Fees & Pricing

As a Professional Counselor Associate (also referred to as a Registered Associate) with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT), I am registered and approved to see clients under the same standards and requirements as any Licensed Professional Counselor. You will receive the same quality of care from me regardless of license status.

The primary difference in being a “pre-licensed” professional and a licensed professional, for counselors, is that I receive monthly supervision from an experienced LPC who is a trained and registered counseling supervisor through OBLPCT. Once I am fully licensed, this regular supervision will no longer be required (though I will still seek consultation and supervision to provide the best quality of care). I will also then be able to contract with insurance companies to take client insurance.

In order to qualify for my current registered status, I have completed over 600 hours of supervised pre-degree (i.e. during graduate school) direct and non-direct counseling work, earned a Master’s Degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling, undergone background checks and fingerprinting as part of the registration process, and have also already passed the National Counselor Examination (NCE) competency exam.

You can learn even more about Professional Counselor Associates/Registered Associates in Oregon here.

A “sliding scale” fee system refers to counselors, like myself, and other professionals offer reduced prices for services based on individuals’ financial need. Many counselors who only offer “private pay” or “out-of-pocket” services (i.e. who do not/cannot take insurance), will offer “sliding scale” fees in order to make their services more accessible to individuals regardless of financial status.

I truly believe that mental health care should be available to everyone. If you’re unsure about affording my base-rates for sessions as listed above, just let me know during our initial consult call. While I cannot guarantee that I can offer a sliding scale rate that will be affordable to you, I will make every effort to find an option that works for both of us. In order to sustain my business and work, I can only offer a limited number of sliding scale rates to clients on a case-by-case basis.

Due to each client having a unique financial situation and need, the exact reduced rate that I will offer for sliding-scale will differ slightly from client to client. For example, if you are choosing to work with me out-of-pocket instead of seeing a therapist through your insurance, we might discuss what your insurance co-pay would be for therapy and try to match your sliding-scale rate as close to that as I can. I will not ask for your financial details or a verification of income in our conversation. I will simply discuss with you what options feel more accessible and sustainable for you to access consistent mental health care. There is no perfect “formula” for determining these reduced rates, and my goal is to find an equitable, affordable balance with as many clients as possible.

It’s also helpful to remember that if you can afford to pay a little more on your sliding scale rate, that may allow me to offer more sliding scale options for other clients that cannot afford as much.

It’s possible to seek reimbursement from your health insurance provider for out-of-pocket healthcare costs, including mental health counseling/therapy. Whether or not your insurance will reimburse for these costs depends on your plan details and limitations. Some insurances may not reimburse for these costs, but may potentially count the costs toward your out-of-pocket maximum or certain deductibles. I recommend reviewing your specific insurance plan and perhaps contacting a representative to find out what options you have (pro tip: see if you can find out what specific psychotherapy codes they will cover, which can increase your chances of having services reimbursed or credited).

The most honest answer I have is that most insurance providers do not make it easy to seek reimbursement or credit for out-of-pocket mental health services, and many simply will not do so. This is a deep flaw in our healthcare system and I have navigated these challenges as well, so I understand the barriers this can create.

If you are interested in requesting reimbursement or credit from your insurance provider for our sessions, I will happily provide you with a “Superbill” that includes all of the necessary information for your insurance company to validate the service and determine a reimbursement/credit rate (if offered).

At this time, I unfortunately do not have an in-person office space.

All counseling sessions will primarily be held via telehealth through the HIPAA-secure platform on SimplePractice. Telehealth sessions are generally held via video-call, though I’m happy to offer audio-only phone sessions on occasion. I do require that the majority of telehealth sessions are held via video-call where I can clearly see and hear my clients, in order to ensure client-safety, privacy, and quality care.

I plan on and look forward to expanding my practice in the future to offer in-office sessions.

The truth is – there is no “normal” amount of time to see a counselor! However, recent research suggests that most individuals find an average of 15-20 sessions to be effective in addressing their concerns.

The length of time for counseling depends on a variety of factors, including:

• Your counselor’s professional assessment and recommendation for duration of treatment
• Your individual goals and progress toward them
• Your financial situation (for affording continuing care)
• Various life circumstances that may interrupt, delay, or extend treatment
• Your own sense of whether continuing counseling is beneficial to your wellbeing – regardless of accomplishing specific goals

I generally recommend giving it about 3-4 sessions to allow us enough time to get past the initial information gathering and “getting to know you” stage of things and determine if our dynamic is a “good therapeutic fit” for you. Just like getting to know anyone new, it takes time to get comfortable, and I don’t expect anyone to be ready to share their vulnerable experiences and thoughts immediately.

If you still don’t feel that we are a good fit together, I encourage you to honestly share your experience with me so that I can either collaborate on ways to adjust our work together, or collaborate on alternate provider referrals to find a better fit. My primary goal is to ensure you find the best fit for you that will support your mental health needs – whether that is with me or not!