Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Taking the journey inward with therapy can be one of the most life-changing and meaningful journeys that you’ll embark on. The therapy journey not only requires courage and an open mind—it also requires an investment of time, energy, and finances. Many people find this investment to be very worthwhile. Please see my current fees below.

    • Individual sessions: $250 per 50-minute session

    • Occasionally, I also offer workshops and groups. Please refer back for fees.

  • I am not currently on any insurance panels. However, if your insurance plan accepts out-of-network providers, I can send you a monthly superbill, which is an itemized receipt of your therapy appointments. You would need to submit the superbill to your insurance company, who would then reimburse you directly. Please note that you are responsible for inquiring with your insurance company about your plan’s coverage.

    Also, please note that there are some points to consider when it comes to receiving insurance reimbursement for psychotherapy. Most insurance plans require a mental health diagnosis in order to pay for treatment. This diagnosis becomes part of your medical record as well as the insurance company’s records. This can have an impact on future applications for health or life insurance.

    Also, keep in mind that your insurance company maintains a certain degree of access to your treatment records. The insurance company does this to help them determine whether treatment is medically necessary and something they will authorize. Therefore, I strive to preserve as much confidentiality as possible, releasing only information deemed essential for authorizing services.

  • In order for transformation and growth to happen in therapy, it requires that the relationship between client and therapist has firm footing. This enables the work in therapy to go to a deeper level.

    In my clinical experience, this deeper work in therapy is best done through weekly sessions. When sessions drop off to every other week or less frequently, they become more about “catching up,” which can make it more difficult to do the kind of deeper therapeutic work that yields lasting results.

    I also find people get more out of the work and are more invested in it when they have a weekly commitment to themselves and the therapy. Because of this, I only offer weekly sessions and do not offer bimonthly or monthly sessions.

  • I see the first few sessions as a way for us both to continue to explore if it’s a fit to work together. First off, I’ll give you a warm welcome and check in with how it is to be in therapy. Then, I’ll do a quick review of practice policies and give you some space to ask any questions you have about them. I will review your intake form before your first session and may ask you some clarifying questions based on your answers. I’ll also review your goals for therapy with you.

    If anything comes up that I believe is out of my wheelhouse in the first few sessions, I will let you know and offer referrals for therapists who I think would be a better fit.

    Last but not least, depending on what comes up in session and where you’re at, I might offer some small somatic therapy or art therapy techniques so you can get a taste of these ways of doing therapy.

  • Here are my top 3 tips for getting the most out of our work together:

    1. You are interested in trying new ways of doing things. People who get the most out of working with me are a.) open to experimenting with new ideas and behaviors inside (and outside) therapy sessions; and b.) interested in the modalities I work with: depth therapy, somatic therapy, and expressive arts therapy.

    2. You take the tools and skills you learn in therapy and try them out during the rest of your week. To really reap the benefits of our work together, it’s important to take what you learn in therapy and practice it in the real world consistently. Then we can check in when you come to session, see how it went, celebrate any victories and tend to any disappointments, and talk about whether any tweaks need to be made.

    3. You use the therapy relationship as a “laboratory” of sorts to experiment with new behaviors, as well as learn more about yourself and how you show up in your relationships. The relationship between a therapist and client is different in that it’s both professional as well as uniquely intimate. Therapy is a space where you can show up as your authentic self (or even explore who that is if you’re not sure) without judgment. You can use the “lab” of the therapeutic relationship to experiment with saying what’s challenging, vulnerable, or real for you in the moment.

  • In the first part of the intro call (aka phone consultation), I’ll ask you some brief questions such as what's bringing you to seek therapy at this time, and about any past experience in therapy.

    In the second part of the consultation, feel free to ask me any questions you have—things like how therapy sessions with me work, logistics, or how we might work together. It can be helpful to jot down a shortlist of your main thoughts and questions before we talk.

    Please note that this complimentary intro call is a one-time offer. If you are late or miss your appointment, I cannot offer you extra time or another complimentary consultation. You are welcome to contact me regarding rescheduling an additional appointment for a fee.

  • At its core, therapy helps people to become more aware of themselves. In therapy, we gently help to bring deep-seated beliefs, feelings, and thoughts, as well as the effects of any traumatic experiences, to greater awareness. Often, when such elements are stuck just under the surface of our awareness, they play a big role in contributing to undesired symptoms, patterns, and behaviors (such as codependent relationships, low self-esteem, or anxiety). Therapy also provides a place to process trauma, as well as learn and experiment with new tools, skills, and ways of being with oneself and the world.

    When we become more aware of what’s been “running the show” and we learn new skills and tools, we can start to create powerful changes in our lives, thaw out from numbness, release what’s no longer serving us, and tap into an increased sense of aliveness, joy, and fulfillment. I also strongly believe that therapy is not only a place to examine “what’s wrong”—it’s also a place to look at what’s right: what are your strengths, dreams, and passions? What helped you get this far? What inspires you and keeps you going? Let’s celebrate and amplify that, too!

  • Due to its more complex and thorough nature, depth therapy is generally a longer process compared with more solution-focused techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy. Several factors determine the duration of the therapy, including your needs, goals, and resources. On average, the therapy can last between 1-3 years.

    However, some folks choose to do therapy for more or less time. Further, some people decide to focus on doing a chunk of work on a particular issue and then take a break from therapy to integrate what they learned. They may decide to come back when they feel ready to do another chunk of work on a different issue at a later time.

    Ultimately, the choice of the duration of the therapy is up to you. As a depth-oriented therapist focused on ethical practice and client empowerment, it is also important to me that the work always has a “North Star”—that is, a general aim, goal(s), or direction. I will work with you to help you determine and clarify your North Star(s), as well as create space to periodically evaluate them and how you’re feeling about the therapy in general.

  • My practice is currently 100% virtual, which allows me to work with people residing throughout the state of California. I do provide in-person groups and workshops from time to time. Please sign up for my newsletter at the page footer to get early word about groups and workshops.

  • Therapy and life coaching can both be powerful and transformative. There can be certain areas of overlap between the two disciplines, such as working on goal setting, looking at core beliefs, and increasing overall well-being. However, therapy and life coaching are actually quite different in many ways.

    For one, the training is different. Licensed therapists and psychologists are required to complete graduate training in counseling psychology as well as thousands of hours of postgraduate clinical training, working under the supervision of licensed senior therapists.

    In contrast, coaching technically does not require any specific training, although there are professional organizations that provide accreditation and training via certificate programs. Further, therapists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of concerns related to mental health such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues, whereas coaches are not.

    Last but not least, the pace and end goals can be quite different in therapy vs. life coaching. For instance, coaching can be more directive and move at a faster pace than therapy. Plus, coaching typically takes more of a problem-solving approach to identifying where you want to go and how you want to get there.

    In contrast, therapy is often about slowing down and learning how to be with yourself and the full spectrum of your emotions. It’s about getting still enough to pay attention to what your mind, body, and soul are communicating to you. While identifying goals and therapist directiveness can be aspects of therapy, in general, the focus is more on the process and what emerges in the therapeutic relationship.

  • This is another area where therapy and life coaching are different. As a marriage and family therapist (MFT) licensed in California, per the legal and ethical codes that I am obligated to follow, I can only charge clients for sessions one at a time and cannot promote package deals or require clients to commit to a certain number of sessions upfront. In therapy, the client always has the right to choose whether or not they want to remain in therapy and can leave therapy at any time.

  • I am all about providing recommendations for books, articles, podcasts, etc., for self-study outside therapy, as well as encouraging clients to practice the skills they learn in therapy in the outside world. However, I actually avoid the term “homework” in therapy because a.) who wants to feel like they’re in grade school again?! and b.) it implies that I am in a position of authority or power over the client.

    As part of client-centered therapy informed by social justice values, I am very interested in leveling the power gap between therapist and client in the therapeutic relationship. I’m also committed to empowering clients to be the experts on their lives and the authors of their experience. I find ways to support accountability and learning other than assuming the role of the teacher assigning homework.

  • I take a highly individualized approach to therapy, so the benefits of therapy are unique for each person’s specific needs and goals. I also spend significant time between sessions on researching, concepting, and attending clinical consultation to provide the most informed, best possible care for each person who chooses to work with me.

    While I cannot make any guarantees, some general examples of the benefits of therapy include:

    • Increased self-esteem, self-compassion, and self-love

    • Feeling more even-keeled (less careening up and down the emotional rollercoaster)

    • Better able to manage past trauma

    • Greater clarity and direction

    • Healthier and more satisfying relationships

    • Stronger boundaries

    • More vitality and creativity

    • Improved communication skills

    • More compassion and altruism in the world

    • Feeling more present

    • Feeling like you have more inner and outer support and resources

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Healing requires dancing in the full spectrum of experience.

“Healing can break our hearts and shatter old dreams. It is oriented in birth and death, creativity and destruction, transcendent and descendent currents, and must by its nature dance in the full spectrum.

Relationships ending, dreams collapsing, careers recycling, the dissolving of the way it was all supposed to turn out: these yellowings of soul are not evidence of error, failure, or defeat, but of the relentlessly creative nature of love as it emerges here. One form dying so that another may come into being.”

—Matt Licata