Have questions? We’ve got answers!

 FAQs

 
  • Our fees range from $95-$225 based on clinician experience and specialization.

    Caitlin Foster, Aspen Romriell and Tamzin Johanson: $95 per 50 minute session

    Ilana Young & Norma Nance: $165 per 50 minute session

    Sarah Sumner, Lindsay Moldovan & Jess Fox: $175 per 50 minute session

    Yael Kievsky: $185 per 50 minute session

    Taylor Kravitz: $225 per 50 minute therapy session

    We accept payment via debit/credit card or HSA card. We hold a limited number of low fee slots in our caseloads for those in need and prioritize marginalized folks for these spaces (Note: low fee slots are currently taken but feel free to reach out to be placed on this waitlist).

    We are not in-network with insurance but can provide you with a superbill (itemized receipt) for reimbursement if you have out of network coverage (please note we can not provide superbills if you work with a Marriage & Family Therapist Intern). Here are some questions to ask your insurance company to clarify if this applies to you:

    • Does my plan provide reimbursement for out-of-network mental health care with a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Oregon, Clinical Social Work Associate, Marriage and Family Therapy Associate, or Professional Counselor Associate in Oregon? (which license type depends on your clinician).

    • If so, is there a separate deductible?

    • What percentage of out-of-network costs does my plan cover?

    • Do I need pre-authorization for out-of-network services?

    • Is there a limit to the number of sessions that will be reimbursed per year?

    • How do I submit for out-of-network reimbursement?

    Payment is due at the time of service & your card will automatically be charged after your session. We do not offer payment plans. If your card is declined for any reason, your therapist will reach out to you to get accurate payment information & payment will be due as soon as possible. If you are unable to pay for your session, your therapist reserves the right to remove your recurring time slot from their schedule.

    Therapy is an interesting service because it’s a vulnerable & care based relationship and it’s also a paid service. We understand that can feel a bit strange at times. Please know your therapist is comfortable discussing any financial concerns you have with you, so feel free to let them know if anything comes up.

  • Sex is an innate part of the human experience and yet, there is so much shaming and mixed messaging about it in our society. This makes it so challenging to navigate sex and there’s often nowhere to turn when you’re struggling in this part of your life or relationship(s). Sex therapy is talk therapy that is centered around sexual concerns. Sex therapy involves talking about all the parts of your experience (childhood, relationships, identities, sense of self, etc.) and understanding how this impacts your sexuality. Typically, we will get to know your background, take a sexual history, help you understand why you’re struggling with this sexual concern, provide some education, and give you homework or exercises to do outside of therapy (i.e. touch exercises) related to sexuality.

    We offer sex therapy in Portland, OR (and all of Oregon).

  • Your therapist will tailor your therapy experience to fit who you are and what you want. We welcome those have a clear understanding of what they want from this process and those who are just wanting a supportive space to explore whatever unfolds. There is not one set path for the therapy process, as this will be dependent on your goals, your therapist’s approach/style, and your commitment to this work. But for those who still want a clearer picture of what to expect, therapy typically consists of 4 stages:

    Assessment: In the first several sessions, we are just getting to know each other. During this time, your therapist will be asking a lot of questions about your background, beliefs/values, community, relationship(s), feelings about your concern(s), what you already know about what you’re struggling with, and your goals. In relational/couples work, your therapist will also be doing some observing so they can get to know how you and your partner(s) engage with each other and what cycles you may be getting stuck in.

    Deep Diving: During this phase of therapy, we will be diving into emotional processing. Your therapist will help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself/your partner(s), understand how your struggles connect to your past experiences, help you address and alleviate whatever is blocking you from your hopes, and gently challenge you.

    Practical Application: Next, your therapist will help you integrate what you’ve processed into your daily life. They may give you homework to do between sessions so that you can begin to experience more growth and change outside of the therapy space.

    Maintenance Mode: When your goals are met, your therapist will be here to check in periodically on how you’re doing and how you can continue to maintain your growth through the ups and downs of day to day life. Whenever you feel ready, we will end therapy.

  • Therapy can last for a few months to several years, depending on your wants, needs, and readiness to change. Once your therapist knows more about you and your goals, they can let you know more of what to expect. Those who move through the process more quickly tend to come into therapy weekly, consistently show up with vulnerability and a readiness to deepen their awareness of themselves, and engage with the therapy “homework” between sessions. Some folks meet their original therapy goals, but find they just enjoy the set time to tend to themselves or their relationship.

  • Our practice currently offers primarily virtual therapy during this time (with limited in person availability with Sarah Sumner. Ilana Young, Tamzin Johanson and Caitlin Foster in NE Portland). Virtual therapy is convenient, comfortable and just as effective.

    Virtual sessions are held via a secure video platform. You can join sessions from a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. We encourage you to set up an environment for your session that is comfortable and private. For relational therapy, you can join from two separate places but we recommend being together for most of our sessions.

    In the event of a technical issue, we will have a back up plan for continuing our session.

    Please note: You must be in Oregon or Washington to receive virtual therapy services from a provider licensed there. All of our clinicians see clients located in Oregon. Lindsay Moldovan additionally sees clients located in Washington.

  • We meet with clients weekly or every other week only for all new clients. You will have the same day & time slot in your therapist’s schedule each time you meet unless you reschedule. Monthly sessions are limited to long-term clients who are only needing periodic check ins.

  • We require 48 hours notice for a cancellation or reschedule; otherwise, you will be charged the full session fee to the card on file. We will always support you in doing what you need to do to take care of yourself, whether that’s skipping therapy for a fun event or a work conflict; however, outside of severe illness & emergencies, if you are unable to provide the 48 hours advanced notice, you will be charged the full session fee. Your therapist will be happy to reschedule whenever possible and we will waive the late cancel fee if you reschedule within the same week but rescheduling cannot be guaranteed with little notice & the fee will apply if your therapist doesn’t have another opening for you or their openings don’t work for you.

    Your appointment is reserved for you alone and when it is cancelled without such notice, it may not be possible to offer this time to someone else and the appointment time goes unfilled.

    If you cancel sessions regularly (more than 4x/year for bi-weekly clients and more than 6x/year for weekly clients outside of holidays, rescheduled sessions, severe illness, & emergencies) your therapist reserves the right to place you on a “floating status” (which means they’ll get you in when they have a cancellation but will not hold a recurring set slot in their schedule for you).

    While our cancellation policy may feel strict, this policy ensures we are providing good clinical care (which requires consistency to be effective) and helps our clinicians have reliable income to support themselves (which means they can also take on smaller caseloads and care for themselves well so they can be the best therapist they can be for their clients).

    We do our best to show up with integrity in this process and will follow the policy ourselves! Your therapist will give you plenty of notice if they will be out of the office for a planned purpose. If your therapist needs to late cancel due to sickness, a childcare issue, a technical problem, or any other unforeseen issue then they will give you a free late cancel to use in the future.

  • We completely understand wanting to use insurance for your therapy! Therapy is expensive (trust us, we get that! we pay for our own cash pay therapists too). We know it can be frustrating when providers don’t accept insurance and have a high fee.

    There’s a lot that has informed our decision not to accept insurance.

    1) Insurance requires a diagnosis. And many times these diagnoses are not the focus of our work in sex therapy. It becomes an ethical gray area for a therapist and you’re also required to have a diagnosis code on your permanent record (which can be considered pre-existing condition).

    2) Using insurance means a lack of privacy and lack of control over therapy. Insurance companies can request access to your therapy records to get proof you still need mental health care. They can also dictate how many sessions you can have and what kinds of therapeutic modalities are acceptable. This results in less privacy for you and less ability for your therapist to form treatment around your unique needs.

    3) Couples therapy and sex therapy are not covered by insurance. Sex therapy diagnoses are not an option for billing insurance. For couples therapy to be covered by insurance, therapists have to create a work around in which one person is considered the “primary patient”, is given a diagnosis, and then sessions are billed as family therapy sessions with the primary patient present. This also requires the focus of therapy to be treating the diagnosis of the primary patient. This becomes an ethical issue, since for couples therapists, couples therapy is not centered around one person in the relationship and the couple is the client.

    While we want to be accessible to those who need our services, we do not accept insurance to better align with our ethics overall. We don’t want to engage with that system when it’s not set up in a way that aligns with our values or what we feel is best for clients.

    This is why we feel our best option is to not accept insurance and to have a limited number of low fee slots to support those without access to full fee therapy.

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    We set our fees based on what allows our therapists to be the best they can be for you.

    We want our therapists to be able to maintain small caseloads, have time to care for themselves well, and to have their needs met. All of this means they do much better work for you & you deserve their best.

    A therapist who is struggling to meet their basic needs and doing way too many sessions each week is going to be stressed, burnt out, and less able to support you in the way you deserve.

    We know everyone can’t afford our fees (as carers, we really do wish we could help everyone and do that well!). But, we are happy to help you find lower fee providers if that’s something you need.

  • This means that we have small caseloads and that our clinicians work within their areas of specialty, rather than as generalists. This ensures our clients get the best quality of care possible.

  • A Marriage & Family Intern or a Clinical Mental Health Counseling Intern is a current graduate student in their final year of their program. These interns have completed all of their graduate degree educational requirements and have begun working with clients. Our interns are supervised by fully licensed therapists 2-3 times per week, complete regular trainings, and consult with colleagues in order to provide quality client care.

    There are several benefits to working with an intern:

    1) interns have learned the most cutting edge information about therapy. Interns are immersed in learning and are regularly exposed to the most up to date research.

    2) Interns are actively engaging in collaboration with experts in the field and fellow clinicians. Interns are constantly learning from supervisors, professors and colleagues and bring all of this knowledge to their work with clients.

    3) Interns have a more affordable fee. By working with an intern, you have access to lower cost therapy which can allow you to attend more regularly and as long as you need to reach your goals.

    Our selected interns are chosen based on their passion, skill, training, education and lived experience that allow them to be wonderful clinicians. If you have any questions or concerns about working with an intern, feel free to get in touch with us!

    Another note about our internship program is that we pay our interns! Therapy interns are often unpaid, which can lead to overwhelm and less quality care for clients. We’re proud to offer a supportive experience & believe this will allow them to be better therapists for you.