FAQ
I’m not sure which model, psychotherapy or Relational consultation, fits my needs…
Psychotherapy cannot be provided to folks who would not meet with me on Vermont soil. This is an arbitrary rule related to licensure. For folks in Vermont who are unsure of which model would best fit their needs, I offer complimentary 20min Meet and Greets to assess which model is a better fit based on your experiences, needs, and goals.
What insurance do you accept?
A 55min Individual Psychotherapy Session is $130 while a 55min Couple’s Session is $150.
Why the difference? Couple’s work is hard. It requires a great deal of awareness, attunement, and tracking of themes that far exceeds the work of individual therapy. The price point reflects this level of expertise.
For clients who have out of network (OON) benefits with their insurance plan, they are welcome to request an invoice documenting their payment for Psychotherapy Services to submit to their insurance company for reimbursement.
What are your Office Hours?
Mondays: 12-5pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: 9am-5pm
Do you provide telehealth appointments?
Yes, I offer both in-person appointments at my office in Burlington as well as Telehealth appointments via HIPPA compliant platforms. Each client will receive a HIPPA compliant portal through Simple Practice where they will receive appointment reminders as well as billing documents. For those in areas that do not have strong internet, I continue to offer HIPPA compliant Zoom platform.
For Couple’s Work, I offer in-person sessions. Due to the nature of this work, I find I am most effective in the role of Couple’s Therapist when meeting folks in-person.
What if I’m unsure about committing to a full appointment and want to meet you before committing?
I encourage individuals who are interested in pursuing therapy to explore their options. Finding a therapist can be daunting and anxiety producing. With that, inquiring if a therapist offers a “Meet & Greet” is a valuable opportunity to get a feeling for a therapist and determine whether a connection could be made. So yes, I do offer Meet & Greets.
What if I’m interested in the yoga thing?
If TCTSY is appealing to you, let me know. We can discuss whether it makes more sense for TCTSY to be applied within your therapy hour or if joining a series might be better for you. Embodied Yoga is a closed group that runs 4-6 classes per series. These classes are self-pay with a sliding scale fee.
No Surprise Act or Good Faith Estimate
Notice to clients and prospective clients:
Under the law, health care providers need to provide clients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.
You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service, or at any time during treatment.
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, or how to dispute a bill, see your Estimate, or visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Notice of Privacy Policies
Confidentiality
As a rule, I will disclose no information about you, or the fact that you are my client, without your written consent. My formal mental health record describes the services provided to you, contains the dates of our sessions, your diagnosis, functional status, symptoms and progress. Health care providers are legally allowed to use or disclose records or information for treatment, payment, and health care operations purposes. However, I do not routinely disclose information in such circumstances, so I will require your permission in advance, either through your consent at the onset of our relationship (by signing the attached general consent form), or through your written authorization at the time the need for disclosure arises. You may revoke your permission, in writing, at any time, by contacting me.
Limits of Confidentiality: Possible Uses and Disclosures of Mental Health Records without Consent or Authorization
There are some important exceptions to this rule of confidentiality – some exceptions created voluntarily by my own choice and some required by law. If you wish to receive mental health services from me, you must sign the attached form indicating that you understand and accept my policies about confidentiality and its limits. We will discuss these issues now, but you may reopen the conversation at any time during our work together.
I may use or disclose records or other information about you without your consent or authorization in the following circumstances, either by policy, or because legally required:
· Child Abuse Reporting: If I have reason to suspect that a child is abused or neglected, I am required by Vermont law to report the matter to the Vermont Department of Children and Families.
· Adult Abuse Reporting: If I have reason to suspect that an elderly or incapacitated adult is abused, neglected or exploited, I am required by Vermont law to immediately make a report and provide relevant information to Adult Protective Services.
· Court Proceedings: If you are involved in a court preceding and a request is made for information about your diagnosis and treatment and the records thereof, such information is privileged under state law, and I will not release information unless you provide written authorization or a judge issues a court order.
· Serious Threat to Health or Safety: Under Vermont law, if I am engaged in my professional duties and you communicate to me a specific and immediate threat to cause serious bodily injury or death, to an identified or to an identifiable person, and I believe you have the intent and ability to carry out that threat immediately or imminently, I am legally required to take steps to warn and protect third parties.
Patient’s Rights and Provider’s Duties:
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of Protected Health Information (PHI) about you. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information I disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care or the payment for your care. If you ask me to disclose information to another party, you may request that I limit the information I disclose. However, I am not required to agree to a restriction you request. To request restrictions, you must make your request in writing, and tell me: 1) what information you want to limit; 2) whether you want to limit my use, disclosure or both; and 3) to whom you want the limits to apply.
Complaints: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint. To do this, you must submit your request in writing to my office. You may also send a written complaint to the Vermont Office of Professional Regulations.