Prior to your first session you will review and complete initial paperwork via a client portal link that will be emailed to you. In the first session we will discuss the important information to take note of (confidentiality, HIPAA, cancellation policy, session time, etc), before shifting into further assessment of symptoms, needs, and development of goals. Our primary focus in each initial session is to begin to develop therapeutic trust and comfort, as the number one indicator of progress in therapy is trust and connection with your therapist. We aim to put you first, and address your symptoms secondarily. We don’t have a receptionist, so upon your first (and consecutive sessions), please let yourself in and help yourself to tea or water while you wait in the lobby for your therapist to greet you.

We are very understanding that life circumstances can sometimes get in the way of commitments. As soon as you are aware that you can't make a scheduled session, please let your therapist know by text, email, or voicemail. That being said, we do have a 48 hour cancellation policy, or you will be charged your session fee. In some circumstances this fee will be waived and will be discussed between you and your therapist.

Primarily you can expect that therapy sessions will be client driven, meaning you will determine your overall goals and needs, as well as focus in each session. However, on occasion folks can feel stuck in session, or get off course from their therapeutic goals. We have a variety of techniques to help guide you, including general questions, activities, prompt cards, or guided meditation. We might also use these sessions to determine needed frequency.

We recommend starting with weekly sessions, as there is often a lot to learn about you and your goals. Additionally this helps us collaboratively monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. However in some situations, every other week would also be fine. Monthly sessions, or "as needed", would not occur until the maintenance phase of treatment. Our aim is to identify a specific day of the week and time you can commit to, so we can assure you have some consistency and reliability for the support you seek.

We are able to provide any of the above listed options at your preference or convenience, as long as you reside in the state of California. If you are experiencing severe mental health needs, or a crisis, we will require in person sessions in order to properly assess the level of intervention or response. If you are unable to do that, we will support you in finding someone you can see in person. If you need or want to make a change from one option (phone, video, in person) to another, please communicate in advance to make sure your scheduled time will still work.

Yes! We are often in session during business hours, so can't be relied on to be reached by phone throughout the day, however we welcome emails, and text messages as needed. That being said we are not available 24/7, and our availability or support between sessions is limited. Some folks have found value in sharing their thoughts or experiences over email between sessions, which we can read prior to session. Should you be experiencing a crisis, we recommend you attempt to reach your therapist, however in case of an emergency you should always contact 911 or go to your local emergency room first.

Therapy is a valuable, boundaried, intimate relationship, and for these reasons needs a well planned closure. Some folks come for a brief period of time and closure is discussed early (more concrete goals and specific needs), and others remain in therapy for a few years and beyond. Because each relationship is so unique, closure might also look different. However we always welcome discussions about titrating, or readiness to end so that a proper goodbye can be planned. A closing session will often include a review of your treatment goals and progress, but is primarily centered around experiencing the closing of a valuable connection (an important experience to have in life).

We do offer brief therapy, however we have found that folks often come to understand the support they need is much deeper than can be provided in a few sessions. If you decide you want to continue more long term we welcome that as well. It should be noted that because we work to identify a consistent day/time that works for you, brief therapy or “as needed” might be harder to schedule.

When working with minors, we honor their confidentiality as much as possible, albeit slightly different than working with adults. We often take the first several sessions to learn more about your child’s concerns/needs and then make recommendations to continue individual therapy, transition to family therapy, or identify a combination of both. That being said, we allow the child to determine their comfort level in having their individual therapist in both roles. Our recommendations will be unique to the information we uncover and any information we share with parents will often be more thematic (rarely specific information the child shared), or in offering parenting support to address concerns coming up in the home or school environment.

When working with couples we don’t have a predetermined outline of what sessions will look like, as our work together will be individualized and unique to you. On occasion, we will request to meet with each partner individually for one session to provide a safe place to more openly discuss concerns in the relationship, or make recommendations beyond just couples therapy. We will not work with any member of the couple for individual therapy in conjunction, as we don’t want the perception of an alliance to disrupt the focus on the couple. If it is determined that one or both members of the couple can benefit from individual therapy as well, we will support in making referrals to establish that connection.

We do not bill insurance directly, but we can provide you with a superbill to attempt reimbursement through your insurance company directly. We recommend calling your insurance company first to determine what they will reimburse (if anything) for out of network mental health services

It should also be noted that all employees of Flourish and Grow therapy have opted out of Medicare, meaning if you are a beneficiary of Medicare you cannot seek reimbursement for services provided by any of us.