Evidence-based therapies, coaching, and mediation for individuals and relationships
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a consultation to find out more?
Yes! Please click on the Contact button and fill out the form to see when we can talk by phone or by video. There is no cost for Initial consultations, which usually last about 20-30 minutes. The Contact form will indicate whether I am currently accepting new clients. Even if I am not currently accepting clients, feel free to get in touch to see about working together in the future.
What are your fees?
The regular fee for a 50-minute session is $220. I have a limited number of sliding-scale slots available that are offered based on need. Generally, I recommend for relationship work that we meet for extended sessions. The regular fee for a 75-minute relationship session is $290. Weekly sessions are standard, though other arrangements are possible as well. The fee for mediation services is $300 for a 60-minute session.
Where do we meet?
I have an office in Berkeley where we can meet in-person. In addition, we can also meet by video online. You can read my blog post talking more about the effectiveness of online therapy.
What is the difference between coaching and psychotherapy?
There is overlap in coaching and psychotherapy. However, they are different practices. Psychotherapy is a health care service governed by the state consumer protection board and may include diagnosis. Regulations govern where therapy can occur and what the scope of the work may be. It focuses on the way development and personality structures affect relationships with oneself and others, including developing more flexibility in life and changing patterns that are not serving clients anymore. The focus of coaching is on the development and implementation of strategies to reach client-identified goals of enhanced performance and personal satisfaction. Coaching may address specific personal projects, life balance, communication skills, relationship fulfillment, job performance and satisfaction, or general conditions in the client’s life, business, or profession.
Both coaching and psychotherapy utilize knowledge of human behavior, motivation and behavioral change, and interactive counseling techniques. The major differences are in the scope of practice and level of professional responsibility, including legal differences, as well as sometimes goals and focus.
There are confidentiality requirements for psychotherapy that do not legally apply to coaching. However, I contract to observe the same confidentiality in coaching as I would in psychotherapy to the extent the law allows that.
Do you see couples and people working on their relationships?
Yes. Relationships come in many forms and almost always involve challenges to our communication style, a lot of creativity, conflict and growth that bring up all kinds of issues related to our individual personalities. They are rich places of exploration, as we all know. Relationship counseling can involve work with two or more people at a time. For more information on relationship counseling, see the Services page or contact me.
What is the difference between relationship work and mediation?
Relationship counseling addresses the conflicts, life changes, and emotional issues that are guiding or getting in the way of healthy, exploratory, enriching relationship with one's spouse, life partner, family member, or friend. The focus is thus on the relationship as a whole. My mediation work, by contrast, focuses on a specific conflict that people want to resolve while also preserving the relationship between or among them. Thus, mediation clients must be interested in keeping or enhancing their relationship in the course of resolving the conflict. Some of the skills of counseling and mediation are similar. However, the focus in mediation is more narrowly on the personal, relational, and practical issues driving the specific conflict; developing the communication skills necessary to understand these issues; and then reaching a resolution to the specific conflict with improved communication and understanding occurring along the way. Mediation is short term only, and the number of sessions is generally established at the outset, usually to be completed in 2-5 sessions. For more information, see the Services page or contact me.