These are the ones people actually ask before they get in touch. If yours is not here, write to me and ask it. There are questions specific to addiction and anger on those pages too.
The first session is mostly me listening. You tell me what has been going on in whatever order it comes out, and I ask questions as we go. You will not be handed a diagnosis at the end of it, and you will not be asked to relive anything you are not ready to talk about. By the end we will have a rough sense of what we are working on and whether I am the right person for it.
No, and most people do not. Plenty of people arrive knowing only that they have not felt like themselves for a long time. That is a real reason and it is enough to start with. Working out what is actually going on is part of the job, not something you have to finish before you are allowed to ask for help.
Honestly, by talking to me. Fit matters more than credentials do, and it is not something either of us can tell from a website. If after a session or two I do not think I am the right person, I will say so and help you find who is. That happens sometimes and it is not a failure or a wasted conversation.
I am accepting new clients at the moment, so usually fairly quickly. Send me a message and we will sort out the practical part between us.
Your first appointment is an assessment and intake, which is $200. After that, sessions are $125 for 45 minutes or $150 for 60. A limited number of reduced-fee appointments are available at $70 for those who are uninsured or going through financial hardship. The free 15-minute consult costs nothing. Full detail is on the pricing page.
Not yet. I am working through credentialing, and until that is done this is a self-pay practice. If your plan has out-of-network benefits, I can give you a superbill to submit for reimbursement. It is worth asking your insurer what they pay for an out-of-network outpatient therapy session.
45 or 60 minutes, whichever suits you. Weekly at the start, because momentum matters early on, then we ease off as things steady. That is a decision we make together rather than one I impose, and there is no minimum number of sessions.
You need to be physically in Minnesota during our sessions. That is a licensing rule rather than a preference of mine, and it is where the state licence lets me practise. If you travel occasionally we can work around it, so tell me and we will plan for it.
A phone, tablet or computer, a decent connection, and somewhere you will not be overheard. That last one is the part people underestimate. A parked car is a perfectly good therapy room and a fair few of my sessions happen in one.
Please let me know at least 6 hours ahead. A late cancellation or a missed appointment is charged $50.
Mostly CBT, ACT, solution-focused work, motivational interviewing and mindfulness, used according to what is in front of me rather than to a script. Underneath all of it I am person-centred, which in plain terms means I am working with you on what you want rather than delivering a curriculum at you.
Sometimes, and only things worth doing. Tracking a pattern, trying a conversation differently, noticing something during the week. The magic you are looking for is usually in the work you are avoiding, so I will ask. I am not going to grade you on it.
Not at the moment. I work with adults, 18 and over, individually. I would like to offer couples work in future and I want to do the training properly before I advertise it, which is not the same as doing a few and calling myself qualified. If you need couples or family therapy now, ask me and I will point you somewhere.
Eating disorders, which need a specialist team rather than one therapist. I also do not do EMDR, ART or hypnosis, so if you are specifically looking for one of those you want someone else. If you are not sure whether what you are dealing with fits, ask me. I would rather tell you honestly up front.
I will motivate rather than push, at least to begin with. Later on, if I think you are stuck, I will get more challenging, and I will tell you that is what I am doing. I do not dance around problems. Clear is kind, and being vague with you to keep things comfortable would not be doing you a favour.
Yes, with the limits every therapist in Minnesota works under: if someone is at serious risk of harm, or where the law requires a report, I have to act on it. I will go through exactly what those limits are at the start, so you are not guessing. The website contact form is a different matter and is not a secure medical channel, which is why I ask people to keep that general.
Ask it. You will get a straight answer from me rather than a brochure, and asking does not commit you to anything at all.
Free and 15 minutes. Already know you want to start? You can book an intake appointment from the same page.