let’s work together
How I Can Help
I offer individual tele-therapy for high-functioning women who have experienced trauma, in ANY capacity.
I specialize in working with folks impacted by sexual, relationship, family, and other types of trauma or violence, in a culturally-competent and creative way.
Therapy: Individualized to You
You are amazingly unique. I’m here to celebrate that.
I bring myriad techniques to therapy so we can work together to find what resonates, without pressure. Just a few of my approaches include:
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Internal Family Systems (IFS)
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Yoga & Somatic Experiencing
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Art & Sandtray Work
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EMDR
Before We Team Up - Here Are the Details!
Getting Started
Everyone starts with a 15-minute phone consultation, where we can chat about your goals, as well as logistics like payment and scheduling. You can schedule the phone consultation by completing the New Client Contact Form, found on the “contact” page, or by emailing me directly.
Once we have our phone consultation, and if everything aligns from there, we’ll schedule your first appointment! I will also email you a link to the client portal, where you’ll be directed to read and sign my new client paperwork, enter your credit card information, and complete the brief intake form.
During our first appointment, we’ll dive a little deeper into how you’ve been feeling, what you recognize as a disruption to your life, and how you expect your life to be different if therapy is working. I like to reflect on “how would you know when you’re done with therapy?” as a good way to explore what you hope to get out of this process.
During our first appointment, we will decide if we are a good fit for each other. It is an honor to have the chance to witness your story, but I also want to make sure you feel comfortable with the process too.
At the end of this appointment, I’ll tell you what happens next in terms of scheduling our next session and how to get the most out of therapy.
Who I Work With
I work with folks who identify as having experienced some form of violence and/or trauma. I specialize in working with survivors of sexual violence (including sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking), intimate partner/relationship violence, family violence, and gender-based violence. Specifically, I have extensive experience working with college students and recent college grads who are working through the byproducts of trauma/unwanted experiences.
I provide individual, online therapy to folks who reside in Maryland, Alabama, or Washington, DC during our sessions.
How Do I Know If I’ve Been Through “Trauma?”
This is a common question! The word “trauma” can be daunting and intimidating, and our society typically views trauma as an objectively “wrong” or “bad” event. But what about unwanted events that fall into the “gray area,” where there were confusing boundaries and blurred lines? My philosophy places the importance on your view of what you’ve experienced, and perhaps more importantly, how it has affected your current life. I focus on helping you identify the “byproducts” of your experience, no matter how you label it, and we’ll work together to liberate you from the ripple effects of the past.
Trauma is a subjective term, and all experiences are valid. There is absolutely no threshold of intensity one must have experienced in order to seek therapy with me. This is a common fear and is therefore worth mentioning, and disproving. You are welcome here!
Investment
The benefits and value you gain from therapy will not end at our last session – you can carry them with you for the rest of your life. When you book your appointment, I know you are dedicated to transforming your life because you’re willing to invest in yourself. I offer two session options:
Standard Session (50-55 minutes): $200/session
Extended Session (90 minutes): $235/session
Non-Session Phone Call (with client, family, supports, etc): $30/15 minutes, +$20 per additional 15 minutes
Payment
While payment is due at the time of session, I always offer superbills to help with out-of-network reimbursement. Please note I cannot guarantee insurance reimbursement.
Health Insurance
As a strengths-based therapist, I offer a diverse array of creative techniques that you can choose from, so our work is always individualized to you and your own goals. This type of individualized approach can clash with insurance clearance, and because of this, I do not accept insurance at this time (yet I do offer “out-of-network” benefits via superbill - see more in “Payment” section). Here are some of the advantages this provides:
Opportunity for YOU to reclaim control: I believe you should have the opportunity to define your own goals and overall course of therapy, and not your standardized insurance company, who does not know you - reinforcing the theme that you are the expert on your own life.
Flexibility of Goals and “Symptom” Expression: The byproducts of trauma can be unpredictable, and may manifest at different times and severities. Insurance requires that I give you a mental health diagnosis, set arbitrary limits on session time and frequency, and require that you meet the criteria for being “symptomatic” for coverage. By not being bound by insurance limitations, we can work at your own pace, while liberating you from the expectation that healing is “linear” and standardized, which takes the shame out of you feeling your feelings.
Stigmatization: Insurance companies require clinicians to give a mental health diagnosis in order to approve treatment. First of all, I am a very de-pathologized clinician, meaning I rarely discuss diagnoses – I care far more about the labels you use to define yourself. By not working with insurance companies, I can not only empower you to see yourself beyond the limits of a diagnosis, but we can also avoid a potentially stigmatizing diagnosis being permanently attached to your health record.
Cancellations
As someone who is all too familiar with life after trauma, I understand the need for flexibility with minimal opportunity for a self-inflicted guilt-trip. For that reason, I created a cancellation policy that respects our time while also allowing for life to happen.
If you must cancel or reschedule, a minimum notice of 48 hours is kindly required. If you want/need to cancel less than 48 hours before our planned session, that is fine, but know that I do charge the full session fee for late cancelled sessions, for the reservation of the session time.
Scheduling
Therapy sessions are typically scheduled on a weekly or biweekly (every other week) basis at a standing appointment day and time. In some cases, we can work together to schedule at a different time and date each week, as availability permits. As we conclude each session, we will confirm the date and time of our next appointment. I do not offer weekend appointments.
I currently offer online therapy for Maryland and DC clients, as either video or phone sessions. You can choose which option works best!
No Surprises Act/Good Faith Estimate
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) explaining how much your mental health care is estimated to cost. Under this law, providers need to give clients who are not using insurance (in my case, clients not utilizing potential out-of-network benefits by way of submitting a superbill) an estimate of the expected charges for therapy services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) for the total expected cost of any non-emergency services offered by your therapist, over a 12 month period. As always, each client may decide how long they would like to participate in mental health care, and we will work together on a regular basis to determine how many sessions you may need. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your most recent Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.
Online Therapy:
Transformation that’s convenient.
Starting therapy can be stressful and challenging to fit into your already busy schedule. Online therapy makes mental health care more accessible. My practice is currently 100% online, so we can securely meet via phone or video, without the need to commute and pay for parking! The only requirement is that you have to be physically located in Maryland or DC at the time of our session. Who doesn’t love the idea of lighting a candle and cozying up with your favorite blanket while we work together?!
Ready when you are.
Participating in your own life is what’s most empowering. Let’s connect! You’re welcome any time.
“After much healing through self-observation she now had strength, courage, and wisdom to wield her new magic with virtue. No longer did she run from her pain or her troubles, no longer did she allow delusions to capture her mind, no longer did she doubt that the greatest healer she has ever met is her own unconditional love.”
(you are a healer)
-yung pueblo, inward