FAQs

Choosing to address life issues or events in order to heal them is a significant decision. Therapy calls on one’s inner resources and invites exploration.  I try to make therapy as unintimidating as possible. Often I call it working on matters of the heart.

In fact, studies show that people who seek out counseling or therapy are actually MORE psychologically healthy than the general population! This may be because it takes great strength to make the decision to get help.

Psychotherapy and counseling are becoming more and more well received in our culture, in part because mental health is finally being respected.  Following the Affordable Care Act, mental health is now covered by insurance plans.

Many have sought psychotherapy or counseling at one time or another. Writers, doctors, nurses, teachers, business people, artists, athletes, academics, and admired public figures have benefited from therapy support at different times in their lives, so you are definitely not alone! In addition, many counselors, therapists, and psychologists have gone through their own psychotherapy in the course of their training.

Note: Typically, I do not see clients who have not achieved a consistent and abiding year of sobriety from addiction to alcohol or drugs. Your clear and defined year of sobriety is my best working environment.

See Services for a list of services provided by my practice.  You are invited to call to ask questions.

There are a few situations that allow or require the release of confidential information:

1) The therapist or counselor must act appropriately when there is danger to the patient or to another person at the patient’s hands.  This may involve others when necessary to protect the patient if the patient is suicidal, intends to harm another person, or is unable to provide self-care at a level necessary for basic survival. State law also requires the report of abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or vulnerable adult when there is reasonable belief that it has occurred or is likely to occur in the future.

2) In response to a court order, a counselor must testify or release records.  A counselor does not release records or testify in response to a subpoena unless the patient or patient’s guardian has given written authorization to do so.

3) As professionals, we do consult with one another from time to time to improve our quality of service to you.  Case material is sometimes used in training, consultation, and writing.  This is always without identifying information and with great care and respect for your privacy.

Multnomah County: (503) 988-4888

Washington County: (503) 291-9111

Clackamas County: (503) 655-8401

You may leave a message on my telephone service at night, but typically, I will return it the next day. I ask people to think through their situation and whether in an emergency they want to wait for contact from me or if it is wiser for them to speak to someone right away.

For individuals using BCBS, PacificSource, and Lifewise insurance in Washington State, a co-pay is paid beginning with the first session in keeping with your insurance contract with one of these carriers.  My practice sends a claim the insurance company for you.

If I am not on your insurance panel but you wish to use insurance, the usual out of pocket fee is charged. Out of network billing is completed for individuals who wish to have their insurance billed and you are reimbursed per your insurance contract.  Billing is done via a HIPAA complaint and encrypted software system.

A Senior fee is offered for individuals 65 and over.  Please call to discuss.  The practice cannot bill Medicare or Advantage plans.

$20.00 per session for group therapy, in accordance with the average fee for counseling services. Payable in one-time payment for group sessions offered in any six to eight week group period.

Telephone contact under 10 minutes will not be billed.  Longer telephone sessions billed on a pro-rated fee based on he in-person rate, and fifty-minute telephone or electronic sessions are billed at the same rate as in-person sessions.  Electronic/telephonic sessions should be cleared with your insurance company beforehand.

Document preparation billed at $175 per hour.

Court appearances billed at my per diem rate.

Missed appointments or cancellations are billed at full fee unless cancelled at least 24 hours in advance of the appointment time.  Insurance does not pay for missed sessions. This policy allows use of my time by another client.

I have a limited number of appointments available on a sliding fee scale. We can discuss your particular needs, and I will ask for proof of income.

Fees are raised or reviewed annually.

Nevertheless, it is important that you contact your insurance company to thoroughly understand:

• What is amount of mental health coverage you have annually.
• What is the amount of your mental healthcare deductible, that portion of the ongoing billing you will pay out-of-pocket before your benefits cover a portion of your mental health services?
• If you are on Medicare, will your insurance company reimburse you for services provided to you by a licensed professional counselor (LPC)?

Out-of-network means I cannot accept a co-pay from you and bill your insurance company as a provider on your insurance company’s network of providers. It does mean that payment is requested from you at the time of service.  Within 48-72 hours, the electronic billing system bills your insurance company creating a claim and the reimbursement process to you.  Statements for HSA’s or other savings plans you may be a member of can be documented for you.

For clients who wish privacy concerning their therapy, cash payment offers that protection.

Psychotherapy and analysis are investments in yourself, your healing, and your growth toward wholeness.  You are working on your own goals and interests, work that is vital.When you call me to discuss what life issues you are facing, I will also be glad to discuss my fee with you.

During our first sessions, we will talk about how long therapy tends to last for people experiencing your particular difficulty and level of severity.

Sometimes, more frequent meeting are needed for a short time at the beginning of therapy or during crisis periods until you feeling better. I see people in Jungian Analysis for longer periods of time often twice a week.  People in Jungian or psychodynamic therapy come to session once a week for a period of time.

I see graduate and doctoral students in psychology, depth psychology, and counseling psychology who are working toward program requirements.

Hollywood Library Café NE 43rd and NE Tillamook

Fleur de Lis, NE Hancock and NE 42nd

Whole Foods Market NE 43rd and NE Sandy (closest)

At your appointment time, knock on my door.  I will greet you.  We will immediately go into my office.  During the first few minutes of our first session, I will give you my policy, consent, and personal disclosure statement as required by the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists. I am ready to respond to questions you have.

We’ll begin the conversation where you wish to begin.   I will listen and learn more about what brings you to therapy.  I’ll be determining whether or not my training and experience are a likely match your needs, and whether or not I feel I can be of help to you, or if I need to refer you to a licensed professional who is more appropriate for you. You will also be deciding whether or not you feel you want to work with me.  If you feel it is not a match, I will refer you to another licensed professional.  Within the first few sessions, we will discuss how long your therapy is likely to last, its risks and benefits, and what we will be doing during the sessions.  I will encourage you to ask questions about any concerns you have at any time during our work together.

Jungian Analysis is a well-known, serious, and longer-term approach of working with people.  It is a a serious process of focusing on matters of one’s heart and one’s soul during the turbulent journey of life.  As a process, it is based on theory and training which take time to learn and to apply.

Jungian Analysis reflects certified capability from specific training in Analytical Psychology, the psychology theory developed by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl G. Jung.  It takes a long time to become a Jungian Analyst and to handle the theory in a clinical setting.  The approach values people’s ability to heal in spite of all their difficulties.  It values integrating the human unconscious into consciousness.  We see the unconscious in dreams, daydreams, slips of the lip, repeated relationship patterns, what we “put” or project on other people, and repeating patterns in life.  The unconscious also holds trauma and repressed material.  I am deeply trained and experienced in helping people with the courageous work of looking deeply into one’s inner self. Together, our goal is to help you find and absorb present, but unexpressed parts of your personality, and through this exploration to become a more aware and distinct individual. Each person’s journey with his or her unconscious is an individualistic endeavor. I join others who call this process doing our own, ongoing work of healing and differentiation. Through this process of honoring the unconscious, the unique individual is awakened.

Jungian therapy is a shorter-term therapy, focusing on getting below the surface of the presenting symptoms, for example, an anxiety.  In working to get “below” the symptom, we can work to improve a person’s mental health surrounding the issue or issues.

Qualifications to be able to call oneself a Jungian practitioner:

This is a consumer warning.  A Certified Diplomate in Jungian Analysis, such as myself or other Jungian Analysts in Portland, have engaged in post graduate study for many years beyond their master’s or doctoral degree.  We have taken hundreds of hours of personal analysis, and in the case of the C.G. Jung Institute, engaged in long-term, demanding seminars as well as intensive group and individual clinical supervision in an international context.  I was also required to research, write, and defend a thesis on an original topic.  A Jungian Psychotherapists or a Jungian-Oriented Counselor is not a Jungian Analyst, nor are these people deeply trained in Jungian work.

If you specifically want a trained Jungian or to know that the person working with you understands the complexities and challenges of Analytical Psychology (the basis of Jungian work) and its applications, look at my qualifications and background or go to pnsja.com/our analysts.htm for more choices.