What You Can Expect in Therapy

If you’re thinking about starting therapy, you probably want a sense of what it’s actually like. This page shares more about my approach, what you can expect from our work together, and how we’ll track progress over time.

Getting started with therapy

  • My fee is $250 per 50-minute session. I know therapy is a significant investment and I want to make it as accessible as I can, so I offer a handful of reduced-rate appointments. If cost is a concern, feel free to bring it up during the consultation and we can talk through your options together.

    I'm an out-of-network provider, which means I don’t take insurance directly. However, I can provide a monthly superbill—a receipt that includes the information your insurance company needs if you want to seek reimbursement through your out-of-network benefits. Be sure to check with your insurance provider to see if your plan offers out-of-network coverage for mental health services if that’s something you’re considering.

    If you're paying out of pocket, you're entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of the cost of therapy under the No Surprises Act. Learn more.

  • I currently offer teletherapy only. All sessions take place over Zoom, a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform, and I work with clients located anywhere in California.

    One of the benefits of teletherapy is flexibility. You can attend from home, your office, or anywhere you feel comfortable, although you do need to be in a quiet, private space where you can speak freely without being overheard. That privacy helps create the kind of focus and safety you’d expect from a traditional therapy office.

    If that kind of space feels hard to find, let’s talk through your options together.

  • I offer teletherapy appointments on weekdays. Currently, I can see clients during both daytime and early evening hours. While I don’t offer weekend sessions, I’m happy to work together to find a weekday time that works for you.

    Between sessions, I typically respond to messages within one business day. I’m available for brief check-ins or scheduling questions, but anything that needs more time or care is best saved for our regular sessions.

  • If you need to cancel or reschedule, please do so at least 24 hours in advance. Late cancellations are subject to the full session fee. I understand that unexpected things can come up—like illness or emergencies—and I try to approach those situations with understanding.

  • It’s a common question, but hard to answer with a simple number. When you’re starting therapy, it’s natural to want a clear timeline. The truth is, it depends on what you’re working through and the changes you want to make.

    If you're facing something recent or specific—like a life transition or a challenge in one area of your life—therapy might be short-term, sometimes just a few weeks or months.

    If your struggles are long-standing, more intense, or showing up in many areas of life, therapy may be a longer process. That gives us time to not just reduce distress, but build lasting change.

    Either way, my goal is to help you make progress, not keep you in therapy. We’ll check in often to make sure the work feels useful and aligned with your goals. And when the time is right, we’ll plan a thoughtful ending that reflects your growth and supports your next steps.

  • That’s completely okay. You don’t need to have a specific goal or a detailed plan to benefit from therapy. Many people start simply knowing that something feels off, whether that’s stress, disconnection, or a sense they’re not living the life they want. That’s a perfectly good place to start.

    Part of our work together can be figuring out what’s actually going on and what kind of change might feel meaningful to you. We can take our time getting clear on what matters and how therapy can support you, without needing to have it all figured out upfront.

What therapy looks like

  • It can. Anxiety is incredibly common, and while it might feel overwhelming — or like change isn’t possible — I assure you, it is.

    Therapy will help you understand what’s driving your anxiety, teach you practical tools to respond differently, and help you start building a life that isn’t controlled by fear or avoidance.

    For example, many people come to therapy feeling stuck in a cycle of overthinking, avoiding things they care about, or struggling to make decisions. Over time, they learn how to step back from anxious thoughts, face the things they’ve been avoiding, and move forward even when anxiety shows up. That might look like setting boundaries, having hard conversations, or simply enjoying parts of life that used to feel out of reach.

    The goal isn’t to get rid of anxiety completely. That’s not always realistic. But therapy can help you change your relationship with it so it doesn’t get to call the shots. Many people find themselves feeling more steady, less overwhelmed, and more connected to what matters.

  • I specialize in anxiety and anxiety-adjacent issues, like overthinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, chronic self-doubt, or difficulty relaxing. You don’t need a formal diagnosis of an anxiety disorder to benefit from this work. Many people I work with wouldn’t necessarily say they “have anxiety,” but they’re tired of feeling tense, stuck, or not fully present in their lives.

    If you’re navigating internal pressure, overwhelm, or patterns that keep you from feeling like yourself, we can talk about whether therapy with me is a good fit.

  • Like many therapists, I’ve been trained in a variety of approaches, but I primarily practice Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a flexible, evidence-based model that works especially well for anxiety and anxiety-adjacent struggles like perfectionism, overthinking, and avoidance. I’m also familiar with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and often incorporate those tools when it seems like a good fit.

    ACT isn’t about trying to get rid of difficult thoughts or feelings. Instead, it helps you relate to them in a new way so you can respond more effectively, moving in the direction of the life you want to build, even when anxiety is present.

    Therapy becomes less about fixing yourself and more about learning how to live with intention, even when things feel hard.

  • Sessions are conversational, but they’re not just about talking things through. I regularly incorporate experiential exercises and skill-building to help you learn and develop psychological flexibility, which is the core skill set behind Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

    Initially, we’ll talk about what’s bringing you in, explore what’s getting in the way, and begin to clarify what you want from therapy. Together, we’ll identify goals to work toward so the process feels focused and grounded in what matters to you.

    After that, sessions will be focused on the goals we’ve identified. We’ll work with challenges as they come up, but always in the service of helping you move toward the kind of life you want to live. That might include building awareness of your internal experience, practicing skills for responding differently to anxious thoughts, or exploring a values-based exercise.

    Toward the end of each session, we’ll often choose something small for you to try between sessions that connects our work to your everyday life. We’ll check in at the next session to see how it went and what we might take from it.

  • Progress in therapy can look different for everyone, but we’ll work together to keep an eye on how things are going. Early on, we’ll define what meaningful change would actually look like for you—whether that’s feeling less overwhelmed, taking action on things you’ve been avoiding, or showing up more fully in your life.

    We’ll check in regularly about how you’re feeling, what’s shifting, and what still feels stuck. We’ll also look for more objective signs of progress, like changes in how you respond to challenges, how often anxiety gets in the way, or how you’re moving toward your goals. We’ll make sure therapy continues to feel meaningful—not like just another thing on your to-do list.”

Making sure we’re a good fit

  • I hope so! I know comfort and trust have to be earned. If you’ve had experiences where you weren’t seen, understood, or respected, it makes sense to be cautious.

    I work to create a space where you don’t have to explain or defend your identity. A space where your full experience is welcome. I’m mindful of the harm and exclusion that people from marginalized backgrounds often face, including folks in the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and women. I also hold space for men and others navigating questions of identity, vulnerability, and belonging in their own way.

    You won’t be asked to filter or hide any part of who you are.

  • That’s something we can talk about. Therapy can be challenging at times. It’s not always a smooth or linear process, and sometimes it brings up uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. You might even feel worse before you feel better. That doesn’t always mean something is wrong, but it’s worth noticing and exploring.

    If you’re feeling stuck, confused, or unsure about how things are going, I genuinely encourage you to bring it up. I know that can be hard, especially if you tend to worry about disappointing people, being seen as difficult, or saying the “wrong” thing. That kind of fear is incredibly common, and it makes sense if it shows up in therapy too. To help with that, we’ll regularly check in and talk about how things are going. You won’t have to figure out how to start that conversation on your own.

    We’ll work together to make sure therapy is working for you. That might mean adjusting our approach, getting clearer on your goals, or—if it feels right—exploring whether a different kind of support might be a better fit. What matters most is that you get the help you need, even if that ends up being with someone else.

Ready to get started?

I offer a free consultation so you can see if this feels like the right fit.