Fees

Individual therapy is 50 minutes duration: $450.00 per session.  A couples/joint session is: $490.00. Clients are responsible for payment at the time of the session, unless other arrangements have been made. I accept the following forms of payment: PayPal, Venmo, ApplePay (iphone 6 & later–iOS 11.2, and watchOS 4.2 & later), Zelle, HIPAA compliant Healthpoint, direct bank checks, cash, personal checks, and credit cards via Square (credit cards have a 3.5% + .45cent processing fee). All transactions are kept confidential and private. If you pay with Venmo and wish your transactions with me to remain private, please default your settings to “private.” I have a 72 hour (three business days) cancellation policy. I see most clients at a 1x weekly cadence, though if circumstances warrant, clients do 2-3x weekly or bi-monthly. I also do one-time consultations.  I’m currently not doing in-person/’in-office’ appts. I do tele-therapy via Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, or telephone. I also use two  HIPAA compliant platforms: doxy.me and  ‘Sessions.’  Telehealth is available to CA residents only. Our initial phone consult is free of charge–this is an opportunity for us to talk and get a sense of each other, for you to tell me about yourself and your situation, and ask me questions. I will assess whether I can help you. If I cannot meet your needs, I will be happy to refer you to a therapist who might be a better fit for you. If my fee is a hardship, please let me know–low income should not interfere with people getting help, and though I do not have a sliding scale, I can refer you to credible low-cost counseling centers.

Insurance

I do not accept insurance as direct form of payment, do not accept co-pays, and am not a contracted provider for PPO’s or HMO’s. Your payment is at the time of the session. If you have a PPO, please check with your plan for specifics about your outpatient mental health plan, e.g. annual allowed outpatient psychotherapy sessions, etc. I will supply you with a monthly bill, which you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law (in effect since April, 2003) created to protect patients who were previously ill from losing their health insurance when they change jobs and/or residences. HIPAA insures that a patient’s medical record, health information, payment history, etc. remain private and prevents them from being disclosed without the patient’s written consent. HIPAA specifically sought to standardize electronic information about not only patient’s health, but also financial and administrative data. It set security standards for protecting confidentiality of data such as: health claims, enrollment details, payments for care, coordination of benefits, plan eligibility, claim status, and related transactions.

Because I am not a member of HMOs nor a provider for PPOs, I do not use electronic transmission of billing information to obtain payment. I do not electronically: acquire informed consent, store records, or take digital psychotherapy notes–none of these will ever be stored in the cloud. I do not use a third party billing company. My records are secured/locked behind a firewall, and only I have access to your confidential communique. I am exclusively a fee-for-service provider and will bill you directly. You may, however, choose to be reimbursed by your insurance company. I maintain utmost strict confidentiality of client information and safe-keeping of client-records, as mandated by the law. I also preserve the integrity of client disclosure, consistent with sound ethical/clinical practice.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND PRIVACY/CONFIDENTIALITY/HIPAA

Please feel free to email and/or text me with logistical requests, e.g. appt. rescheduling, but be advised that electronic communication is not encrypted and therefore, intrinsically not secure. For clinical concerns/questions or emergencies, please call to make an in-person or tele-health/remote appt.

I take your privacy seriously, and follow prescribed security measures to keep my business email/account/computer secure, including: I perform regular OS/Browser updates, run frequent security checkups, and scan for viruses/malware. I also use 2-step verification/access and never use my business account on any public/shared computers/phones.

For enhanced security, I also offer you the option to do sessions and communicate via HIPAA-compliant VSee messenger app. If you prefer this platform, please let me know.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

The content on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sites are for marketing and informational purposes only. I invite you to follow me on these business pages and welcome your comments, but please understand that for your privacy and protection, I do not interact with clients on these platforms, e.g. do not take it personally when I do not reply nor ‘follow,’ or ‘like’ your posts. Such communication can be a breach of patient confidentiality and protected health information–‘friendships’ between clients and therapists on social media are unethical.

Engaging with clients on social media can be interpreted as, or lead to a ‘dual relationship,’ regardless of how superficial or benign the connection. My priority is always to preserve your confidentiality. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about my presence on the internet, e.g. my website, social media posts, blogs, articles on psychology sites, etc., please talk to me directly, and I will be happy to address your concerns in the best way befitting your therapy.

I do not search for clients on search engines nor do I attempt to access you on social media sites. I believe strongly that what I know about you–this should come directly from you. You have the right to choose what, when, how, why, and how much to reveal to me. You own your personal information and it is part of your therapeutic process for you to self-disclose in the manner most comfortable for you.

Office Hours

I see clients on week day mornings and afternoons. For emergencies, I do evenings and week end appointments. I offer Tele-health/Telemental, e.g. therapy via telephone, Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, or HIPAA-compliant ‘Sessions.’ If you’re traveling for work, vacation, etc. I do  international and national sessions. Skype is not encrypted, and not a confidential means of communication–I ask for your informed consent before we use this medium. If you are uncomfortable with these platforms, and prefer to use a highly secure app (encrypted, does not back up in the cloud), I also use Signal or HIPAA compliant TeleHealth/Telemental video/call with VSee. For privacy implications of TeleHealth/Telemental and information about HIPAA compliance, please see ‘Notice of Privacy Practices’ on the “Policies” page of my document.
Frequency of sessions ranges from three times weekly to twice per month.  I see clients exclusively via video and/or phone.

Burlingame Office

Located in Burlingame, California in San Mateo County on the Peninsula, my office is walking distance from the Millbrae BART and CalTrain Station. It’s easily accessible via buses, and if you drive, has free parking. Though the address is on El Camino Real, you may also enter the building on California Drive, which runs parallel to El Camino–this entrance reads “1838 Mills Estate Building.” This also has free parking.