FAQ
Where is your office located?
Currently, I am offering telehealth and in-person individual psychotherapy. My office is located at: 330 John Carlyle Street #300, Alexandria, VA 22314
What are your office hours?
I am available for individual therapy sessions during daytime hours on Mondays and Wednesdays.
I do not respond to work correspondence (emails or calls) outside of working hours to preserve work-life balance. Please consider this should you need more urgent care.
How long are your sessions?
How do I pay you?
Do you accept insurance?
I have chosen not to participate as an insurance provider for several reasons, including patient privacy and wanting to prioritize patient care. As a solo practitioner, I want to spend as much time as possible working with patients without the limitations insurance imposes.
I am not in-network with Georgetown University Student Health Insurance but do work with this provider. What that means is that I participate in a 70/30 split. Patients are responsible for paying 30% of my full fee for each session, while insurance is responsible for the other 70%. Should there be an issue with payment, it is the patient’s responsibility to resolve the matter.
For those using their out-of-network therapy benefits, I provide a monthly superbill. Should there be a payment issue, it is the patient’s responsibility to resolve the matter with their respective insurance.
What is your cancellation policy?
If you cannot make your regularly scheduled session, we will try to find time to re-schedule. Otherwise, you will be charged for missed sessions. Like any type of practice toward a goal, maintaining a regular meeting schedule is important to allow you to reach your goals.
How do I set up an initial appointment?
Please call (202) 618-1674. Because I am working with patients throughout the day, you will likely receive my voicemail. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message so that I can contact you.
During our first call, we can set up a free 20-minute initial consultation call to determine if we would be a good match or whether I can provide you with other excellent providers tailored to your needs.
You also can fill out a contact form through my website. I try my best to respond to new patient inquiries within 24 hours during Monday – Friday.
With whom do you work?
What can I expect during my first session?
I first conduct an initial evaluation to get a better understanding of you and your presenting concerns. This typically takes 3-4 sessions. Once I have gathered enough information, I will share my recommendations.
Therapy is an investment of energy and money. If it is not a good fit, I am happy to provide referrals.
What is therapy like with you?
I work from a relational perspective, so I consider the impact of relationships throughout life as formative and meaningful in shaping an individual. I set the stage for you to speak freely and gently guide you through observation and insight.
As we come to understand your presenting concerns, we also will look at influencing factors. I keep in mind the trajectory of human development and what is needed at each stage (from infancy through late adulthood) to continue evolving. Knowing your strengths and vulnerabilities helps to understand your own unique identity better.
I help patients connect the present to the past so that they can become more aware. This allows one to feel more in control, as they become more in tune with their own experience and that of others.
How do you know when you’re ready for therapy?
Typically, it is when you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You may feel desperate for change or something better. Considering therapy is a mark of courage. You may recognize life could be better.
Like any type of practice, effective therapy requires consistency and effort. This requires setting aside 1-3 meeting times per week over the course of multiple months or years. Therapy is a process that requires patience and learning over time. It is not a magic pill.
You have considered the financial cost and are ready to invest in your well-being. It is likely you will come to recognize over time that the benefits outweigh the cost.
You are willing to be an active participant in and outside of session. You are willing to be as honest as you can with yourself. You strive to eat, sleep, and exercise well to take care of your body, which directly interfaces with your mind.
Do you prescribe medication?
What is your training and experience?
I received my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The George Washington University. I was trained in the art of depth psychology, which helps one heal and gain control through the power of knowing themselves better. This is done in the context of working in a supportive therapeutic relationship.
Following graduation, I sought advanced training through the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis’s Psychoanalytic Studies Program. I believe in the importance of continuing to foster my own education in this ever-evolving field.
Throughout the course of training to the present, I have worked with adults ranging from 18-72 years old. I have worked in inpatient and outpatient settings, including schools and the D.C. Superior Courts. These diverse experiences have enhanced my ability to understand a wide range of presentations.
Why do you use the term patient instead of client?
What role does faith play in your practice?
I am accepting of people with or without faith. I work with people from a range of backgrounds. Personal belief is not something that can be fabricated. I do not impose my beliefs on others.
I am respectful of the individual faith you may have. I do not see this as a problem or symptom, but something that can be more fully integrated into your identity. I believe faith can help ground us and provide perspective on questions that reside in all of humanity.
I am eager to help those interested in integrating their Christian faith into a better understanding of their human experience. I am devoted to humanity’s health and healing as a reflection of God’s love that is so desperately needed in this world.