulations regarding internet therapy. If you live outside of California and are interested in pursuing internet-based therapy with me, please contact me, so I can look into the particular regulations for your state.