Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question 1: What are your fees, and do you take insurance?

My standard rate is $120 per 50-minute session. I am a private-pay practice and do not accept insurance directly. However, I can provide a superbill — a detailed receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Many PPO plans reimburse 50–80% of out-of-network therapy costs. I recommend calling your insurer and asking about your out-of-network mental health benefits before your first session.

Question 2: Do you offer a sliding scale?

Yes. I reserve a limited number of sliding-scale spots for clients who need them. My sliding scale ranges from $70 to $120 per session depending on financial circumstances. If cost is a barrier, please bring it up during our initial consultation and we will work together to find a path forward.

Question 3: Are you currently accepting new clients?

Yes, I am currently accepting new clients for both in-person sessions in Austin, TX and online sessions anywhere in the state of Texas. The first step is a complimentary 20-minute phone consultation so we can make sure we are a good fit for each other.

Question 4: Can we meet in-person and online?

Yes. I offer in-person sessions at my office in the West Lake Hills area of Austin, Texas, and online (telehealth) sessions for anyone located anywhere in the state of Texas. Many clients use a mix of both depending on their schedule and preference.

Question 5: What can I expect from therapy with you?

My approach is depth-oriented and experiential, which means we go beyond surface-level coping strategies to explore the deeper patterns — emotional, relational, and somatic (body-based) — that shape how you experience yourself and others. Sessions are not primarily advice-giving or problem-solving; they are a space for genuine exploration, at a pace that feels safe. I draw on multiple experiential and evidence-based modalities including NARM, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, Coherence Therapy, and existential approaches. We may work with the body’s responses, explore early relational patterns, or examine the larger questions of meaning and purpose that often underlie stress, burnout, and trauma.

Question 6: How is therapy different from executive coaching?

Executive coaching focuses on performance, goals, and strategies for professional development. Therapy — particularly the depth-oriented work I do — goes beneath the surface to address the emotional, relational, and developmental patterns that create the blocks coaching cannot reach. If you have worked with a coach and found it helpful but incomplete, therapy may be the next step. I say this as someone who spent 25 years in executive roles: real, lasting leadership growth often requires addressing what is happening inside you, not just around you. That is what therapy is for.

Question 7: What is complex trauma, and how is it different from PTSD?

PTSD typically results from a single overwhelming event or a series of discrete traumatic incidents — combat, assault, a serious accident. Complex trauma, sometimes called developmental trauma or attachment trauma, arises from ongoing relational experiences, often beginning in childhood: inconsistent caregiving, emotional neglect, boundary violations, or growing up in an environment where your emotional needs were not met. Many people with complex trauma do not identify as having been “traumatized” because there was no single dramatic event. Instead, they experience persistent patterns of anxiety, difficulty trusting, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or a sense of not fully belonging. I specialize in working with complex trauma using somatic and relational approaches that address these deep patterns.

Question 8: What kind of clients do you not work with?

I work exclusively with individual adults (typically 25 and older). I do not provide couples therapy, family therapy, or therapy for children or adolescents. I am also not the right fit for clients who are primarily looking for a prescribing provider, short-term solution-focused work, or court-mandated treatment. My practice is best suited for people who are ready for sustained, exploratory work and who are drawn to a depth-oriented approach.

Question 9: What does it mean that you are an LPC-Associate?

An LPC-Associate (Licensed Professional Counselor Associate) is a fully trained and licensed therapist in the state of Texas who is working under clinical supervision as part of the path to full independent licensure (LPC). I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, am a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and I am supervised by Kimberley Mead, LPC-S. Being an associate does not limit the scope or quality of therapy I provide — it means I receive ongoing clinical oversight from an experienced supervisor, which adds an additional layer of quality assurance to your care.

Question 10: What is NARM therapy (Neuroaffective Relational Model)?

NARM stands for the NeuroAffective Relational Model. It is a therapeutic approach designed specifically for healing developmental and attachment trauma. Unlike traditional talk therapy that focuses primarily on the story of what happened to you, NARM works with the adaptive survival patterns that developed in response to early relational disruptions — patterns like chronic self-judgment, difficulty with boundaries, or disconnection from your own needs and emotions. I am a NARM Level 3 Master Certified practitioner, which is the highest level of certification available in this modality.

Question 11: What is Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Therapy (AEDP)

According to the AEDP Institute, AEDP is a is an experiential model that seeks to alleviate patients’ psychological suffering by helping them process the overwhelming emotions associated with trauma in a way that facilitates corrective emotional and relational experiences that mobilize positive changes in our neuroplastic brains.
Developed by Dr. Diana Fosha, AEDP helps clients access and transform core emotions in the context of a safe, attuned relationship. It recognizes the natural resilience within each person and supports the emergence of new, more connected experiences of self and others.

I completed Level 1 training with AEDP Institute and system founder Diana Fosha, and am currently enrolled in the Level 2 training.

Often used with adults seeking lasting change through emotional depth, especially those with histories of attachment trauma, emotional neglect, or internalized self-criticism.

Learn more: https://aedpinstitute.org description

Question 12: What is Somatic Experiencing (SE)?

Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, SE is a body-based trauma therapy that helps release survival energy stored in the nervous system. SE gently supports regulation, embodiment, and resilience after shock or developmental trauma. I am currently training at the Intermediate level in SE, and am scheduled to complete Advanced level training in early 2027. Learn more: https://traumahealing.org. Often used with nervous system dysregulation, PTSD, anxiety, chronic stress, and trauma-related body symptoms

Question 13: What is Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)?

Created by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS is a model of parts work that sees the mind as made up of distinct sub-personalities, or "parts." In IFS-informed therapy, we help clients understand, unblend from, and heal wounded or protective parts. I have completed the training to be IFS-informed and am currently working through the live Level I training from the IFS Institute.. Learn more: https://ifs-institute.com. Often used with Inner conflict, self-criticism, and trauma-related parts

Question 14: What is Coherence Therapy

I am Level 1 certified by the Coherence Therapy Institute.

Developed by Bruce Ecker, Laurel Hulley, and Robin Ticic, Coherence Therapy is a neuroscience-based approach to lasting emotional change. It integrates discoveries from brain research—especially the process of memory reconsolidation, the only known neural mechanism for actually updating and erasing old emotional learnings. Rather than suppressing or overriding symptoms, this method helps uncover the unconscious emotional meanings driving patterns like anxiety, burnout, or self-sabotage. By bringing these hidden emotional truths into awareness in a safe, structured way, the brain can literally “rewrite” outdated survival responses. This makes Coherence Therapy highly effective for leaders and caregivers stuck in repeating stress cycles, trauma survivors carrying long-standing emotional burdens, and psychedelic explorers seeking to integrate powerful insights into daily life. Learn more → coherencetherapy.org

Question 15: What is Existential Therapy?

A conversational, insight-based approach that helps you explore life’s deeper questions—meaning, freedom, identity, and mortality. These are the bedrock questions about what it means to be alive as a human - which makes it quite ironic that the emphasis on behavioral therapies and other manualized treatments has pushed these larger questions fully out of many systems of therapy. Often used to support clients in facing uncertainty with courage, clarifying values, and making authentic choices for a more purposeful life. Origins: Inspired by thinkers like Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom, it focuses on self-awareness and personal responsibility over quick symptom fixes.

Question 16: What is the STAIR Method (Self Trust & Integrated Resilience)?

Created by Juliane Taylor Shore, LMFT, LPC, SEP, STAIR is a brain based integrated method of experiential therapy designed to help clients rewrite deep emotional patterns. STAIR is really a framework designed to help therapists effectively integrate that systems that they already use (such as somatic and parts work) into an elegantly synthesized whole. The STAIR training includes in-depth work with elements of Bruce Ecker’s Coherence Therapy, as well as advanced parts work approaches.

I have completed STAIR Level 2 training.

Question 17: What is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

Created by Drs. Steven Hayes, Kelly Wilson, and Kirk Strosahl, ACT is a mindfulness-based therapy that helps clients clarify values and take committed action despite difficult thoughts or emotions. ACT supports flexibility, purpose, and self-compassion. Learn more: https://contextualscience.org Often used with individuals navigating stress, perfectionism, or stuck patterns while staying connected to their deeper values

Question 18: What is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)?

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, or Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, is used for the treatment of trauma and depression. The power of combining psychotherapy with psychedelics lies in therapy’s ability to support you in bringing overwhelming experiences into the context of your life’s overall meaning and purpose. Often used with adults with depression and/or trauma seeking structured, supported psychedelic therapy

Question 19: What is Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)?

According to EMDRIA, EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes, showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (Maxfield, 2019).

I am currently pursuing EMDR basic training with an EMDRIA-approved training group.