This is a great question! You should choose a therapist based on if they meet the goals you have for therapy. For example, if you're interested in working on grief, it's important the therapist has experience with grief. Your therapist should also be someone you feel comfortable with, and feel comfortable challenging. If you think I might be a good fit, reach out!

Therapy is very flexible. Historically, it involves us meeting together, virtually or in person, and discussing your concerns, your goals, the challenges you're facing and how we can come up with plans and strategies to navigate this. It could be specific skill work, or questions and discussion. The key is that therapy is what you make it.

The initial consult, if you choose to have one, is to get a sense of our ~vibe~, per the youths. It's a brief, 10-15 minute call, where we can touch base about goals and expectations and see if your needs match my skills. The intake, however, is a full session where we discuss your history, both mental health and personal, and identify specific goals and strategies to move foward. 

Silver Oaks is INN with most BCBS (including the State Health Plan), Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth and Optum (United, UBH) plans. We are OON with Blue Home, Medicaid, and Medicare. It is your responsibility to verify your insurance benefits and if I am In Network, however if you are scheduling with me, I will do a courtesy check of your benefits. This is not a guarantee of coverage or rates of sessions. 

Silver Oaks Counseling, PLLC has a self-pay rate of $200 for an initial intake session, and $175 for a typical therapy hour (53-55 minutes). In line with a commitment to social justice, we offer a number of sliding scale appointments. Feel free to inquire about sliding scale availability, however please note spaces may not be available if currently filled.

Depending on what works best for you, I offer both in person and virtual sessions (via a HIPAA compliant teletherapy service, of course!) This is also true for EMDR sessions, and reduces potential disruptions in progress. PLEASE NOTE! If you wish to meet in person, there are two office cats! Sprout & Cleo do not come into my office, but they do roam the adjacent hallways. If you are allergic, we will need to consider teletherapy exclusively.

We accept payment electronically via credit card, debit card, Health Savings Account (HSA) card, or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) card.

The scheduling system sends a reminder for scheduled appointments 48 hours ahead of the session. If you do not show for your scheduled therapy appointment, and you have not notified us at least 24 hours in advance, you will be responsible for the full cost of the Missed Appointment Fee. If you need to reschedule, we work to reschedule appointments within the calendar week if possible.

The No Surprises Act was passed in December 2020, under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, with the aim of protecting consumers from receiving unexpected medical bills. The Good Faith Estimate provision of the No Surprises Act federally mandates that healthcare providers must give clients, who don't have insurance or who are not using insurance, an estimate of anticipated healthcare items and services, using what is called a “Good Faith Estimate.” This took effect on January 1, 2022. This new regulation is designed to provide transparency to patients regarding their expected medical expenses and to protect them from surprises when they receive their medical bills. It allows patients to understand how much their health care will cost before they receive services.

What is a Good Faith Estimate?

A Good Faith Estimate is an estimate of the total expected costs of non-emergency healthcare items or services. At Silver Oaks Counseling, we offer Good Faith Estimates that project out 12 months in advance. Essentially, your estimate will give you a reasonable idea what to expect in terms of therapy costs for one whole year, based on current rates.

-Intends to offer predictability & transparency in how much clients will be charged for healthcare services prior to their appointment.

-Includes all regularly scheduled appointments (i.e. therapy sessions).

-Does NOT include no-shows, late cancellations, or other services related to crisis care, which by definition are unexpected and cannot be predicted for the purpose of compiling a Good Faith Estimate in advance.

-May also include consultations with client collateral contacts, fees related to paperwork requests, and other legal and administrative fees related to client care, when such items are scheduled in advance.

What are my rights as a client?

You have the to receive a "Good Faith Estimate" explaining how much your healthcare will cost. Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

Make sure your healthcare provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your healthcare provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you have a right to dispute the bill. The federal government offers a dispute resolution process for this purpose.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.

Good Faith Estimate Disclaimers

The information provided in the Good Faith Estimate is only that: an estimate. Actual healthcare items, services, or charges may differ or change throughout the year, even for long-term established clients. 

The Good Faith Estimate is not a contract, and does not bind, obligate, or require any client to obtain healthcare services or items from Silver Oaks Counseling at any time.

There are no federal provisions allowing clients to waive their right to a Good Faith Estimate at this time. As such, Silver Oaks Counseling is required by law to send all ongoing clients new Good Faith Estimates every 12 months; clients cannot opt-out, and are required to acknowledge receipt and understanding of each new Good Faith Estimate in order to comply with federal law so that we may continue working together.