Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do you take insurance?
A.Yes. I work with a number of insurance plans including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, Cigna, Kaiser, Medicaid, Medicare, and several Hawaii-based plans. You can see the full list on the Work With Me page.
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Q: Do you work with adolescents?
A: Yes, I work with teens as well as adults. I spent many years in school-based mental health and have a lot of experience with adolescents navigating identity, anxiety, family conflict, and other concerns.
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​​​Q. How do I get started?
A. The easiest first step is a free 15-minute consultation. It's just a conversation — no paperwork, no commitment. We figure out together whether it's a good fit.
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​Q. How do I know if harm reduction is right for me?
A: If the all-or-nothing approach hasn't worked — or doesn't feel realistic — harm reduction might be a better fit. It focuses on what's actually manageable for you, not on meeting an external standard.
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Q. What if I can't afford your private pay rate?
A. I reserve a portion of my caseload for reduced-fee sessions. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to discuss options.
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Q: What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't help?
A: That's worth talking about. A lot of people come to me after therapy experiences that felt too surface-level, too structured, or like they couldn't say the thing they actually needed to say. That's exactly what this work is designed for.
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Q: Do I have to want to quit to start therapy?
A: No. A harm reduction approach means we start from where you actually are — not where you think you should be. If quitting completely is the goal, we can work toward that. If it's not, that's worth understanding too.​
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Q: Do you offer supervision for other clinicians?
A: Yes. I provide clinical supervision for counselors working toward licensure and consultation for licensed clinicians. I'm a registered supervisor in Virginia. More information is on the Services page.
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Q: Is what I share confidential?
A: Yes. What you share in session stays private with very limited legal exceptions — imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, and a few mandated reporting situations. I'm happy to walk you through this in a consultation.
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