FAQ
Q: What is Individual Therapy?
A: Individual therapy is a joint process between you and me. The common goal of therapy is to inspire change and improve the quality of your life. Each person may seek therapy for help with issues that are hard to face alone. If you are feeling stuck and alone we want to help you get unstuck and moving forward towards your goals. Therapy may be short-term or long-term depending on your goals and reasons for seeking counseling. Once we discuss your needs in the first few sessions, we can recommend an individualized plan for our work together.
Through therapy you will overcome obstacles to your well-being. It is our goal to help you increase positive feelings, such as compassion, connectedness and self-esteem. We will give you opportunities to learn skills for handling difficult situations, making healthy decisions, and reaching goals.
Q: Are therapy sessions confidential?
A: Absolutely! Your right to privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us, and is also protected by federal law, state law, and our professional ethics code. With certain exceptions, nothing we talk about is shared with anyone without your written consent.
Q: What are the exceptions to confidentiality?
A: As mental health professionals, we are legally required to report suspicion of child abuse, elder and dependent adult abuse, intentions to commit suicide, or threats to do physical harm to yourself or another person. We also may be required to share information during certain legal proceedings.
Q: What can I expect in the first few sessions?
A: We will talk about your reasons for seeking therapy and what you hope to get out of our work together. We’ll ask you questions about your history that are relevant to understanding your current situation. At that time, we will be able to offer initial impressions and recommend a plan for therapy.
From there, we will usually schedule one 50-minute session per week. We can also decide whether we will meet in-person or if you'd prefer to meet for teletherapy via secure videochat. If we determine that we are not the best person to help you, we can help you find another provider who can meet your needs.
Q: Why do some people prefer to pay "out-of- pocket" rather than using insurance?
A: Many clients choose not to involve insurance companies in their mental health care because paying privately provides the highest degree of privacy, flexibility and control.
- Insurance companies require the therapist to identify a diagnosis and there are some diagnoses they won’t reimburse if not considered "medically necessary" - Many of my clients don't have a mental health diagnosis - they are just dealing with adjusting to everyday life challenges.
- If you do have a mental health diagnosis, this becomes a part of your permanent health record and can affect future eligibility to obtain quality health or life insurance.
- The insurance company can request to review all of your records at their discretion, which contains certain risks to your privacy and confidentiality.
Q: What if I can't make it to your Orange County based office?
A: For your convenience, we offer online therapy. We can connect for a session while you're in the comfort of your own home or office. All you need is an internet connection, a webcam, and a private space to chat.