Psychotherapy Services

First and foremost, you can expect a strong therapeutic alliance and a focus on building the relationship. The first several sessions will likely consist of information gathering and building rapport. You may have specific, concrete goals that we will work on together or it may be a more exploratory process, getting to know yourself in a different way than you ever have before. We will work together to establish the right approach, frequency, and duration of therapy for you. Sessions are generally 55 minutes and can be held in my office in Pittsburgh, PA or online. I am licensed in Pennsylvania and am also a member of PSYPACT, which makes me able to provide telehealth services in participating states.

That depends! My self-pay rate is $175 per 55-minute session. However, many people use insurance to cover most to all of the cost depending on their insurance and plan. I am credentialed with Aetna, UPMC, and Highmark/Blue Cross Blue Shield commercial plans. If you have one of those plans, I can submit a claim to your insurance, and what you owe is determined by your specific plan. I will do my best to help you determine that before the start of therapy, but sometimes it’s not totally clear. You should also call the number on the back of your insurance card for benefit information. If you have a different insurance carrier, you may be able to use out of network benefits. In that case, you can pay me directly, and I’ll provide you with a “Superbill” to submit to your insurance carrier. They may then reimburse you whatever they cover for out of network claims. HSAs can also be used for all costs associated with therapy, including copays, coinsurance, and deductibles.

Sessions must be canceled with at least a 24 hour notice. Otherwise, you are responsible for the full fee. Your time is reserved for you and without notice, I can’t make it available to someone else. I also cannot submit a claim to insurance, as no service was provided. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact me as soon as possible, so that we can try to find another good time for you. Of course, I also understand that emergencies happen, and the fee can be waived in extreme situations.

I like to be honest, so I’ll tell you that I can’t guarantee I’m going to be the right psychologist for you! That said, I’m happy to do a 15-minute phone call just to hear a little about what’s going on and what you might be looking for in therapy and also tell you more about my approach. I know the first appointment can be nerve wracking (see blog post!), so I recommend giving it a few sessions to see if it feels like the right therapeutic relationship for you.