Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Before scheduling your first appointment, you can book a free 15-minute phone consultation so we can make sure I am the right fit for your child and family.

Prior to our first in-office appointment, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. From there we will find a time that works and I will send over the intake paperwork to complete before your first session.

At the initial intake session we review the paperwork, talk through consent and privacy, and discuss what brought you in. Then we begin shaping goals together. For younger children, the first visits often center on play and building trust.

I currently offer in-office sessions only, from my office at 4415 Sonoma Hwy, Suite G in Santa Rosa. In-person work lets me use play, movement, and sand tray therapy that are difficult to replicate over video.

I am a private-pay practice and do not bill insurance directly. Bypassing insurance keeps your child's care private, with no diagnosis placed on a permanent insurance record, and lets treatment be guided by your child's needs rather than network limits. I can provide a superbill on request for out-of-network reimbursement.

I charge $150 per 50-minute individual session and accept checks, cash, and Venmo.

I require a minimum of 48 hours notice if you need to cancel for any reason.

Many specialists work as private-pay, out-of-network providers to protect care quality and privacy. It avoids placing a diagnosis on a child's permanent insurance record, allows appropriately paced sessions, and keeps the treatment plan driven by the child's needs rather than insurance limits.

Keep it positive and simple. For younger children, explain they are visiting a safe place to play, learn, and talk about big feelings. For teens, reassure them the space is confidential and theirs. A free 15-minute consultation beforehand helps everyone feel ready.

Private-pay child and adolescent therapy in the Santa Rosa area generally runs from about $150 to $250 per session depending on the clinician's expertise and modalities. My rate is $150 per 50-minute session.

Common signs include intense, prolonged emotional meltdowns, chronic stomach pain tied to stress, extreme difficulty self-soothing, severe sleep disruption, and sudden social withdrawal. Early intervention through somatic and play-based therapy can help regulate a young child's developing nervous system.

Yes. In young children, anxiety rarely shows up as spoken worry. It usually appears physically as stomachaches, headaches, sleep refusal, aggressive outbursts, or sensory overload. Early childhood therapy focuses on body-based regulation and co-regulation with parents rather than traditional talk therapy.

It depends on the child's age and goals. In early childhood work, parents are often closely involved to learn co-regulation skills. For teens, protecting privacy and autonomy is essential to building a trusting therapeutic relationship.

Yes. I specialize in school-based concerns and collaborate with school teams, helping families navigate local schools from preschool through high school for placement and educational planning.

Mood swings and irritability are a normal part of adolescence. Clinical anxiety or depression is indicated when symptoms disrupt daily life: sharply dropping grades, total social isolation, lasting loss of interest in former hobbies, or physical signs of panic, lethargy, or self-harm.

Somatic therapy connects physical body signals to the emotions underneath them. Children learn to notice physiological stress and self-soothe, which makes it especially effective for chronic anxiety, sensory overload, trauma responses, and meltdowns where talk therapy alone falls short.