Services and Fees

*Read my insurance policy statement below

I have years of experience working with a myriad of mental health issues.

These are a few of the problems I can help with:

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Trauma

  • Communication Issues

  • Grief

  • Life Transitions

  • PTSD

  • Relationship Issues

  • Work Stress

  • Chronic Illness

These are a few of the approaches I use:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Trauma Focused

  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

  • Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

  • Relational Therapy

At this time I am seeing clients exclusively via HIPAA compliant teletherapy.

Due to the constraints and limitations of insurance companies, I have chosen not to contract with them for payment. (for further explanation see the statement a the bottom of this page).

My fee is $100 for a 60-minute session, or $150 for a 90-minute session.

Couples Communication 101
$249.00
One time

Over 40 years of learned experience working with hundreds of couples condensed into one course. Communication skills, personality types, assessments, and your common burning relationship questions answered.

✓ Unlimited lifetime access
✓ Admission to monthly Zoom Q&A's with Shirley
✓ New lessons added regularly 

                                               WHY TELETHERAPY?

  • Skip the commute, embrace the convenience. Teletherapy brings therapy to you, wherever you are, saving you time and the hassle of travel.

  • Therapy on your terms. Enjoy the flexibility of scheduling sessions around your life, not around travel logistics.

  • Comfort meets care. Connect with your therapist from the familiarity and comfort of your own home, creating a safe and relaxing environment for your sessions.

  • Convenience at your fingertips. Schedule and attend your therapy sessions with ease, from any location with an internet connection.

HOW DOES TELETHERAPY WORK?

Telehealth allows us to meet through audio and video over the internet. You’ll need a computer or tablet with a camera and audio, and a good WiFi connection. You’ll be sent a link for the video appointment. Click on it when our appointment is scheduled to start, or, if you prefer to use your smart phone, you can open it through the Telehealth by SimplePractice app (which you can download for free in the app store). SimplePractice is a fully HIPAA compliant EHR platform.

My Video Course

If I could give people one thing to help them improve the relationships in their lives, it would be this course.

My Position on Billing Insurance

After careful consideration, I decided to resign from insurance contracts effective September 1, 2017.

My intention is that my behaviors in conducting business are congruent with my values and ethics, as well as those of my licensing board and the National Association of Social Workers.

Unfortunately, like many other medical and mental health providers, I have been forced to choose between committing insurance fraud in order to get paid, or turning away clients whose presenting issues fall outside the scope of medical necessity. Quite simply, I’m tired of “pathologizing for profit”.

Here are some facts about medical insurance, that many “members” aren’t aware of when seeking therapy:

Insurance coverage is not guaranteed, you will usually have to pay some portion of the fee, in the form of a deductible and/or co-payment, and personal information about you and your diagnosis will be sent to the insurance company. This information establishes "pre-existing condition" for future insurance providers, and may stay on your record for years.

Most insurance companies do not cover marital therapy or any kind of relationship issues. Your treatment has to be considered "medically necessary".

Your insurance company has the right to determine the "type, frequency, extent, site, and duration" of treatment. They require the treatment to be "medically necessary", and some of them require a treatment plan so that they can "approve" additional treatment.

Your insurance company has the right to audit your medical records, including therapy notes, for up to 7 years to determine if the treatment you received was medically necessary. If they determine that it was not, your provider has to reimburse the insurance company for those payments. This could amount to thousands of dollars.

If you pay out-of-pocket for your therapy sessions:

You and your therapist decide the length, frequency and duration of your sessions and are able to negotiate a fee.

You and your therapist decide who, besides you, will be part of the therapy process.

Your diagnosis, if you have one, remains between you and your therapist.

You and your therapist do not have to spend precious time discussing treatment plans, insurance denials, and other administrative issues.