FAQ - Therapy Clients
Are you accepting clients right now? No.
I've paused accepting new clients at this time.
Referrals:
Please visit my referral page and reach out to other potential providers if you would like to seek a therapist sooner.
Waitlist?
I do not keep a waitlist. You can check this FAQ page to see if I'm accepting clients. I would encourage you to set reminders on your phone to check back every 8 weeks or so. I update my website often as it is a special interest.
I prioritize accepting Autistic clients. I accept self-identification.
Insurance:
I am active and in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Care Network.
If you use Blue Cross Complete for Medicaid I am still waiting for credentialing.
Current Clients: Can now schedule appointments here! Wow! It's 2022 and you can schedule an appointment with your therapist without the back and forth of email. Current clients only, intakes will not be approved.
What does a typical session like?
Common things I say in session so that you can get a feel for what I’m like:
“I’m never going to make you do anything.”
“Would you like a menu of options for this problem?”
“Something that you said made me think about this from an attachment perspective.”
“Would you like to set a boundary?”
“I’m going to describe how I view this and you can take what serves you. Feel free to reject all of it if you wish.”
“Let’s go back to basics for a minute. Can I check in on sleep, food, water?”
“It sounds like this thinking pattern is rooted in perfectionism. You are not allowed to make a mistake. Perfectionism is a white supremacist value so we receive a lot of messages about who or what we need to be to be “valuable” all the time. It makes sense given your upbringing and constant cultural messages that you would be afraid to make a mistake.”
How do I set up an appointment?
While I am not accepting clients at this time, please feel free to use this script when contacting other providers.
2. Send an email with the following information:
Name:
Address: (we need to establish that you're in the same state)
Date of birth:
Method of payment: Insurance / cash. If insurance, I will need you to take a picture of your insurance card and send it to me, or you can use the secure portal to give me your insurance information. *
Availability: when are you available for appointments?
Access: Do you have access needs related to seeking care? One example would be captions.
*Verification of insurance is required prior to an appointment. If I cannot verify your insurance you will be responsible for paying for the session with cash and I will provide you with a superbill at the time of session.
How long are sessions?
Sessions are typically 55 minutes long. The last 5 minutes are for me to take care of admin tasks or run to the bathroom between clients.
Sometimes, I shorten sessions due to energy needs. Sometimes that means you’ll have a 40-45 minute session. If you use insurance that means you’ll still owe your copay and I’ll be reimbursed less for the session. If you use cash to access therapy then I charge less for the session.
What is a superbill?
A special receipt a medical or mental health provider can give to you so that you can seek reimbursement from your insurance provider directly. Payment is not guaranteed.
Do you offer free consultation?
No.
I am willing to answer questions via email. My intention with radical transparency about myself and my practices on my website is for you to determine quickly if my words and style resonate.
What are your Covid-19 Precautions?
This is a telehealth practice so we will not be exposing each other to covid. Talking to people about covid exposure and consent regarding creating pods or polyamorous agreements is something that I am happy to engage in.
I am vaccinated and scheduled to receive a covid vaccine booster.
This box links you to my Covid Resources page.
Who Do you like to work with?
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Autistic People, especially folks who feel they've had to mask their traits
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Neurodivergent people
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Disabled people, particularly folks with "invisible" disabilities and chronic illness
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Fat folks
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LGBTQ+ identified and questioning folk
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Polyamourous people
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Social workers, therapists, folks who work in healthcare settings
Help! I don't know how insurance works!
Clicking this box will take you to a video that explains what a deductible and co-insurance are, all insurance 101. I don't agree with it's marketing tactics, but it's a good basic primer video. Every insurance plan is different. This video goes over one example in order to make a point.
Why quote a monthly fee?
I do give an hourly fee rate of $175. However, most people pay their rent, utilities, and healthcare costs each month. Why should therapy bill be different? So I encourage people to think about therapy as a monthly cost and factoring it into the budget, because usually I work with people on average about 1-3 years. Sure we may meet one hour at a time, but generally speaking we’re embarking on a deep intentional relationship that will probably be a long-term project over a few years.
How often do you meet with clients?
I prefer to meet with folks weekly. If it’s possible for us to keep a regular time that is useful but not necessary.
We meet according to your needs and ability. Some folks only need biweekly or monthly sessions, especially as they progress. Some folks begin biweekly for financial reasons.
What is your style or framework?
Many therapists are eclectic. Meaning that they use several different tools at their disposal to get the job done. I would describe myself as eclectic.
Common tools that I use include:
Attachment theory
Mindfulness
Liberation-focused framework
Motivational Interviewing
Somatic exercises and polyvagal theory
Click the box to check out my Library
I'm not any of the things you listed. Is that a problem?
No. It's not a problem. I have a history of masking in order to work with a wide range of adults, especially my work in conservative fields like prison and a rural Federally Qualified Health Center. I do not work with minors. I prioritize working with self-identified Autistic folks and those seeking neurodivergent affirming therapy.
Working with Autistic adults means I mask less which is good for my health. I've also noticed that I'm simply a poor fit for most allistic folks unless they have ADHD, as I am Audhd. Sometimes I work well with folks who truly appreciate direct communication, especially if they have a partner who has ADHD.
Do you have captions?
In order to get access to captions you can open the Nebula portal in Google Chrome. Click this box for information on how to turn on captions in your user settings for your Chrome browser. This is also how I access captions.
I am a Licensed Master of Social Work and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor with the State of Michigan.
This means I can provide care to you if you reside in the state of Michigan. It's why I require an address in my patient portal or for first contact.
See below for more information on limitations of my scope of practice.
Ugh, I really would've preferred an article about how health insurance works.
Okay, this box contains a link to an article. It does not have examples for one person but it does try to explain with numbers.
Sliding Scale?
I have a sliding scale waitlist at this time. Please construct a budget. Use a budget app or a spreadsheet. Once you review this budget think about what you can realistically afford each month for mental healthcare costs. If it's less than $100/month group therapy options are likely to be your best form of support.
Know that some sliding scale spots are biweekly. I had the choice to offer fewer weekly slots or more slots but some would be biweekly. I made the second choice.
Click the box for a link to the Fee Page.
Limitations & Scope of Practice
I do not work with minors. I do not do couples work.
Folks on my caseload have either pursued a formal diagnosis through
an assessment with a qualified doctor or self-diagnosed. The autistic
community respects self-diagnosis / self-identification for many reasons rooted in social justice and so do I.
I am vehemently opposed to ABA and consider it to be an abusive practice.
I cannot prescribe medications.
There are tools I refuse to use or cannot use because I am not certified. For example, I do not have a certification in EMDR. It is costly and time consuming. Exposure therapy is often used for trauma work and things like OCD, phobias, and other anxiety disorders. It’s also not very effective for autistic or neurodivergent minds. I use somatic exercises and what I know about polyvagal theory in combination with a few other things. I am not a trained somatic therapist, who stops session at exact points to have you perform somatic exercises.
I do not have an “eating disorder” certificate. I do work with fat folks, fat acceptance and fat liberation. Many people have come to me over the years with a history of disordered eating patterns in various stages of recovery. Many of the eating disorder certificate programs are not fat accepting and I refuse to pay for a certificate I have earned through my own lived experience as a fat person and her own healing journey. Anti-fat spaces do not serve me or any of my clients.
Hours of Availability
Sunday – Monday 10 am – 7pm
Wednesday – Thursday 10 am- 7pm
As energy levels permit
Rest: Tuesday, Friday-Saturday
All sessions are virtual
True Node is based in Michigan
fax (248) 397-6409
FAQ updated July 2022