Question 1

What is Marriage and Family Therapy?

Accepted Answer

Marriage and Family Therapists pay attention to relationships and context. You do not live in a vacuum, and your therapy shouldn't be in a vacuum either. Everything from your childhood home, friends in school, relationships with siblings, your first relationships, current job, neighbors, and local government influence who you are and how you experience your life. Therapy that does not take these factors into account may fall short of meeting your needs.​ You don't have to retell your whole life story, just the parts that are relevant to your goals.  ​ While I am a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), I identify as a Relationship and Family Therapist as I also work with unmarried and polyamorous relationships.

Question 2

Are your sessions confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes. What we discuss in session is considered confidential and I would be breaking Federal, State, and ethical codes if I were to break confidentiality. That being said, there are some situations when I am legally required to break confidentiality, such as suspected child abuse or neglect, elder abuse, intent to harm yourself, intent to harm another person, if you reveal a threat to national security, or if I am subpoenaed or court-ordered to reveal my notes or to testify in a court of law. Beyond these six situations, your sessions are protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Question 3

What is your typical process for working with a new client?

Accepted Answer

After we schedule our first session I will send you your intake paperwork to complete before we meet. We first review a final form that covers phone policy, confidentiality, fees, cancellation policy, and have time for questions. The rest of the session is spent talking about what problem brought you to my office. I offer plenty of time for questions and concerns in the first session. Goals are typically presented for your approval in the 2nd to 3rd session.

Question 4

What education and/or training do you have?

Accepted Answer

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) which requires the completion of a Master's degree in the field, the completion of 2,000 hours of post-degree therapy hours, 100 hours of supervision, passing the Colorado Jurisprudence exam, as well as the National exam for Marriage and Family Therapists. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA from the COAMFTE accredited Master's program at North Dakota State University and graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's in Psychology. Over the years I have worked with problems like anxiety, depression, trauma recovery, family planning, boundary setting, infidelity, shame, grief, and much more.

Question 5

What advice would you give to someone looking to hire a therapist?

Accepted Answer

Make sure you find a therapist or counselor that you feel comfortable with. The most important part of this process is the relationship between the provider and the client. Ask about a potential therapist's philosophy of change, how they view clients and problems, and what tells them a client is ready to end sessions. I always provide time for my clients to ask these questions and encourage everyone to ask these questions regardless of where they go for mental health services. As a provider, if a potential client asked these questions during a consultation, I would know they had done their research and were serious about working to meet their goals.

Question 6

What questions should I think through before talking to a therapist?

Accepted Answer

Look at a provider's website or read reviews to make sure you know how they operate and structure sessions. Make sure to ask your therapist about their personal biases that might influence how they may work with you, how your therapist prefers to get feedback about sessions, and what process they use to close a file. Ask yourself how long you are wanting to be in therapy (a few sessions or a few years?) or how you would know you are ready to be done with therapy.

Question 7

What is your code of ethics?

Accepted Answer

Excellent question! As a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), I adhere to the AAMFT Code of Ethics. As a feminist-informed therapist, I also adhere to the Feminist Therapy Code of Ethics, which pays extra close attention to how therapists use their power. If you want additional information, please let me know!

Question 8

What do you charge?

Accepted Answer

My standard rate is $150 per hour-long session. Because of my Social Justice values, I also offer reduced rates for a limited number of clients, accept Medicaid, and offer a limited number of pro-bono sessions each week. Fees are discussed in the first session and you are not charged until we agree on a fee. If you would benefit from additional low-fee options, I highly recommend looking into Open Path Collective for additional options.    Healthcare providers are required to provide a Good Faith Estimate of how much you can expect your healthcare to cost. Obviously, since your therapy goals can evolve over time there is a lot of flexibility in the length of treatment; however, I will give you my best estimate when we meet for the first time.

Question 9

What got you interested in being a therapist?

Accepted Answer

Anyone who has known me for even a short amount of time can tell I'm a talker, but I'm also a listener. Since my first psychology class in high school, I knew I wanted to be connected to the field, and once I began learning about Social Justice and privilege I was hooked. It took some time to figure out how I wanted to blend Psychology and Social Justice, and that path led me to private practice offering Feminist-Informed therapy for relationships, women, and LGBTQ+ folks. Check out my About page for more information.

Please note: I am not able to take new clients at this time. You are more than welcome to reach out and ask to be put on my waiting list, ask for referrals for other therapists, or try Psychology Today's Find A Therapist.

Frequently Asked Questions