Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the questions that I am frequently asked during consultation calls or during initial sessions. I hope this additional information feels helpful for you to consider.
Session Information
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How do I get started? There's a message box available on the home page so that you can easily reach out to me. You can also directly email me at sulacounseling@gmail.com.
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Do you offer free consultations? What do I share during the consultation call? I do offer courtesy consultation calls and are about 10-15 mins long.
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How long is a typical session? Sessions are 50 mins long. Longer sessions can be scheduled (75-90 mins) for an additional fee and will have to be scheduled in advance.
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How often do we meet? Most people choose to meet with me every other week. Longer term clients, after meeting their therapeutic goals, will often have monthly check-in sessions as a form of mental health maintenance. I do not meet with new clients monthly as this is not consistent enough to establish a meaningful therapeutic relationship.
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What can I expect in my initial session? I will begin the session with a brief check in about the formal aspects of your intake paperwork (primarily limitations to client confidentiality and the cancellation policy). This will help to ensure you don't have any questions or concerns, prior to us getting started. After briefly going through a few primary parts of the intake paperwork, we will spend the majority of the session going over foundational information, like your therapeutic goals, family history, and social support system (including current or historical romantic relationships).
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Will therapy work? I believe that the majority of therapeutic progress occurs outside of the therapy space and is based on your commitment and willingness to apply insights gained in therapy to your every day life. Your motivation to change makes all of the difference. Largely, therapy is a useful option for most people. I also recognize that not every therapist is a good fit for every client and therapy (on it's own) is not often enough to cope with emotional suffering/emotional discomfort. Therapy is one tool in a box of tools needed to emotionally care for oneself.
Fees and Insurance
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How much are sessions? My current session fee range is $135-$150 for new clients. Payment is expected at the time of service. We will discuss and agree on your session fee rate during our consultation call.
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Do you offer any reduced cost or sliding scale fees? I am open to discussing a reduced cost session fee of $125.
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How do you determine the cost of therapy? Each clinicians approach to fee setting can vary; however, many of us charge within the range we do for a variety of reasons. Office rent, EHR platform fees, transaction/service fees for credit/debit card usage, health insurance, continuing education and licensure maintenance requirements, an additional federal self-employment tax, federal and state taxes, along with our everyday life needs factor into the fees set by clinicians. Our fees are set in a way that allows this work to be financially sustainable and prevents over-extension, which can lead to burnout; thus, making our therapeutic capacity less expansive and negatively impacting the quality of our work.
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Do you accept Loveland Foundation Vouchers? Yes, I do. Please indicate that you will be using a Loveland Foundation Voucher at the time of our consultation.
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Do you accept insurance? No, I do not accept insurance; however, I can offer a statement for insurance reimbursement if you'd like to file claims with your insurance provider for any reimbursement of your out-of-pocket expenses.
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Why don't you accept insurance? I value autonomy and client collaboration in my therapeutic work, both of which can be negatively impacted by insurance involvement. Insurance companies grossly underpay clinicians, while controlling the length of time a client should be in treatment and what therapeutic approaches are worth providing coverage for.
The Client Experience
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How should I dress or present for therapy? Just come with clothes on your body. I am a therapist that mostly wears Jeans and Vans and dresses to my particular comfort. I invite you to do the same.
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Is there a bathroom available? Yes I do have a bathroom available for clients who are meeting with me in-person. It is a single stall that is shared with a handful of other offices. These bathrooms are not gender neutral bathrooms and, unfortunately, there are no marked family bathrooms in my building available unfortunately.
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Can I log on to virtual sessions in a place that's not my home? Yes. Please ensure you are in a safe enough and private enough area.
Community Health Support
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How do you clean your office space? I use a disinfecting spray daily on the couch. I wipe down surfaces and handles daily. Also, I clean the floor weekly. Hand sanitizer is available and clients are encouraged to wash their hands upon arrival. The building is maintained by the landlord, who has a weekly cleaning service. I do have lysol wipes that you can use in the bathroom, should you desire/need it.
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Can I keep my in-person appointment while sick or ill? No. If you arrive visibly ill or indicate that you are ill, I will end our session and offer you a rescheduled session via telehealth. For the sake of my health and others, I do ask that you respect this boundary and avoid trying to hide illness.
Communication and Crisis Support
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How do I get in touch with you between sessions? Phone calls, emails, messages through the Simple Practice client portal, and business-based text messages are encouraged. Please do not send me any messages with your personal history or any private information in it. Should you choose to text me, please only send text messages that are related to scheduling requests or needs. I will not respond to messages outside of traditional business hours usually, so please practice patience if you reach out on the weekends or after traditional business hours.
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Are you available for crisis support in between sessions? No, I am not. We will discuss a potential safety and crisis plan during our initial sessions. This will help to create an idea of what might be some accessible and reasonable strategies to use in the case of a crisis between sessions.