YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS?

My office is located in downtown Oak Park, Illinois, in the Shaker Building on the Northwest corner of Marion and Lake Streets. I see clients from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs in person and via telehealth. I also see clients virtually throughout Illinois and Indiana.

Online therapy is flexible and convenient for those who are unable to come in person due to timing (e.g., traffic would prevent you from getting to the session on time), who live in other areas of Illinois or Indiana, or who prefer virtual. 

I use a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform called Simple Practice for my electronic record keeping and for virtual sessions. When your appointment is booked as a virtual session, you will receive a link 48-72 hours prior to your appointment. You will also receive one right before the session. 

Click on that link, and it will take you to my virtual waiting room. I will join you online at the time of your appointment, confirm where you are if you are not at home (if you are in a car, it needs to be stationary and you must be alone), and we will begin the session. 

In order for online therapy to be effective, it is best when you are in a private, quiet, and safe space with a stable Wi-Fi/internet connection. I encourage you to remove any distractions (though I love seeing the occasional dog or baby) to fully engage in our session. I will admit that my golden retriever is a great comfort when I have my own therapy sessions, so do what you need in order to feel secure for your online session.

Yes. I meet with clients in my office in Oak Park, IL. There is a waiting area within the suite that I share with other therapists. Please make yourself comfortable, have some water, coffee or tea, and a snack, if you so desire. I will come to get you at the time of your session and bring you to my office. 

Therapy is an investment of both time and money, and knowing that when transformation occurs (and it will), therapy is priceless!. 

Currently, I charge $225 for a 60-minute session. I give you the full 60 minutes as I have found that the “good stuff” often happens in the last few minutes, and when I ended sessions at 50 minutes (typical therapy session), we missed that opportunity. Increments of 30 minutes may be added if my schedule permits, at a rate of $112.50 each 30 minutes after the initial 60 minutes. 

I accept all major credit cards, including Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) cards. A credit card is required to be on file, even when using an FSA or HSA card, to ensure timely payment. Please ensure that I know which card you would like me to use as the default card. If an FSA or HSA card has insufficient funds, the credit card on file will be charged the balance/fee.

We will first review the paperwork that I ask you to complete before we meet. I want to ensure you have time to ask any questions you might have and that you understand confidentiality, privacy, and other practice policies. We will then engage in a conversation that allows me to gather information about you, such as what is bringing you to therapy (going a bit deeper than we do in the initial consult call), your history and family of origin dynamics, other pertinent relationships, and, very importantly, what you are hoping to achieve through therapy. 

This often takes more than one appointment to complete, which is why I strongly recommend new clients commit to three consecutive weekly sessions, so that we can slow down and really get to know each other. I find that weekly sessions for the first three months are extremely beneficial in building the therapeutic relationship and for learning skills, if necessary, that bring symptom relief.

That depends on multiple factors, including your reason for therapy and your goals. Sometimes, clients reach their treatment goals in a short time. Others find therapy to be useful for many years. If you are seeking EMDR with me, remember that there are 8 phases, and each phase takes time. Therapy is voluntary, and if at any time you want to end therapy or even take a break, let’s have a conversation. There is nothing worse than being “ghosted,” and if referrals are needed or desired, I want to be able to find them and offer them to you. 

You may schedule an appointment, including the free 15-minute consultation, here. If you do not see a time that works for you, please email me or call me, and we can schedule a time and date that aligns with both of our schedules. 

After our initial consultation, if we agree that we would like to work with each other, we will book your first session immediately.

Therapy requires a commitment on both our parts to be present at a consistent weekly time in order for growth and transformation to occur. Of course, life happens, travel for fun is necessary, and work can take us away from home, so you may have to cancel at times. I currently require 48 hours cancellation notice in order to have time to reach out to other clients who may be seeking additional sessions or to reach out to my waitlist. If you cancel within 48 hours of your scheduled appointment, you will be charged the full fee of the session.

Most definitely! Your confidentiality is very important, and I take it very seriously, using all possible measures to keep your personal information private and confidential. My work phone number is HIPAA compliant, so your calls and texts are kept confidential at all times. Aside from a few legal exceptions related to the safety of yourself and others, which I will go over in our initial session, everything we discuss is confidential. 

Because I do not take insurance, your mental health records are confidential and private. I do not have to send the insurance company information about you, like diagnoses or treatment plans, which they often require to reimburse me. Not taking insurance also allows me to work with you in the way that works for you. Insurance companies can dictate how I work, who I am allowed to work with, and for how long I can work with you. Therapy is between you and me — the “middle man” has been taken out of the equation. 

While Artificial Intelligence has its uses (polishing my emails, for one!) I do not believe it is appropriate in the therapy room. I do not use AI to listen to sessions nor to write my session notes. Call me old-fashioned, but I do not wish for AI to be another participant in the therapy room. If clients desire to use AI for help with personal problems outside of session, that is up to each individual. I ask that you do so with caution, inform me, and we discuss the pros and cons. 

It is against the law in Illinois to record conversations without all parties’ consent. I will not record our sessions, and I ask that you do not either. I have consultations with other professionals (who are also bound by HIPAA) to ensure I am providing quality care, and as part of my ongoing training in Relational EMDR. I may ask to record your session for these educational purposes. You are welcome to decline. 

While the majority of my clients are women, I also treat men and gender-expansive individuals. I welcome anyone who believes I may be a good fit for them to reach out to me.

Being betrayed by a partner can shake us to our core. The questions, the intense emotions, the blame game….it’s difficult to know what to do and who to even trust. I work with anyone who is or has been involved in betrayal, whether it’s emotional, financial, or sexual. 

My choice to focus on women who have been the ones to betray their partners stems from years of experience knowing these women, both professionally and personally, and understanding the dichotomy of emotions that often occurs for women. Not all, but a large percentage experience remorse and also a renewed sense of self, especially women who hold numerous roles and balance many responsibilities. I offer support and positive regard for both the woman who was betrayed and the woman who was the betrayer. “No one knows the whole story,” and everyone deserves a place to share theirs.

A Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is a document that provides you with a clear breakdown of the expected costs of your therapy sessions. It is part of the No Surprises Act, which was designed to help clients paying out-of-pocket better understand and plan for the financial aspects of their care. For questions are more info about your right to a GFE, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises. 

While I often check my email and my texts/voicemails, even when I am not in the office, I am not a crisis counselor and am not available 24/7. I would love to be able to assist you in times of distress; I cannot guarantee that I will be available. Please use the following information to assist you:

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/text 988; free and confidential support for anyone in distress and/or considering harming themselves, available 24 hours/7 days a week.

Substance Abuse Hotline: Call 833-234-6343 or Text “help” to 833234; trained specialists to help someone struggling with substance use and guide them towards resources for support.

Trans Lifeline: Call 877-565-8860; support provided by trans individuals for trans and questioning callers.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 800-799-7233 or Text “loveis” to 22522.

Rape Crisis Hotline: Call 888-293-2080; operating 24 hours a day/7 days a week, the Rape Crisis Hotline provides survivors of sexual violence and their significant others immediate support, crisis intervention, and referrals for the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs.