Do you offer sliding scale, or low-fee services?

Yes! I maintain a small number of low-fee slots in my practice at all times for clients who are not able to access services at my standard rates. These sessions are offered online-only during my telehealth hours, which are subject to change and availability. My rates for these sessions vary between $80-110 per session, depending on which spot is currently open/available. You are able to receive up to 10 sessions at a fixed, low rate within a period of six months from the first scheduled appointment date. Sessions are intended to occur on a weekly basis (bi-weekly, at minimum) in order to allow for regular spot turn-over; this helps me to reach more clients in-need. Appointments are scheduled on a “rolling basis” (i.e., - after each attended session). Following our final session, you can choose to continue with me at my regular rate, be added back on to the end of my low-fee waitlist, or you will be offered a warm hand-off/transition to an alternative low-fee or sliding scale clinician/agency.

Please inquire about my current waitlist if you are a prospective low-income client/family or are otherwise experiencing financial hardship.

What is the difference between an Associate (AMFT) and a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT)?

An AMFT has graduated with their Master's Degree and is in the process of gaining hours of experience toward their licensure. All licensed therapists are required to gain supervised hours of experience as AMFTs before they are able to practice counseling/therapy independently as LMFTs. All AMFTs receive weekly supervision from a licensed colleague who supports them with their cases and verifies their experience hours with their state licensing board (the Board of Behavioral Sciences).

Typically, an AMFT’s services are accessible at lower rates because they are considered pre-licensed by their licensing board.

Can my insurance cover the cost of my therapy sessions?

The short answer is: it depends on your coverage type. If you are working with a therapist who is covered/listed by your insurance plan as an in-network provider, then yes! You will likely still be responsible for your specified co-payment up-front, and your therapist/therapy office will likely bill your insurance directly on your behalf. If not, you may still be able to submit a "claim" to your insurance provider for cost reimbursement if you have any "out of network" coverage on your specific health insurance plan.

Most "PPO" health insurance plan types allow you to pick healthcare providers outside of your covered network but have you pay for the costs up-front. They will subsequently reimburse you for a majority of your costs per session after submitting a claim. You will likely have to work with your insurance company to do this directly; your therapist/therapy office may not take care of this from their end if they don’t contract with insurance companies (i.e., - take/accept insurance). Your therapy office will likely provide you with a "Superbill" to provide proof of payment, diagnostic information, etc., and this is what you will use to provide your insurance with the necessary information about your care.

Brooke is currently considered an ‘out-of-network’ therapist, and most clients with a PPO plan have success in requesting/receiving reimbursement from their insurance companies after going through the process outlined above.

Can you work with clients/families across multiple state lines?

The short answer here is: it depends who the primary client is, and where they live. Therapists are typically licensed to operate in only one state (e.g., - CA). While there are therapists who hold licenses in multiple states, most therapists are only able to see clients who maintain a primary residence in their single state of licensure. There are unique cases where the primary client is from their state of licensure, and wants to bring a family member, or a partner, in to participate with them as a supplement to their own therapy, and in this case- the therapist could permit out-of-state participation in session.

If I move states, can I still work with my therapist?

Your therapist can continue to provide transitional services to you while you work to identify a new therapist who holds a license in your new state. Your therapist can help you with identifying new options and should not terminate sessions with you immediately unless you have already found someone new.

What do I do if my therapist isn't the right fit for me, or I just don't feel a connection with them right away?

I recommend seeing a new therapist for at least 3-5 sessions before you make a decision on whether to continue working with them or not. This gives you both a chance to get a little more comfortable with each other, and it allows some time for them to learn more about you and your needs so they can begin offering a more informed sense of direction and strategy in session.

If you have allowed some time to pass and it still isn't working well, find someone new, and then tell them that you have appreciated their time and would like to try some additional options! You can do this in writing if it is more comfortable for you. Therapy is not about your therapist, and genuinely good therapists want every client to get the most they possibly can out of attending counseling- sometimes this means a client needs someone else to support them.

Chances are, if you are not feeling like it is a good fit, your therapist may be feeling the same way. Therapists, however, cannot suddenly terminate sessions with their clients due to personality fit. So, while they might share with you some observations about your relationship that are potentially concerning, they should not ask you to find someone new and immediately terminate you as a client. At the end of the day, therapists are human beings, too, and sometimes there is just more positive chemistry in certain relationships than others. Most importantly: don't give up on the process- keep looking and trying different options until you find the right fit! It is sure to be worth your time and energy once you find that therapist who helps you to start looking forward to your session times.

How do I find a therapist who is right for me?

I personally recommend starting with your insurance provider to see what/who they offer you first. This can help keep your therapy more affordable, and therefore more sustainable, so you can stick with it for as long as you'd like to without the cost becoming a factor in why you decide to terminate your treatment sooner than you'd like to.

If you don't like, or just don't prefer, using your insurance options, you can locate an "out-of-network", private practice/provider who is not listed within the scope of your insurance. Chances are, your carrier may still be able to reimburse part of your session costs if you have any out-of-network coverage (usually PPO type insurance plans offer this).

Use therapist directories, such as "Psychology Today" or "Monarch", to filter for things like cost, specialties, availability, etc. There are so many of us out there- you should be able to find someone who checks most, if not all, of your boxes!

You want to look for someone you can afford to see for multiple sessions each month, has the availability you need, offers the type of therapy you are looking for and with whom you feel a positive connection.

How often should I go to therapy in the beginning, and how long should I go for overall?

For most clients, I recommend starting out with weekly sessions. This helps to get things moving in the right direction sooner, and typically offers a faster sense of 'relief' from your concerns or symptoms. Once you get a good rhythm going, and are feeling like you have made a majority of the progress you initially wanted to make, it often makes sense to 'fade' session frequency or duration as time goes on (e.g., - from weekly to every other week, 80-minute sessions to 50-minute sessions, etc.).

Your therapist may offer a specific recommendation, or you can ask for one! At the end of the day- it is entirely up to you as the client how often, or for how long, you would like to attend sessions (if you are attending voluntarily), and this may be based on several factors such as your schedule, the affordability of sessions, the availability of your therapist, etc.

There is a wide-range of time people choose to attend therapy for. Some people want brief-treatment (i.e., - to go just for a small number of sessions), and some people choose to attend therapy long-term, meaning they stay in it for a number of years- sometimes even decades! It helps to have a goal in mind, and to stick with attending until you feel like you are consistently able to implement the changes you wanted to make on your own outside of sessions.

For most clients, a handful of sessions is not going to be enough to "un-do" or "un-learn" the way they have dealt with things for many years. It is not a realistic expectation that one or two hours with a therapist are going to dramatically change your life. You need to be prepared to stick with it for a while- I recommend at least two to three months, as the human brain takes at least 21 days to "re-wire", and both you and your therapist need time to identify what needs re-wiring, and sufficient time for you to practice and master new skills on your own!

For couples: most couples feel a sense of relationship distress relief between about 8-20 weekly sessions (also two to three months or more- depending on how often you attend).