Frequently Asked Questions
What is cognitive-behavioral therapy?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an approach to psychological treatment that has been extensively studied. It is recommended for the treatment of many emotional and behavioral disorders across the lifespan, and is effective in targeting anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders in children, adolescents, and adults.
CBT is designed to be a short-term treatment. Symptom improvements are often apparent in 12-20 sessions, although the duration of treatment may be longer or shorter based on individual factors.
CBT is an “active” treatment - patients are taught skills to manage their symptoms and practice these skills between sessions. This helps to develop self-efficacy and confidence in coping with one’s own symptoms, and teaches a skillset that can be drawn upon throughout life.
CBT is not a “one size fits all” approach. I individually tailor my treatments to meet the unique needs of my patients drawing from empirically validated, developmentally appropriate treatment protocols and strategies.
Research demonstrates that cognitive-behavioral approaches may be effective when delivered through individual therapy, group therapy, and parent coaching formats. In addition, studies increasingly support the delivery of CBT across multiple formats; research indicates that CBT delivered remotely via telehealth shows comparable feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness compared to CBT delivered in person. I offer CBT through individual therapy as well as behavioral parent coaching sessions, both in-clinic and remotely via telehealth.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is a cognitive-behavioral treatment strategy that is particularly helpful in the treatment of anxiety disorders. It involves facing your fears in a gradual way so that you learn to cope with your anxiety. It is based on the understanding that when you avoid the things that frighten you, it actually makes these fears worse over time; in contrast, when you face your fears, you learn that you are stronger than your anxiety. This contributes to a great sense of accomplishment, leads to increased self-confidence, and is key to decreasing anxiety symptoms. During CBT, you learn coping skills that can help you face your fears prior to beginning exposure therapy. You and your therapist collaborate on planning exposure practices, and will start with easier tasks that only bring on a little anxiety at first. Your therapist will never “force” you to face your fears during exposure therapy, but will encourage you to challenge yourself. As with anything new, the more you practice exposures, the easier they become. The effectiveness of exposure therapy has been proven through rigorous scientific studies, and it is considered the gold-standard approach to treating anxiety disorders and OCD from preschool-age through adulthood.
How do I know if CBT is right for me or for my child?
The effectiveness of CBT is similar to the effectiveness of a workout program: the more you put into it, the more you are likely to get out of it. CBT is therefore most beneficial when the skills learned in treatment are practiced between sessions and when sessions are attended weekly. It is most likely to benefit individuals who are motivated to engage in treatment and who have concrete goals (i.e., my child would like to be able to attend sleepovers; I want to reduce the amount of time I spend washing my hands; I want to improve my work-life balance, etc).
It is perfectly normal to be nervous or even skeptical about starting therapy. Sometimes people are worried that treatment won’t work for them, feel uncomfortable discussing personal things with someone new, or have had bad experiences with previous providers. These concerns are understandable, and do not mean that therapy as a whole - or CBT in particular - is not right for you or your child. I endeavor to be very collaborative with patients and their families throughout the assessment and treatment process, to keep an open dialogue about how treatment is progressing, and to candidly address concerns. While many people find CBT to be helpful, I will provide referrals for other providers or recommend alternative treatment modalities if CBT does not seem to be the best fit for you or for your child. Therapy always works best when patients have a positive relationship with their therapist, and so finding a therapist who you like and trust is important!
Do you work with adults?
In addition to my work with children and adolescents, I also provide individual therapy for adults struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, parenting challenges, and in coping with life stressors and transitions.
In the service of supporting families, I also focus on maternal/parental mental health. To this effect, a proportion of my practice is dedicated to addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS), including perinatal and postpartum anxiety and depression.
While I provide parent coaching sessions (i.e., working primarily with parents to collaboratively address their child’s concerns; providing parent coaching to assist parents in managing their responses to their child’s emotional concerns), I do not provide traditional Family Therapy.
Emerging adulthood is increasingly recognized as a distinct developmental stage, and many young adults struggle with anxiety during this transitional period of increased demands and independence. I received specialized training during my postdoctoral fellowship in the treatment of anxiety disorders in young adults (ages 18-26), and offer CBT for anxiety specifically tailored to address the unique needs of this often overlooked population.
Do you prescribe medication?
As a clinical psychologist, I specialize in the psychological treatment of mental health conditions and do not prescribe medication. Medication may be a helpful adjunct to psychotherapy, and I am always happy to collaborate with your psychiatrist to optimize treatment.
Do you accept insurance?
I do not partner with insurance companies. However, I can provide you with billing statements that include information needed in order to submit for out-of-network reimbursement through your insurance company. I cannot guarantee that your insurance will provide reimbursement for my services. I strongly recommend that you contact your insurance company to inquire about out of network benefits and procedures for reimbursement prior to initiating assessment and treatment.
How should I expect to be involved in my child or teen’s treatment?
Parent or caregiver involvement in treatment depends on a number of individual factors, but generally speaking, the younger the child, the more involved the parents should expect to be in their treatment. In fact, CBT for young children is often most effective when therapists work primarily with parents. In contrast, parents may be only minimally involved in treatment for adolescents. Part of my initial assessment is dedicated to determining the level of parental involvement recommended to best address your child’s concerns.
Because CBT involves practicing skills between sessions, it is often helpful for parents to coach and encourage their child in skills practice at home. I work with parents to give them tools to support their child through the therapeutic process. In this way, you, your child, and I have an active partnership in working to improve your child’s symptoms and quality of life.
What happens at a therapy session?
Individual therapy sessions are 45 minutes long. An agenda is set at the beginning of each session. Sessions earlier in treatment are focused on getting to know one another and establishing trust and comfort. Ongoing sessions often involve learning and/or practicing skills to manage symptoms. We address ways in which symptoms are interfering in your daily life and plan for how skills learned in treatment can be applied to improve symptoms. I typically meet one-on-one with patients, although for young patients I meet with parents at least briefly each session, with or without the child present.
What conditions do you treat?
I have specialized expertise in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Please refer to my Services page for a more extensive list of conditions treated, as well as conditions that I do not treat,
What are your hours and availability?
Updated 10/1/24: I am not accepting new patients at this time. I do have limited daytime openings for one-time clinical consultations.
Please note that I provide all services remotely via telehealth.
I do not see patients after 6pm or on weekends. Please contact me at 339-200-9598 for information about my current availability.
I may have limited availability to respond to crisis situations (i.e., if I am working with another patient, overnight, on weekends, etc.). For this reason, it is very important that you are aware of other services available in the event of a crisis. If you or your child experience a crisis or emergency, call 988, go to your local emergency room, or call the statewide Emergency State Program/Mobile Crisis Intervention (ESP/MCI) at 1-877-382-1609.