FAQs

On this page you’ll find information about how my practice works. Please read this page before contacting me as many of your questions can be answered here.

Billing

  • I am an in-network provider for:

    • Premera Blue Cross

    • Regence Blue Shield

    If you are using insurance, it’s worth checking in with your insurance plan to see how many sessions they will cover in a calendar year.

    I am considered an out-of-network provider by all other insurance companies. I can provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance to seek reimbursement for therapy services.

    Please note that a superbill does not guarantee reimbursement from your insurance company. Superbills are processed on the first of the month.

    I do not offer discounted services.

  • Yes, I take Lyra Health. I do not take any other EAPs.

    If you would like to use your Lyra Health employee benefit, please email me at Get Started.

  • When you use your insurance for therapy I may be required to share with them information about the services that I’m providing you such as your diagnosis, treatment plan, and case notes.

    If you’d prefer not to share this type of confidential information with your insurance company, then private pay is the way to go.

  • When you compete your new client paperwork, you will be required to enter your credit card information. If you are paying privately, once your session has completed, your credit card will be automatically charged. If you are using insurance, your credit card will be automatically charged after your insurance has processed your claim.

    Please note that there is a $30 service charge for declined cards.

  • A superbill is a document that you provide to your insurance to request reimbursement for therapy services. The document is similar to a statement and includes the provider’s information, dates of service, services provided, CPT code(s), clinical diagnosis, and dollar amount paid. Superbills are processed on the 1st of the month.

    A superbill does not guarantee reimbursement from your insurance company.

  • Yes. My platform is FSA and HSA enabled; however it does not guarantee that a payment will be authorized.

    Card issuers can authorize or decline any payment as they would with any other type of credit card. With HSA and FSA cards, cards are often declined due to either insufficient funds or certain usage rules put in place by the card issuer. If you have questions about this, please contact the card issuer directly for assistance.

    Please note that there is a $30 service charge for declined cards. If your card is declined, please contact the card issuer directly for assistance. If this happens, I will ask you to pay for your session with a credit card.

  • You can cancel your appointment 24 hours before your session. Cancelations that occur within 24 hours of of the appointment will be charged the full amount for the session. No-shows are also charged the full amount for the session.

  • To cancel your appointment please log into the client portal. From there you can cancel the appointment directly or send me a secure message. Here is a client guide if you need help with this.

  • Starting in January of 2022 the “No Surprises Act” was established to protect clients from receiving surprise medical and behavioral health bills when they receive services from a provider. You will receive a “good faith estimate” of therapy services when you complete your new client paperwork.

  • Generally speaking, I do have openings throughout the year. Please email me through the Get Started button.

  • No, I don’t keep a waitlist.

  • Once we both agree to work together, I’ll email you a link to set up your profile on the client portal. This email will come from “yourprovider@simplepractice.com” so please check your junk mail if you do not see it in your inbox.

    When you click on the link, you’ll be directed to the Client Portal which is a HIPAA compliant EHR (electronic health records) platform that I use. Here’s a guide if you need support signing in.

    Once your profile is set up, you’ll be able to read and sign all disclosures and complete new client intake forms. All of your paperwork is conveniently completed online through the Client Portal.

    I require that all paperwork is completed within 24 hours of your first appointment. I am not able to provide services until this occurs.

  • If you haven’t done so already, please check your junk mail. Also, please look for an email from “yourprovider@simplepractice.com.” It’s a good idea to add this email to your addresses so that future emails do not go to junk mail. Here’s a guide that can help with problems logging in for the first time.

    If all else fails, please email me.

  • Telehealth is a convenient way that therapy is provided online through a HIPAA compliant video conferencing platform. When you schedule an appointment with me, you will receive the telehealth link to join at the time of your appointment.

    For the best experience, please use a laptop or desktop to connect to your session.

    I am licensed to provide therapy in WA state. To receive telehealth, you need to be in WA state at time of your appointment.

  • Yes. I am only licensed to provide therapy in WA state. To receive telehealth, you need to be in WA state at time of your appointment.

Logistics

About Therapy

  • I specialize in stress, anxiety, burnout, life transitions, grief, mild/moderate depression, and adjustment to chronic illness. Please see my Specialties page for more information.

  • Fit has to do with many factors. For example, you need to be in a place in your life where you have the time, emotional, and financial means to commit to therapy.

    I also need to specialize in the area that you’d like to focus on and my clinic set up needs to meet your needs. For example, if you’d like your child see for a traumatic event they have experienced, we wouldn’t be a good fit because I don’t provide services to children and I don’t specialize in trauma.

    At the end of your first visit, if we both agree that we’re a good fit, then we’ll schedule the next session. If we’re not a good fit, then I’ll provide you with referrals.

    The first step is to read the information on the Get Started page.

  • There is no “magic number” of sessions because each individual’s needs and goals are different.

    Typically, I work weekly with new clients. It really depends on a client’s therapeutic goals and the current stressors in their life.

    We will discuss this topic during your first session and revisit it at different times throughout our time together. More importantly, you always have the right to end services at any time.

    My goal is to strengthen your resilience so that eventually you will not need to see me.

    If you are using insurance, it’s worth checking in with your insurance plan to see how many sessions they will cover in a calendar year.

  • The initial intake (first session) is 60 minutes. Ongoing therapy sessions are 55 minutes.

    Please note that session times are different for clients using Lyra Health. If you would like to use your Lyra Health benefit, please email via Get Started.

  • Great question! During the first session we’ll get to know each other. I’ll ask questions about your history, background, and learn what has worked and not worked for you. We’ll discuss what you’d like to work on and if there is time, your therapeutic goals.

    I’ll also share information about how we’ll work together and cover a few clinic policies so that we’re on the same page moving forward. If we run out of time, we’ll resume at your next session.

    If we both decide at the end of the first session that we’re a good fit for each other, we can book the next session. If we’re not a good fit, then I’ll provide you with referrals.

  • I see clients between 9 am and 5 pm during the week. I do not see clients on weekends.

  • Yes, I offer telehealth. Telehealth sessions are provided online through a HIPAA compliant video conferencing platform.

  • Yes, I offer in-person sessions. My office is located in the Wallingford neighborhood. Please see the bottom of the Get Started page for more information.

  • No, I don’t provide couples therapy.

  • No, I don’t provide therapy to children or teens.

  • No, I don’t offer group therapy.

  • No. I am unable to provide clinical services (i.e., therapy) to current or former students who have taken undergraduate and/or graduate courses from me.

  • Great question, my therapeutic approach includes Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) which is supplemented with tools from Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and biofeedback. Given my approach, I often provide clients with activities to practice between sessions. To learn more about this, please see the Individual Therapy page.

  • Yes! I’m trained in Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) through the Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego. With this I’m able to offer individual and group mindfulness sessions to those who are not interested in therapy but would like to learn MBSR. Please see Individual Mindfulness for more on mindfulness and Meet Mei Ling for my credentials.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based practice. This means that there is ample scientific evidence demonstrating that it is effective (references #1 & #7). Described simply, CBT focuses on changing behavior patterns and is an effective approach in the treatment of stress and anxiety. This may look like learning to notice and question distorted thoughts, gaining skills to face fears instead of avoiding them, or learning how to calm the mind and body.

    Please see Meet Mei Ling for my credentials.

  • MBSR is the practice of being in the present moment.

    Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an 8-week empirically supported psycho-educational approach. Research has demonstrated positive physical and psychological improvements in symptoms related to stress (reference #2). This approach was created in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Studies suggest that MBSR is effective in decreasing perceived stress and anxiey (reference #3 & #4).

    Mindfulness may also improve cognitive flexibility, clarity, focus, memory, and relationship satisfaction (reference #5).

    I’ve received post-graduate teacher training through the University of CA San Diego, Center for Mindfulness, in MBSR and have also completed a practicum to offer this approach to clients.

    See the Individual Mindfulness page for more information and Meet Mei Ling for my credentials.

  • MiCBT is promising evidence based treatment that integrates CBT with mindfulness and meditation skills found in Vipassana meditation. For example, MiCBT focuses on exposure training targeting avoidance, in addition to body awareness and fostering equanimity. MiCBT has been used to decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression. (6)

  • Biofeedback is a technique that helps you become more aware of your body (such as your heart rate and your breath) so that you can make slight changes that may impact your thoughts and emotions.

    I’m a HeartMath© Certified Practitioner specializing in stress anxiety and emotional regulation. This research-informed approach to biofeedback focuses on heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the time between your heartbeats. This is one way of measuring stress experienced in your body. This approach also uses other methods to improve awareness of stress in your body.

    Nowadays there are many wearables that track your HRV. Some of which include the Oura Ring, Whoop, and Apple Watch Series 8 (Balance in Breath does not endorse these brands; they are only provided as examples). However, you don’t need to be connected to a device to experience biofeedback.

    See Meet Mei Ling for my credentials.

  • Heart rate variability (HRV) is the measurement of the time between each heartbeat. There are various tools that measure this such as watches and rings. HRV may provide insight as to how your autonomic nervous system is doing and thus give you more information about your physical and emotional state. This is commonly referred to as your “fight-or-flight” or “rest-and-digest” modes. For example, if your HRV is lower, you may be experiencing a “fight-or-flight” response and feel more stressed. On the flip side, if your HRV is higher, you may be experiencing a “rest-and-digest” response and feel more relaxed and at ease. (8) It’s also important to note that HRV decreases with age; so you may see this change over time.

    What’s important, however, is use HRV as an additional tool, but not the only tool, to gain insight into your body and emotional state.

  • No, I don’t offer neurofeedback. This is often confused with biofeedback, but they are different. Neurofeedback measures your brainwaves, where as biofeedback measures your heart rate variability (HRV). I do offer biofeedback.

Therapeutic Approach & Tools

References

(1) American Psychological Association. (2017). What is cognitive behavioral therapy? Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20CBT%20is%20an%20approach,other%20forms%20of%20psychological%20treatment.. 

(2) Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute. (2023). UCSD Center for Mindfulness. MBSR teacher training packet.

(3) Kriakous, S. A., Elliott, K. A., Lamers, C., and Owen. (2021). The effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on the psychological functioning of healthcare professionals: a Systematic review. Mindfulness, 12(1): 1-28.

(4) Khoury, B., Sharma, M., Rush, S. E., and Fourneier, C. (2015). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78(6): 519-28.

(5) Davis, D. M. & Hayes, J. A. (2012, July/August). What are the benefits of mindfulness? Monitor on Psychology, 43(7), 64.

(6) Frances, S., Shawyer, F., Cayoun, B., Enticott, J., & Meadows, G. (2020). Study protocol for a randomized control trial to investigate the effectiveness an 8-week mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT) transdiagnostic group intervention for primary care patients. BMC Psychiatry, 20:7. 10.1186/s12888-079-2411-1

(7) American Psychological Association. (2017). What is cognitive behavioral therapy? Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral

(8) Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School. (2024). Heart rate variability: How it might indicate well-being. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789