About My Practice
If you've never been to counseling before, there are usually questions about what's involved.
How do I know if I need therapy?
Some of the indicators that you might need therapy include:
· Major life crisis: death in the family, job loss or job stress, divorce, illness, and so on
· Life Transitions: Marriage, birth, raising children, empty nest, caring for aging parents
· Marriage/Couple issues and other relationship issues
· Unresolved problems
· Poor communication in important relationships
· Depression/anxiety, suicidal thoughts
· Changes in normal behavior, mood or attitude, anger issues, withdrawal
What kinds of issues do you treat?
Marriage and couple issues
Pre-marital counseling
Relationship issues
Grief and loss/suicide loss
Depression/anxiety/stress
Addictions
What happens during therapy?
In our first session together, I will ask how I can help you and why you chose to seek help at this time. During this session, I will take a brief history, ask questions about the problems you are experiencing, talk about your relationships, what is working for you and what isn't, what you have done in the past to resolve the issues, and talk about what you hope to accomplish during therapy. It's important to have a good working assessment to help both of us understand what it is you are dealing with and how we can work together to bring resolution to the problems you are facing.
Once we have an accurate assessment , we can establish a plan for therapy, set up goals and what you want to accomplish, and establish a possible time frame for treatment. Some issues can be resolved in a few sessions, while other, deeper, issues take longer and may require several months of therapy. I believe that for therapy to be beneficial to you, you will need to actively participate. Therefore, I may ask you to do some extra reading or other work outside of our sessions.
What approach do you use in therapy?
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I counsel from a family systems perspective. We exist in relationships, whether that’s the family, couples, friends, work, church, or others, and because we exist in relationships, the well being of the each individual affects the health and balance of the whole. Also important, by understanding how we are impacted by our past and influenced by our thoughts, we can then make healthy changes individually and relationally.
I also use additional counseling theories and practices, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, when treatment planning for my clients.
What do you charge?
My fee is $80.00 per session for the 50 minute clinical hour. I also offer a sliding scale for those who need a reduced rate. Fees will be discussed during the initial telephone interview and they will be set prior to your first appointment. Fees are payable each session by cash, check or credit card.
I have an informed consent form that I will go over with you at our first session that explains my office policies regarding fees and appointments, your rights as a client, confidentiality, and what you can expect from the therapeutic process.
Do you take insurance?
I currently take:
Blue Shield of California
Magellan Healthcare
HMC Healthcare - Unions
Value Options
Out of Network
MHN
IEHP
I can also be approved as an out of network provider for many insurance plans. I will post additional insurance companies as I am added to their provider lists.
If you want to file with your insurance company, I can give you a "Super Bill" so that they can reimburse you for each appointment. Be sure to check with your insurance provider to see what benefits they allow for mental health counseling with an out of network provider.
Do you use Skype?
Yes, I can schedule Skype sessions. Please contact me by phone (951-389-7597) or by e-mail (nm1suef@aol.com) to schedule a session.
I supervise MFT interns. Please contact me if you need supervision.
How do I know if I need therapy?
Some of the indicators that you might need therapy include:
· Major life crisis: death in the family, job loss or job stress, divorce, illness, and so on
· Life Transitions: Marriage, birth, raising children, empty nest, caring for aging parents
· Marriage/Couple issues and other relationship issues
· Unresolved problems
· Poor communication in important relationships
· Depression/anxiety, suicidal thoughts
· Changes in normal behavior, mood or attitude, anger issues, withdrawal
What kinds of issues do you treat?
Marriage and couple issues
Pre-marital counseling
Relationship issues
Grief and loss/suicide loss
Depression/anxiety/stress
Addictions
What happens during therapy?
In our first session together, I will ask how I can help you and why you chose to seek help at this time. During this session, I will take a brief history, ask questions about the problems you are experiencing, talk about your relationships, what is working for you and what isn't, what you have done in the past to resolve the issues, and talk about what you hope to accomplish during therapy. It's important to have a good working assessment to help both of us understand what it is you are dealing with and how we can work together to bring resolution to the problems you are facing.
Once we have an accurate assessment , we can establish a plan for therapy, set up goals and what you want to accomplish, and establish a possible time frame for treatment. Some issues can be resolved in a few sessions, while other, deeper, issues take longer and may require several months of therapy. I believe that for therapy to be beneficial to you, you will need to actively participate. Therefore, I may ask you to do some extra reading or other work outside of our sessions.
What approach do you use in therapy?
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I counsel from a family systems perspective. We exist in relationships, whether that’s the family, couples, friends, work, church, or others, and because we exist in relationships, the well being of the each individual affects the health and balance of the whole. Also important, by understanding how we are impacted by our past and influenced by our thoughts, we can then make healthy changes individually and relationally.
I also use additional counseling theories and practices, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, when treatment planning for my clients.
What do you charge?
My fee is $80.00 per session for the 50 minute clinical hour. I also offer a sliding scale for those who need a reduced rate. Fees will be discussed during the initial telephone interview and they will be set prior to your first appointment. Fees are payable each session by cash, check or credit card.
I have an informed consent form that I will go over with you at our first session that explains my office policies regarding fees and appointments, your rights as a client, confidentiality, and what you can expect from the therapeutic process.
Do you take insurance?
I currently take:
Blue Shield of California
Magellan Healthcare
HMC Healthcare - Unions
Value Options
Out of Network
MHN
IEHP
I can also be approved as an out of network provider for many insurance plans. I will post additional insurance companies as I am added to their provider lists.
If you want to file with your insurance company, I can give you a "Super Bill" so that they can reimburse you for each appointment. Be sure to check with your insurance provider to see what benefits they allow for mental health counseling with an out of network provider.
Do you use Skype?
Yes, I can schedule Skype sessions. Please contact me by phone (951-389-7597) or by e-mail (nm1suef@aol.com) to schedule a session.
I supervise MFT interns. Please contact me if you need supervision.