Frequently asked questions.
Who can Individual therapy help?
Individual therapy can really help a lot of people, it just depends on your goals. Little Lanterns doesn’t provide therapy to people who need more intensive services like substance use disorder, bi-polar disorder, or personality disorders.
What is Play Therapy/Filial Play therapy?
Play therapy is an evidence-based therapy for children and teens. It’s an effective mental health approach for working with depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and academic/social impairment.
Play is our first language. When playing, we express thoughts and feelings that might otherwise remain hidden. Filial play therapy connects parents and children through play and helps parents foster better communication and acceptable behaviors with their children.
How often should I come to therapy?
The frequency of sessions will depend on your therapy goals. Acute difficulties are usually short term, and so therapy will be shorter to help get you through those difficult times. Chronic difficulties, like difficult relationships, family dynamics, or regularly occurring depressive episodes, may require more therapy sessions.
Generally, clients who come in consistently to therapy, either weekly or bi-weekly for 6 months typically show better outcomes in a shorter period of time than clients who have inconsistent sessions. I know how therapy can be financially hard, so we can always discuss the best options for your financial needs.
How are Groups run?
Group sessions start with an interview with me to see if group is the right setting for you and your goals. There are usually 6 or fewer participants in each group and they occur weekly. Sometimes the groups I run are open, which means anyone can join after the interview. But more often than not, groups are closed to just a few participants and run for a given number of weeks. If you have any questions about groups, please contact me.
What are your fees?
I am a fully licensed therapist and charge $140 for 50 minute sessions. For a treatment course of weekly therapy for 4 to 6 months, the out-of-pocket costs will be approximately $560 per month. If you are having a financial hardship that is impacting your ability to continue or attend your therapy regularly, we can talk about some options.
Do you have a sliding scale?
I do provide a sliding scale to clients who need it. I usually have five spots available for reduced rates. If they’re full, I’ll let you know when one opens up for a new or returning client. In general, sliding scales aren’t forever so if your financial situation changes, let me know so your rate can also appropriately change. This helps open more spots to those who need them.
Do you take insurance?
Unfortunately, I don’t take insurance. There are a couple reasons why. The first is that insurance companies routinely reimburse therapists at a significantly lower rate than other healthcare professionals. Additionally, billing insurance means that I have to provide you with a diagnosis and prove medical necessity, even when you’re attending counseling for personal growth rather than a mental health diagnosis. If your insurance company does not think you need therapy then they will stop covering it or sometimes take money back from your counselor after an audit. For this reason, I don’t take insurance and the client is fully responsible for paying the fees we agree upon.
Do you provide a superbill?
I provide a superbill each month after therapy starts. If you want to get reimbursed for your therapy sessions from your insurance policy, you’ll need a superbill from me as an out-0f-network provider. You are still required to have a diagnosis and diagnostic assessment on the superbill, so please let me know if you plan on sending your superbill to your insurance company. Otherwise, there likely won’t be a diagnosis on the bill.