Do you accept insurance?

Yes, I do take several California based insurances including Cigna, Aetna, United Health Care (Optum), Blue Shield of California, Magellan, Oxford (Optum), Carelon Behavioral Health, and Quest Behavioral Health. Please note, to qualify for insurance therapy you must qualify for diagnosis and the work is to extinguish symptoms of the diagnosis. Insurance is not for personal growth therapy. Regular assessments are required to measure severity of diagnosis and progress in the work.

Do you accept insurance for couples?

No. I do offer a super bill for you to submit to your insurance for reimbursement. Please note, in order to qualify for reimbursement you must meet criteria for qualified DSM-5 mental health disorder and the treatment must be geared towards helping the couple navigate this disorder.

How long does it take for therapy to work?

t depends on what you mean by "working" and, more importantly, what we're working on. Some people come to therapy with a specific problem they want to resolve over a few months. Others are looking to understand lifelong patterns that have shaped their relationships, emotions, and sense of self.

Trauma work is often a longer process because healing isn't just about learning new coping skills—it's about revisiting experiences your mind and body learned to avoid. At times, this can temporarily bring painful memories, difficult emotions, or even vivid dreams to the surface. While that can feel discouraging, it is often a sign that important material is finally being processed rather than avoided.

My role is to help you move through those experiences at a pace that feels manageable. Therapy isn't about pushing you beyond your limits; it's about helping you understand your patterns, process what needs attention, and create lasting change. Progress isn't always linear, but over time many people find themselves responding differently to life in ways they never thought possible.

What is trauma? How does it show up in the present?

Most people think of trauma as a single catastrophic event, and those experiences certainly qualify. But I use a broader definition.

Trauma can be too much, too soon, such as a serious accident, assault, or other overwhelming event. It can be too much for too long, like years of emotional abuse, chronic criticism, or ongoing invalidation. It can also be not enough for too long, such as growing up with neglect, emotional absence, or inconsistent care.

From my perspective, trauma isn't defined only by what happened. It's also about how your mind and body adapted in order to survive. Those adaptations can show up years later as anxiety, emotional reactivity, perfectionism, people-pleasing, relationship difficulties, or substance use. Trauma can also be experienced physically through chronic tension, persistent pain, or seemingly unexplained physical sensations.

The good news is that the same nervous system that learned to adapt can also learn new ways of responding. Therapy isn't about erasing the past, it's about understanding the patterns that developed and creating more freedom in the present.