FAQs
What is the difference between coaching and therapy?
Coaching is not therapy. While I am a licensed psychotherapist, my services as a coach are focused on the following:
Developing a time-bound, action-oriented strategy focused on achieving progress towards a specific goal
Assessing your needs, challenges, strengths, and resources to customize a course of action guided by your priorities and values
Therapy with me is limited to residents of the State of New York or the District of Columbia. In therapy, you can expect the following:
Priority in processing your lived experiences, intergenerational and community influences into your behavioral patterns and thought patterns to achieve the goals laid out in your consult call, intake, and treatment plan
Drawing on my education and training as a psychotherapist to understand, heal, and transform towards your therapeutic goals
If you are in crisis, experiencing violence, or at risk of harming yourself and/or others, please contact 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for support.
Do I have to [actually] live in NY or DC?
Yes for therapy clients! I am currently only licensed to provide therapy services with folx who reside in the State of New York or District of Columbia. If you have a residential address in either location, that works! This includes but is not limited to:
transient housing (e.g. halfway home, shelters, couch surfing with friends/relatives while in therapy)
living in either location for a period of time for work, school, etc.
permanent residence (e.g. apartment, condo, house)
No for coaching clients! Please see the services menu in the RPG Wellness page to consider what option works best for you.
Do you take insurance?
No. I encourage you to check your insurance plan for your out of network (OON) mental health deductible.
Because that has always been confusing to me, that means if it says “your deductible is $2000, then 50%” that means you need to spend $2000 in OON expenses before they cover 50% of whatever other OON expenses you have that year. Definitely check if you’ve already made any OON purchases (e.g. medicine, medical equipment), since that generally counts.
Do you offer sliding scale?
No for therapy clients. My current individual client rates for 45-min sessions are $175 for DC clients and $150 for NY clients at Sixth Street Wellness.
*Ways I encourage folx to manage financial barriers include checking their insurance plans (see above) or applying for mental health funds you are eligible for, such as NQTTCN and the Loveland Foundation.
Flexible options for coaching clients. Please see the “RPG Wellness” tab for the full menu, services range from timed, asynchronous coaching to bundles of 3+ coaching sessions within 120 days. Special rates may appear for members of the Take This community and other community supporters. Gift certificate options also available for coaching services.
Are you LGBTQ+ and TGNC affirming?
Yes! As an openly queer nonbinary person of color, I bring my lived experience and my formal training as a therapist in LGBTQ+ issues to the space.
I also write letters for gender affirming surgeries and related support services, however you must:
Be an active client for at least 8 weekly or biweekly sessions
Meet the DSM 5 criteria for Gender Dysphoria 302.85 or ICD-10 Gender Identity Disorder in Adolescence and Adulthood
Followed the WPATH Standards of Care, demonstrating a healthy, consistent capacity to manage your existing care plan and be compliant with all maintenance requirements
Do you write letters for emotional support animals (ESAs)?
Yes and, just to clarify, ESAs do not have the same protections as licensed Service Animals. There is no official licensing for ESAs. As my client, you must:
Be an active client for at least 8 weekly or biweekly sessions
Have a diagnosis that affirms the significant positive impact of an ESA for work, school, travel, etc.
Have the capacity to house and care for an ESA in your residence
Will we meet in person?
No. All sessions will be via telehealth through a HIPAA-certified platform called doxy.me or, if you prefer, via phone call.
What if I want to stop working with you?
That’s okay! I am to make space in our therapeutic relationship for mutual feedback on our progress. If you feel the need to connect with another person or your healing journey is calling for a different approach, I’m happy to support you in navigating those next steps and closing our relationship with intention.