Common Questions

I am out of network, so I don't bill insurance plans directly. Many PPO plans pay back part of the fee for out-of-network visits, and I give you what you need to ask your plan. I don't bill Medicare or Medicaid.

A superbill is an itemized receipt, and I can send one each month. It lists the dates, the service and a diagnosis code, which your plan will see. You send it to your plan, which may pay you back in part. Whether it does is the plan's decision.

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of what care will cost before you start. I give you one in writing in advance. If a bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

The fee is given to you in writing before the first meeting, and it is the same for teen sessions and parent meetings. A limited number of reduced-fee sessions are held; ask when you write to me.

Usually, yes. Cards for health savings and flexible spending accounts commonly work for therapy sessions. Check your account's rules, and I can send a receipt for it.

The first meeting is just for the parents. Your teen then has a first session alone with me. I explain how I work, what stays private and what I would share with you. Nobody is asked to say more than they want to.

Sessions are 50 minutes, and most teens start weekly. I check in with parents every few weeks. I don't promise a number of sessions, and we decide on the pace together.

I am a licensed clinical social worker in California. I see teens in person in San Francisco, and by video when your teen is in California at the time of the session. I can't see clients who are in other states, and I'm glad to help you look for someone where you live.

This practice is not an emergency service, and messages are not read around the clock. If you or your teen are in crisis, call or text 988, any time. In an emergency, call 911.

What your teen tells me stays between us, and I share it only as the law allows. The limits are few: a serious risk of harm to your teen or someone else, abuse of a child, and a court order. I go through them with you and with your teen at the start, and I tell your teen before I tell you.

I see teens aged 12 to 17. A parent or legal guardian signs the consent before the first session, and I don't start without it. California has its own rules about who may consent to a minor's care, and they have exceptions. I explain how they apply to your family in plain words at the first meeting.

I ask for 24 hours' notice to cancel or move a session. Life happens, and I will always talk it over with you first. A session cancelled later than that may be charged.