FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My fee is $135 per session. If there are financial difficulties, I have a few sliding fee appointments available.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I set up an initial consultation with a couple with both partners attending. I'll explore how you each perceive the relationship problems and give you feedback about what I'm hearing. By the end of the consultation, you will each get a good feel for me and how I work to determine whether I'm a good fit for you. If so, I will evaluate your goals for therapy and answer any questions you may have. My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental environment where you each have the opportunity to explore and express your deepest feelings and feel understood. My office becomes a safe haven to freely discuss problems and differences. In the first few sessions, I will make an assessment of the relational patterns including how you push each other's buttons and get stuck in painful interactions. I help each of you identify your role in the problems and offer positive solutions and skills to transform conflict into greater intimacy and love. Together, I regularly evaluate your progress. Throughout this process, I point out the strengths in your relationship, the areas that are already working well for you as a couple; these positive qualities are often under appreciated and, when recognized, can help you feel more hopeful. evaluate your goals for therapy and answer any questions you have about the process.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I received my Marriage and Family Therapist license in 1980. I focused my doctoral dissertation on the treatment of couples and consider myself an authority on relationships. I have extensive training in psychoanalytic and object relations theory. I received my Masters from Sonoma State University and Doctorate from the Sanville Institute in Berkeley. I’ve worked for Sonoma County Mental Health and served as a consultant for psychotherapists in private practice and several Social Service agencies. I’ve taught psychology classes at Sonoma State University and the Santa Rosa Junior College and presented numerous workshops on such issues as relationship problems, stress, anxiety, and stepfamily struggles. I have a deep desire to understand what makes intimate relationships successful, and as a result, I’m committed to ongoing training and learning. Every couple I work with teaches me something new.