Frequently Asked Questions

If you feel like I am a good fit and have decided to take the next step in your mental health journey, please get in touch with me via the contact us page to schedule a free phone consultation.

Yes, we follow HIPAA guidelines to ensure the privacy of our client's personal information and the content of our sessions. There are some legal and ethical limitations to confidentiality that are listed in our Informed Consent and HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices forms. These forms will be completed prior to our first session and will be briefly gone over when we meet. If you have any questions related to confidentiality or HIPAA feel free to let us know.

To participate in Telehealth appointments from your home, you will need one of the following devices: Desktop computer with a webcam, speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM Laptop computer with built-in webcam and speakers, a 2.5 GHz processor, and 4 GB of RAM Tablet device with built-in webcam and speakers iPad with built-in webcam and speakers Smartphone with at least iOS 13 or Android 10 (Note: To use a smartphone, you must first download Telehealth by SimplePractice, available for iOS or Android in the app store.) You will also need an internet connection that is at least 0.35 mbps. For optimal results, a reliable, high-speed internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 10-15 mbps will minimize connection issues and provide the best quality.

All of our sessions typically last between 50 and 55 minutes. Shorter and extended session times may also be available if necessary for treatment compliance or financial need.

Using a desktop or laptop computer: If you plan to use a desktop or laptop, there’s nothing to download prior to your appointment. Here are the steps to join: About 10 minutes before your appointment, you'll receive an email or text appointment reminder with the link to join your call. If you're set up to receive text reminders, the exact time you receive your text reminder may vary based on your cell phone carrier. Note: If you have already consented to receiving text and/or email reminders, you’ll continue to receive them for Telehealth appointments as well. If you're a new client, make sure that you've provided your email and or mobile phone number so that I can enable email or text appointment reminders for you. Click the unique link embedded in the email or text reminder. You may have to copy and paste the link into your web browser if clicking the link doesn’t work. Your video call screen will now open in a new tab. If I've already joined the call, you‘ll see my face on the screen. If I haven’t, you’ll see yourself. You’ll also see the Welcome prompt. When you’re ready, type your name where it says Enter your name to join, and click Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call. If you plan to use a mobile device, here are the steps to join: Download Telehealth by SimplePractice (for iOS or Android) in the app store. About 15 minutes before your appointment, you’ll receive an email or text appointment reminder. Open the reminder email on your device and click the unique link. This will open the Telehealth by SimplePractice app. If you don't have the app downloaded, you’ll be prompted to download it on your tablet or mobile device. If I‘ve already joined the call, you’ll see my face on the screen. If I haven’t, you’ll see yourself. When you are ready, click Join Video Call. This will take you straight into the video call.

I'm glad that we seemed to be a good fit for therapy and we were able to get you booked for your initial intake. You should have received an email from our electronic health record asking you to create a client portal login. If you did not, please let us know so we can verify your email and resend it to you. Once you are logged into the client portal you will have to fill in any missing contact information, upload a photo of your license or ID and an insurance card, and place a payment method on file. You will also have to complete the legally required forms including a credit card authorization, HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, Telehealth Treatment Consent, Insurance Release of Information, Informed Consent, and Individual Therapy Intake forms. If you have any questions about any of the material presented in these forms feel free to reach out and we can go over them together. Once the forms are complete and you've uploaded the required documentation (ID, insurance card, and form of payment) you are all set for our first appointment. *Note: The system will not let you into our first session if you do not have these steps completed and it is our policy to reschedule our initial session if the forms are not completed prior to the start of the session.

No, I specialize in adult psychotherapy, and only work with clients 21 years and older. If you are looking for a therapist for your child or adolescent, I am happy to provide a referral for a local therapist who specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents.

I am currently only offering therapy online via a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform.

It depends. Our licenses only allow us to work with people who are physically within the state that we are licensed in (for me, that would Illinois and Indiana). However, I am also a member of Psypact which allows me to see patients virtually in the majority of the country. The Psypact map has the most up-to-date information as to which states you physically need to be in for us to work together. The map can be found here (https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap).

If you cancel your appointment less than 24 hours before your session, the cancellation fee is $50. Insurance companies do not reimburse for missed appointments so you will be personally responsible for this fee. Frequent cancelations in a short time frame may also lead to discontinuing therapy so that other patients will have access to our services. Prior to discontinuing your services, the provider will reach out and discuss how to resume therapy when life is less busy and will give referrals if requested.

We are in network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, United Healthcare PPO, and Aetna PPO insurance plans. Note, that I am not in network with any HMO plans, Medicaid or Medicare.

Your health insurance plan may cover all, or a portion of the services that you received. I encourage all of my clients to have a good understanding of their mental health benefits, deductibles, and co-payments. It is helpful to call your insurance company prior to our first session and ask some of the following questions... ​ Do I have a deductible? if so, how much is it and how much have I spent towards it? Do I have a co-payment or co-insurance? If so, how much is it? Do I need to meet my deductible before my co-insurance or copayment kicks in? Is there an authorization or pre-authorization that needs to be completed prior to utilizing my mental health benefits? ​ Is there a cap to the number of sessions my insurance will pay for before I am required to pay out of pocket? Is the coverage the same or different for telehealth? Do you require a specific platform for telehealth visits?

If out-of-network insurance is used, full payment is due at time of service. We can provide you with a monthly Superbill which you can submit to your insurance company for partial reimbursement based on your out-of-network coverage and benefits. Please call your insurance provider to inquire about your out-of-network benefits and reimbursement process. Below are our full session fees: Initial Intake Session: $200 Individual Session: 30 minute session: $150.00 60 minute session: $180.00 Couples Sessions: $180 Group Sessions: $40 Payments accepted via Square include credit card, HSA card or debit card.

Ultimately, the cost of your services is determined by the insurance company and plan you are using to pay for therapy. It is always recommended that you reach out to your insurance company and see what they will pay for prior to starting therapy to help avoid an unexpected bill. I am able to give you an estimated fee for your services at the time of our consultation if you have access to your insurance information. Please note, that insurance companies dictates what they pay and if they are going to pay. Therefore, the information I am able to give you is only an estimate and may change depending on how your insurance company responds to the claims that we submit for your services.

If you would like to work with us but do not have an insurance plan that we are in network with, please ask your insurance company the following questions: Do I have out of network benefits that I can use for mental health services? If so, is there a deductible that needs to be met before I can start obtaining reimbursement? If you have a deductible it is helpful to know how much your deductible is as insurance will typically not pay for services until a deductible is met. What is the rate of reimbursement for the following CPT codes: 90791, 90837, and 90834

A superbill is similar to a receipt for services. It is an itemized record of the services that we provided and typically includes the practice information, dates of service, service codes (called CPT codes), diagnosis codes, and cost of the services provided. Superbills may contain other information depending on the software used to create the bill and the requirements of the insurance company.