FAQS

I see patients in person at my office in Trumansburg, NY, and virtually via secure telehealth throughout New York State and Pennsylvania.

Online therapy provides the exact same clinical structure, professionalism, and therapeutic depth as an in-person session, with the added benefit of flexibility and convenience. Our appointments take place through secure video visits within a fully paperless, HIPAA-compliant online portal. Through this portal, you can easily manage scheduling, secure messaging, and digital intake forms. We can also use screen-sharing to review health resources, educational tools, or lab results together in real time.

To get the most out of your virtual care, I recommend preparing the following:

• A Dedicated Space: A quiet, private room where you can close the door and speak completely freely without interruption.

• Privacy Tools: Using a pair of headphones can help ensure your comfort and add an extra layer of confidentiality during our sessions.

• Full Attention: A space where you can step away from daily multitasking and give your well-being your undivided attention.

Many women find that virtual care allows them to engage more consistently in their treatment while seamlessly fitting appointments into a demanding schedule.

Yes, I offer both in-person and virtual sessions, depending on my patient’s availability and preference. Often, patients opt for a combination of both types of appointments over time to best support their ongoing care. Whether we meet online or in person, my priority is creating a supportive, unhurried setting where you feel fully heard.

Investing in your mental health is a profound decision. To keep our financial relationship completely transparent and straightforward, the fee structure for our work together is outlined below.

1. The Intake (Initial Psychiatric Assessment)

• Investment: $695 | Duration: 75 minutes

• What We Do: This comprehensive first session is where we map out your path forward. We will review your full history, current challenges, and what you hope to achieve.

• The Focus: During this time, we will evaluate your current situation and explore the root causes of your symptoms. We will look beyond surface-level symptoms to consider both psychological and biological factors. Together, we will discuss potential treatment pathways—keeping your personal preferences, goals, and lifestyle in mind—and collaborate on a personalized plan that sets clear, actionable goals for your ongoing care.

2. Active Treatment & Deep Work (Extended Follow-Up)

• Investment: $475 | Duration: 50 minutes

• What We Do: If we move forward together, these sessions are the core of your progress. They are explicitly designed for deeper therapeutic work, refining your personalized strategy, and tackling active symptoms as they surface.

• Best Suited For: Patients who are just beginning their journey, navigating major life changes or hormonal transitions, looking for consistent, attentive support, or engaging in ongoing, regular psychotherapy.

3. Maintenance & Consistency (Brief Psychiatric Follow-Up)

• Investment: $295 | Duration: 25 minutes

• What We Do: Once you have achieved clinical stability and are feeling consistent, these focused check-ins keep you safely on track. We will monitor your progress, manage side effects, make minor adjustments to your plan, and ensure you feel supported without requiring a full-length session.

• Best Suited For: Patients in a stable maintenance phase who simply need regular, efficient accountability, medication monitoring, and routine safety checks.

4. Expert Consulting & Second Opinions

• Investment: $1,400 | Duration: 90 minutes

• What We Do: Designed for those seeking a fresh perspective, a definitive second opinion, or a specialized roadmap without necessarily committing to ongoing care in this practice. We will do an intentional deep dive into your medical history, current treatments, and symptoms to give you clarity.

• What You Receive: A comprehensive, independent evaluation; a detailed summary or report to share with your existing care team to ensure continuity of care; and clear, actionable recommendations for your next steps across traditional and integrative approaches.

• Note: If extra follow-up time is needed to clarify recommendations or address complex questions, additional visits are available at a rate of $575/hour.

In order to offer personalized care, incorporate holistic and integrative treatments, and spend the unhurried time needed to do this intensive work well, I am an out-of-network provider. I do not contract directly with or accept payment from insurance companies, and payment is due in full at the time of your appointment.

However, many of my patients are successfully reimbursed for a portion of their care. I am glad to provide you with an itemized monthly receipt—often called a superbill—which you can submit directly to your insurance provider to seek reimbursement if your plan includes out-of-network mental health benefits.

Navigating Your Out-of-Network Benefits

Because every insurance plan is unique, I highly recommend calling the member services number on the back of your insurance card before our first session to clarify your coverage. Here is a straightforward script of questions to ask them:

• "Do I have out-of-network mental health benefits?"

• "What is my annual out-of-network deductible?" (This is the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance begins reimbursing you.)

• "What is my reimbursement rate once that deductible is met?" (Many plans cover between 50% to 80% of the "allowed amount" for out-of-network services.)

• "What is my out-of-pocket maximum for out-of-network care?" (The total amount you pay before insurance covers 100% of costs.)

• "What is the allowed amount for the following clinical billing codes?"

  • 99205 (Initial Comprehensive Evaluation)

  • 99213 / 99214 (Standard Follow-Up Visits)

  • 90833 / 90836 (Psychotherapy Add-on Codes)

• "How do I submit superbills for reimbursement, and what is the typical processing timeframe?"

Note: If your insurance company requests an office zip code to calculate your specific geographic reimbursement rate, you can provide them with 14886 (Trumansburg, NY). Please keep in mind that any amount billed above your insurance plan's internal "allowed amount" will not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket calculations.

Important Policy Details for Medicare & Medicaid Recipients

• If you have Medicare: I am an officially opted-out Medicare provider. This means I can welcome you into my practice as long as we establish a formal, signed agreement stating that you will pay out of pocket and promise not to seek reimbursement from Medicare. This documentation will be provided for you to review before your intake.

• If you have New York State Medicaid: I am a non-participating provider, meaning these services are highly unlikely to be covered by out-of-network Medicaid benefits. Additionally, prescriptions cannot be covered under your Medicaid pharmacy benefit when ordered by an out-of-network provider and must be paid at the cash price. If you are covered by Medicaid and still wish to work together, I am very willing to coordinate directly with a participating physician on your primary care team to help manage these pharmacy limitations.

A Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is a transparent cost estimate designed to help you understand your expected medical expenses before you begin treatment. It is part of my deep commitment to transparent, patient-centered care.

Your Consumer Rights Under the Law:

• Eligibility: Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

• Total Expected Costs: You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services.

• Timeline: Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. It will automatically be included directly in your intake paperwork.

• Disputing a Bill: If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, you can always visit the official site at www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Our first appointment is unhurried, collaborative, and focused on seeing you as a whole person—never a rushed checklist.

Prior to our visit, you will fill out a detailed intake packet covering your mental health history, current symptoms, treatment goals, and holistic elements like sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hormonal transitions. I review this information thoroughly before we meet so we can make the most of our face-to-face time together. During our 75-minute session, we will have an open conversation about what feels most urgent and explore how different factors in your life connect. By the end of our time, you can expect greater clarity regarding your symptoms and a clear outline of thoughtful next steps that we will continue to refine together over time.

Your care is entirely individualized, flexible, and tailored to your specific needs. There is no rigid, one-size-fits-all timeline. Some women benefit from weekly or bi-weekly sessions during active periods of transition, medication adjustments, or deep therapeutic exploration. Once your symptoms stabilize and you feel a consistent sense of balance, we will naturally space our appointments further apart.

Because I intentionally maintain a small, highly dedicated caseload, I am able to offer excellent responsiveness and access within a few days when unexpected life hurdles pop up. Ultimately, the goal is to help you build the tools and stability you need to navigate life. If we reach a point where you comfortably go three months without needing a visit, it is usually a wonderful indicator that you have achieved your goals, and we can discuss a thoughtful, planned graduation from expert-level care.

Our process begins with a brief, complimentary consultation. This initial conversation gives us an opportunity to talk through what you have been experiencing, discuss what you are looking for in a provider, and ensure that my specialized psychiatric and therapeutic approach is a good fit for your goals. If we both feel aligned and choose to move forward together, my office will schedule your comprehensive Initial Psychiatric Assessment and provide you with access to our secure online portal to complete your digital intake forms.