People seek therapy for a wide variety of reasons.  While I specialize in treating sex/porn addiction and sex-related issues, clients also seek my support in addressing: emotional/sexual intimacy and relationship concerns, infidelity, sexual abuse, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additional issues include: anxiety, codependency, depression, grief, life transitions, obsessive compulsive disorder, and stress.

• Sometimes we reach out to a therapist because the crisis is just too big to process alone - a betrayal, a breakup, a death.

• Sometimes it’s because someone we love and respect says, “I think you need help.”

• Sometimes it’s because we are tired of our own BS.

• Sometimes it's because we are tired of someone else's BS. As the Empowered Therapist says, "People in therapy are often in therapy to deal with the people in their lives who won't go to therapy."

People often come into therapy after an unexpected crisis or after an existing issue has continued to persist. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a stigma that therapy is for the “weak” or for those who don’t have their shit together. It’s okay to not have your shit together. It’s okay to fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart, and we still love them.

Therapy takes a whole lot of strength. It takes introspection to recognize some extra support is needed and courage to reach out for help. Some of the strongest and most resilient people I have encountered have been clients in therapy. Maybe you can manage on your own, but you shouldn't have to.

Due to the unique therapy process with each client, it can be difficult to predict exactly how long therapy will last.  While some challenges may be worked through in a relatively short amount of time (about 16-20 sessions), other challenges can take much longer.

Many factors are involved in the duration of your treatment, such as the complexity of your main concerns, how long you have been struggling with these concerns, your level of motivation, your goals, your progress, and if applicable, your partner’s involvement. We will collaborate on creating a treatment plan (i.e., game plan) for you in order to track progress towards your goals. One goal is for you to eventually help yourself better than I can, and you will “graduate” from working with me.

I normally conduct an assessment that will last from 3 to 4 sessions. Therefore, these first few sessions may likely be different than what our standard sessions will look like, as I will be gathering a lot of information to better understand you. During this time, we will have a better sense of and can both decide if I am the best person to continue supporting you.

Therapy sessions are typically weekly and are scheduled in advance. I highly recommend at least the first 8-10 sessions are weekly before shifting to less frequent, as the first few sessions are reviewing a lot of your history (e.g., sexual and relationship history). I would also want us to gain some traction and progress before shifting to less frequency. We will collaborate on what works best for you.

Standard sessions are 50 minutes in length and are conducted via telehealth therapy (phone/video). The fee is the same for phone or video, as I must prepare for the session and block out the same amount of time. Longer sessions are available by request and upon availability of my schedule at a prorated fee.

Telehealth therapy, also known as online therapy, is therapy conducted virtually (e.g., phone/video). I am able to work with clients who reside anywhere in the states of California and Vermont, as well as internationally depending on the regulations in your country. There are many advantages to telehealth therapy, including but not limited to:

• Convenience of avoiding commuting, which can save you time and open your availability to scheduling counseling sessions. I know how traffic can be.

• Flexibility of having your sessions in the location of your choice (e.g, from the comfort of your home, during your lunch break, while you are on a walk, while you are traveling, etc).

• Not having to find a sitter if you have children at home.

• Allowing us to keep our sessions if one or both of us are struggling with any medical conditions limiting physical mobility. I broke my radius bone 10+ years ago and could not drive; shit happens!

• Allowing us the ability to have our dogs wave to each other via video. This is clearly the biggest benefit of telehealth.

Once you have made the courageous step to reach out for support, who do you reach out to? Deciding on which therapist to work with is an important choice. You are investing a lot mental/emotional energy, time, and money into your therapeutic work. Not all therapists are created equal, and you want to find a therapist who is a good fit for you and your specific needs.

I suggest requesting a brief phone consultation with 2-3 different therapists before deciding on one to work with. This way, you have an opportunity to describe your concerns and ask what specialties and experience your prospective therapist has working with the types of concerns you are experiencing. You can also get a “feel” for the therapist in speaking with them.

If the main concerns you would like to address are sex-related issues, I highly recommend you work with someone who is a Certified Sex Therapist and/or a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (depending on your specific needs), or a therapist working towards certification.

Oftentimes, I have had new clients contact me and knew right away they wanted to work with me, whether it was due to scoping out my website, speaking to me on the phone, and/or having been referred by someone else. If you are interested in working with me, I want to ensure I am the best person to help you. You can learn more about me here, and feel free to contact me here.

I will gladly refer you to another therapist who I believe may be a better fit for you if needed. Due to my specific specialty in sex therapy and sex/porn addiction counseling, I can be a wonderful fit for clients that are typically looking for a therapist with my specialty. I am not the therapist for everyone, and that is okay. What is most important to me is that you get the support you need and deserve, whether it is with me or another therapist.

I work collaboratively and directly with my clients. While I believe listening and holding a safe space for you is important, I am also active in supporting and compassionately challenging you. I believe a balance of being supportive and challenging is essential for your healing and growth.

I often integrate somatic therapy, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and experiential therapy with clients. Additionally, I am trained to work “systemically” as a marriage and family therapist. In other words, I consider you as part of a larger system (e.g., within a couple system and/or a family system). I believe this is significant to consider, as we all have an affect on and are affected by others in our life. I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. You can learn more about EMDR here.

My rates are the following, and for longer sessions, the rate is prorated. Rates are determined during our initial phone consultation. Standard sessions are 50 minutes long. I typically recommend extended sessions for couples (e.g., 75 minutes or 90 minutes), as the standard 50 minutes tends to go by especially fast with couples.

• $265 per 50-minute individual therapy session

• $275 per 50-minute EMDR session

• $290 per 50-minute couples therapy session

I reserve 25% of my practice to be reduced rate slots for clients with financial hardship. Currently, all reduced rate slots are filled. I have a waitlist for reduced rate slots, and I will update here if slots become available.

I am an out-of-network provider, which means I am not contracted with insurance companies. However, if requested, I will be glad to provide a "superbill" receipt that you may submit to your insurance company if you wish for a possible out-of-network reimbursement. Please note that in order to get reimbursed by insurance, I would need to give you a diagnosis. Insurance providers require that mental health treatment meet "medical necessity" in order to be reimbursed.

If you are interested in possible reimbursement, I recommend contacting your insurance company and asking what your "out-of-network mental health benefits" are. Your specific insurance plan and your deductible will determine what reimbursement can look like.

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) is a therapist who has obtained at least a master’s degree in psychology or other mental health-related field. In the state of California, an LMFT has completed a minimum of 3,000 hours of experience working under a clinical supervisor and has passed rigorous licensure exams. In order to maintain licensure, an LMFT must complete continuing education throughout the entire duration of practicing with their license.

A Certified Sex Therapist (CST) is a therapist who is fully licensed to practice psychotherapy, has completed the necessary academic coursework and sex therapy training, and has completed clinical experience requirements. CST training can be provided by different academic universities, and CST certifications can be provided by different associations. The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) is the leading organization providing professional criteria and certification requirements for the field of sex therapy, sex education and sex counseling. In order to maintain certification, a CST must complete continuing education throughout the entire duration of practicing with their certification.

A Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) is a therapist who is fully licensed, has a minimum of five years of clinical counseling experience, and has completed the comprehensive CSAT training program. The CSAT training is provided by the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). In order to maintain certification, a CSAT must complete continuing education throughout the entire duration of practicing with their certification.

When clients come into therapy for compulsive sexual behaviors, they may wonder whether they are struggling with sex and/or porn addiction. I often hear clients make comments such as, “Everyone watches porn”, “I’m just living the single life”, or “I enjoy sex, who doesn’t?” Sex and porn are not necessarily the enemies. While many people can engage in sex and use porn without any concerns, others can find themselves using sex or porn in such a way that leads to consequences. Rather, it is the relationship that someone has with sex and porn that has become problematic for many clients I see. Take a glimpse at my blog "Am I a Sex Addict?" to see what criteria therapists look for when considering if someone is struggling with sex addiction.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases recognizes compulsive sexual behavior as a mental health disorder. These behaviors are often called hypersexuality, out of control sexual behavior, or sex addiction. While sex addiction is not currently a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), this does not minimize the painfully devastating consequences that clients experience as a result of their sexually compulsive behaviors. These consequences may include: profound guilt and shame, conflict in romantic and/or family relationships, broken trust, safety concerns, legal issues, financial issues, career issues, and a myriad of other consequences.

The Sexual Addiction Screening test (SAST) is a self-assessment that can help you better understand if your compulsive sexual behaviors indicate the presence of sex addiction. This assessment is not meant to be a diagnosis – it is designed to help you determine whether you should seek further help with a trained professional. Please note that the SAST could use some fine-tuning in regards to some response options being out of date (e.g., not having “non-binary” as an option, etc). To access this free self-assessment, click here.