FAQ

For single sessions, I charge $130 for each 50-minute session. This rate is for both “traditional” talk therapy and for Reiki.

I also offer pricing packages as follows:
3 session package: $369 ($7/session savings; $21 total)
5 session package: $600 ($10/session savings; $50 total)
10 session package: $1,150 ($15/session savings; $150 total)

I am available Tuesday – Thursday, 10am – 7pm.

All you have to do is give me a ring or text me at (720) 432-3842, and we will chat about a first session. I have a few routine questions that I ask to get to know you, and you’re welcome to ask me any questions you may have.

If you’re not sure if I’m the right fit, you can still call to ask me any clarifying questions and get to know how I might be able to help you. And even if we determine together that I’m not quite right for you, I am more than happy to help you figure out what might suit you best in your journey.

Sessions are 50 minutes.

Why 50 minutes instead of a full hour you ask? That ten-minute window is important for two reasons:

1. It allows me a few moments to consolidate the progress we made in our session and jot down a few notes for the next time I see you, and
2. It gives me a few moments for self-restoration, allowing me to be my best self for my next client. My guess is you’d like me to be in tip-top shape for you if I had a client in the time slot before yours.

I do not take insurance, and there are a few reasons why that are related to both your well-being and mine. The following might be boring if you’re not interested in the flaws of our system, so feel free to skip the diatribe.

First, insurance companies haven’t figured out how to structure their policies when it comes to mental health. I mean they really haven’t in a big way. Here are a couple of ways in which the system is flawed.

Many companies require a mental health diagnosis to cover treatment. I am vehemently against this, as many people who do not actually exhibit all elements of a diagnosis then end up carrying an inaccurate diagnosis on their record, which can lead to other complications in insurance coverage.

If a diagnosis does fit your experience, that is absolutely normal and okay; and many people are truly helped by knowing the name of the thing they are experiencing. A barrier that insurance poses in this circumstance is that it limits the number of therapy sessions they’ll cover.

I’ll give you an example of why this can be problematic: Imagine you have really intense anxiety that has disrupted your life for a long time. You seek therapy with a provider who accepts insurance, and you’re told you are approved for 20 sessions.

If you go weekly, that’s 20 weeks of therapy. It seems like enough to address this anxiety tangle you’ve been battling. You start seeing your therapist, and you have an awesome connection. You are feeling better and better each week, and you’ve even uncovered some core issues from your childhood that contribute to your anxiety.

Now, imagine you’re at week 17, and you’ve just discovered a formative childhood experience that you know you need to work through to really smooth out this anxiety bramble in a big way. But you only have 3 sessions left before insurance is going to cut you off. Now what?

Second, insurance companies provide a very low hourly rate to providers, which does not match the level of investment we put into our work. To put it frankly, I could not do this work if I didn’t care about the people I work with. It would be really silly to think that the human sitting across from you doesn’t experience sessions energetically with you.

By the way, that’s kind of the whole point. Therapy is all about connecting with another human in a genuine way and becoming a team that is mutually invested in your healing. And with a large caseload of clients, I do a large amount of work to ensure everyone is receiving the highest quality of care. The hourly rate that insurance pays does not begin to cover the amount of self-restoration and focus on well-being that self-pay clients can offer.

This is a very brief overview – and I know it’s complicated – so I am more than happy to discuss in more detail over the phone if you have questions.

Sometimes life gets in the way of the best laid plans. My cancellation policy below is designed to allow all Ignite clients some grace, while also protecting the integrity of the therapeutic process.

– Clients may reschedule a session before 36 hours prior to their scheduled meeting time, without any incurred cost.
– Clients may cancel their session before 48 hours prior to their scheduled meeting time, without any incurred cost.

One-off Last-Minute Cancellation: Clients are allowed 1 cancellation per year within the 48-hour window before their session, free of charge. For any additional cancellations, clients will be charged ½ the session rate within the 48-hour window before the session and the full session rate within the 24-hour window before the session.

One-off Last-Minute Reschedule: Clients are allowed 1 reschedule every 6 months within the 36-hour window before their session, free of charge. For any additional reschedules within the 36-hour window before the session, clients will be charged ½ the session fee.

Weather Events: Clients are allowed 1 weather “freebie” cancellation every 6 months if travel is unsafe. Weather must be inclement to the point of warnings and event cancellations/office & school closures by the city of Denver. Weather that is poor, but does not trigger a warning or response from the city of Denver, will not be considered severe enough to warrant a “freebie” cancellation, and clients will be charged the full session fee.

No-Shows: Clients who do not arrive for their sessions, and whom provide no notification of their missing the session, will be charged the full session fee.

These charges will never be a secret. If a situation comes up in which I will charge either half or the full rate for a session, I will call you to talk it through. We may also talk about how I can support you in scheduling in a way that helps avoid any future cancellations. Clients often schedule at times they think are more convenient for me, putting themselves in a trickier position, and that’s certainly not my preference or expectation.

Why be rather strict about this, you may ask?

Well, there are a few reasons.

First, consistency is an important element of progress in therapy. If we are canceling every other session and seeing each other once or twice per month, my experience is that we’re likely spending the majority of the session just catching up on what’s new in your life. And that means we’re not getting to the real “meat and potatoes” of the foundational things you’ve come to me to work on. I truly do not want you to have to spend money on something that isn’t actually helping you heal at a deeper level.

Second, there are a lot of people out there who need help, and I can only take on so many before my books are closed. If you’re a client of mine, I am taking our time together seriously and holding your space for YOU. Cancelled appointments mean denying others therapy with me.

Third, this is my livelihood, and, as we’ll likely discuss in therapy, boundaries are important for a number of reasons, including self-care and safety. Having a clear cancellation policy is a boundary that I set to create that reliability and safety that I need to run my business.

I am always open to discussing other ways that a cancellation policy plays a role in our relationships, so please don’t hesitate to ask should you be wondering anything else about this.

I work exclusively with women.

I work with women, ages 18-35.

This is a doozy of a question, but I will try my best to provide some clarity here. I’ll start by saying that every single client needs a different approach. You are unique, and part of my job is to meet you where you are and take great care to approach therapy in a way that suits you. You are a huge part of that process, and you always have a say in how we work together.

Some of the things we might explore and focus on include boundaries, relational issues, belief systems, traumas, hopes and dreams, physical pain or issues, anxiety, existential questions, spirituality, holistic healing, triggers, your individuality, safety, cultivating your inner fire, identity, sexuality, transformation, transition… and the list goes on.

The process is meant to explore all of the facets of who you are, so we can untangle brambles caused by hardship and design a life that truly feels whole and beautiful.

Reiki is a silent practice in which you are laying down with eyes closed or open, and I am channeling life energy to specific points on your body. Usually I begin with the crown of the head, then move to the forehead, back of the head, neck, shoulders, stomach, lower abdomen, and legs.

You can choose if you would like me to simply hover my hands above you… or actually rest them on each position. Whether I am hovering or resting my hands makes no difference for the efficacy of the practice.

During Reiki sessions, clients have experienced physical sensations, such as tingling, pins and needles, and little twitches. Sometimes clients may feel a very mild wave of pain in an extremity. Clients have seen colors, flashes of light, and images behind their eyelids. Clients have also felt warmth or coldness in their bodies. I usually experience many of these same sensations during a session.

In our first Reiki session, we spend about 10-15 minutes revisiting what Reiki is and what to expect in a session. We then spend 30 minutes doing the Reiki treatment… and finish up with a quick recap of some of the things we each experienced in the session. While I can name the sensations and experiences I had in your session, I am often not able to put into clear words exactly what they mean for you.

You may continue to experience insights throughout the rest of the day. You may physically feel better… perhaps an ache or pain that has been bothering you is minimized. You may find that you sleep more soundly. The benefits are innumerable and unique to each person depending on what he or she needs.

For those who are not familiar with Reiki, this can all seem pretty amorphous. I am here to answer any further questions. You can always give me a ring, and we can discuss what Reiki may look like for you.

Nope! Certainly not. If you would like to do Reiki as a form of self-restoration for you, and you have no interest in talk therapy, that is absolutely fine with me. I am happy to provide this as a stand-alone service. It can be incredibly healing all on its own, and it can be a wonderful resource for anyone who doesn’t prefer to talk about their experience.

If you are seeking just talk therapy, by no means must you also do Reiki. This is an entirely elective form of healing that is certainly not required for healing.

And if you’re seeking both talk therapy and Reiki, know that they can be wonderfully complementary for each other. Our bodies hold memories and energetic brambles that we often can’t access using just our logical brains. Reiki can help our bodies smooth out some of those energetic tangles that can perpetuate the difficulties we experience daily.

This is a frequent question, and I will begin by saying it’s easier to think of this in the context of what modalities I CAN use.

Every modality is not right for every person. I certainly don’t have a go-to recipe for clients, because everyone’s makeup is different.

So which ones can I use? I can utilize psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), trauma-focused therapy, trauma-informed therapy, relational therapy, and cognitive therapy.

If this is what you would like, we can absolutely create some “homework” for outside of sessions. Assignments like this are determined in a collaborative way, meaning we develop the idea together and both agree on what will be best for you to try. I never assign work that you don’t play a part in designing.

Before I became a therapist, I worked in New York City for startups. I was managing projects designed to improve the communication and culture of the company I was working for, in addition to planning events centered on culture and employee wellness.

After moving to Denver, I completed my master’s in Counseling Psychology. As I earned this degree, I worked with clients who had experienced major trauma. For the first 7 months of my program, I worked with teenagers at a high school; and during the second year of my program I worked with an organization called The Blue Bench, where I worked with survivors of sexual assault.

I have had therapists like this, and the answer is NO. Therapy with me is not a weird Freudian experience where you share all of your innermost fears, only to be met with one word or a nod.

Part of being a therapist means reflecting back to you what my questions, thoughts, reactions and feelings are about what you are experiencing. I firmly believe healing happens when two humans are deeply honest and transparent with one another. And that is what I strive to do for you.

On the other hand, do you give advice and directives that you have an overwhelming and unstoppable urge to provide because you think you know what’s best for me?

That would be the worst. I mean… good grief.

There are some therapists out there that think they have all the answers, because they got a master’s degree or have been in the field for 97 years. Any ideas about directives, homework, or takeaways from session will be completely collaborative – certainly not engineered by me alone.

Definitely not. This is an element of the therapeutic process that is right for some people and truly not right for others, and that is absolutely great.

I mention spirituality in other places on this site, because a lot of therapists are averse to discussing it at all in the therapeutic setting, but I’m not if it’s an important element of your healing.

Can you imagine sitting across from someone who is PERFECT… trying to feel connected to them, equal to them, safe to expose vulnerability? I would NOT want to sit with another human if they were perfect. I would feel inadequate, flawed… not good.

The beauty of humanity is that NONE of us is perfect. I have brambles of my own that I am continuing to work on in my life, as do all people on earth. Part of the reason therapy is so powerful is because we two humans are able to relate to the struggle of life together and collaborate to find paths of healing that work. A flawless therapist would be such a bummer.

A lot of people ask me that. This one always makes me laugh a little bit, because being in relationship in a therapeutic setting is SO MUCH MORE than that.

Therapy is exploration, discovery, problem-solving, experimenting, connection, HEALING, and so much more.

So, my question is…

Why wouldn’t I want to spend my days with people feeling the power of connection, trust, and healing?

Duh.

Yup. I love tea. I love candles. I love a cozy atmosphere. I also have blankets and a comfy couch.