FAQs

I require a minimum of 24 hours for a cancellation without a fee.  If you cancel with less than 24 hour notice, there will be a $75 late cancellation fee charged to your account.  If you no-show an appointment, there will be a $105 no-show fee charged to your account.  These fees must be paid before another appointment can be scheduled. Please keep in mind that there is also a minimum time face-to-face required by insurance companies in order for me to bill a session, so if you arrive more than 10 minutes late we may need to reschedule (and you would be charged a late cancellation fee).
I am no longer running groups for school aged children, though I would be happy to refer you to some area groups if you contact me.
If the parents have joint legal custody I do require both parents to sign my consent for treatment form as well as my practice/billing policies and privacy policies forms. If one parent has sole legal custody, I require a copy of supporting court documentation. In that case, only the parent with sole legal custody needs to sign my intake paperwork.
I accept cash, check, credit card (MC/VISA/DISC/AMEX), and flex spending or health savings cards (FSA/HSA).
Yes, I take some types of commercial insurance. I do not accept Mass Health or Medicare. Please visit my Insurance page for more details.
You may either ask to be waitlisted for an afterschool time slot, or you may bring your child during the school day when I generally have a few openings. Please bear in mind that when an afterschool slot opens up, I offer it first to my during-school-hours clients first before offering it to new clients who are on my wait list. I have found that most schools are very understanding about children coming to outside counseling appointments during school hours, especially if their mental health needs are impacting their learning or behavior in school. I provide notes for children who are tardy or excused from school.
This question is the hardest to answer. Some clients come for only a few sessions to get some help on a very specific problem. Others come consistently for 3-6 months while working on the original concern. Some clients with more chronic needs benefit from ongoing counseling (but this is the exception, rather than the rule). I also have clients who return to counseling for a “tune-up” after some time off. The main consideration is that insurance companies require that clients meet “medical necessity” in order for the insurance company to pay for services.
My office and waiting room are peanut, tree nut, and sesame free. Please do not bring any foods containing these ingredients to your child's session.
I schedule clients for appointments on an every other week basis. If the needs are more pressing, we can meet weekly (but you would need to have some flexibility to bring your child during the school day when I have more availability).
Appointments generally last 45 minutes, though some insurances will cover longer appointments if medically necessary.
Yes, I am happy to collaborate with other providers and/or school personnel. Depending on the extent of collaboration, there may be an additional charge (not covered by insurance). This is something we would discuss beforehand. I would also need you to sign a consent form before I can contact other providers and/or school personnel.
Yes, I offer separate parent sessions if the child is an existing client. These can be done in person (often covered by insurance) or over the phone (self-pay because this is not covered by insurance). I find that the clients who make the most progress are the ones whose parents are actively involved in treatment. Oftentimes the most success happens when parents find ways to adapt their parenting style to their child’s needs while the child is also learning their own skills.
Generally I will work with only one child as the “identified client” (in terms of how I process treatment through insurance) but I will encourage siblings to attend from time to time in order to do activities to work on communication skills, cooperation, and problem solving if that might be helpful. Depending on the situation, I may consider working with multiple siblings on individual basis.
I work with children ages 2-8. Most of our “work” is done through play, movement, and creative activities. I help children with a variety of skills including: learning how to identify, communicate, and manage their feelings; sharing their thoughts and ideas with others; understanding how their brains and bodies are connected; and finding helpful ways to solve problems. I also help parents learn alternate ways to help their children navigate big emotions and behaviors.