Approach
A Psychobiological Approach
I am trained in a Psychobiological Approach to Couples' Therapy (PACT).
PACT utilizes Attachment Theory, Neurophysiology, and Skill Building
to help you to build -- or re-build -- a secure-functioning relationship.
Attachment Theory
Attachment theory is about how we are "built." It helps us understand how we process relationship stress, and how we impact our partner.
Understanding our partner's attachment needs helps us see things from their perspective, frees us from taking things as personally, and encourages us to be courageous and creative.
Neurophysiology
When we understand how our nervous systems work, we can stop fighting against them. PACT builds self- and partner-awareness around co-regulation strategies to keep the stress in your relationship low.
Skill Building
PACT teaches concrete ideas, approaches,
habits and practices to support you to build
a solid foundation for your relationship.
Sessions are used to practice skills that you can continue into your lives well beyond the session's end.
PACT - Frequently Asked Questions
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Where are you located?The office is located at 167 E Vine Street, Murray, UT 84107. Parking is available in the small lot north of the building. Clients' entrance is located on the south side of the building.
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Do you take insurance?I'm not in-network with any providers, which means all clients can seek reimbursement from their insurance after paying me directly. Individual Therapy I work with all insurance by providing a “superbill” (a fancy name for a receipt) that clients can submit to their insurance for reimbursement. Relationship Therapy Unfortunately, most insurance plans do not cover relationship therapy. This is partially because the relationship itself is the client, and so billing according to one partner's medical diagnosis is inappropriate. To figure out if your insurance will reimburse you for relationship therapy, call or email your provider and ask the following questions: Is CPT code 90847 with ICD-10 diagnosis code Z63.0 a covered benefit under my current plan? If so, at what rate is reimbursed per 110 min. session?
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How much do sessions cost?My current rate is $160 for a 50-minute individual therapy session and $320 for a 110-minute couples’ counseling session.
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Do you offer reduced-fee appointments?Yes, I offer reduced fee appointments. Clients who need fee reduction in order to access care are welcome to apply for reduced-fee sessions. My ability to reduce fees depends upon how many clients are already paying at reduced rates. If you are awarded a spot in the program, your reduced-fee agreement is subject to revision at any time, and will be announced with written notice.
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Should I apply for reduced-fee appointments?Before you apply for reduced fee sessions, please consider two ideas: everyone deserves access to high-quality care, and my expertise and experience requires fair compensation for sustainability. Often, people approach the question "How much should I pay for therapy?" with the assumption that paying for therapy should have no impact their finances. Instead, please consider the difference between a sacrifice vs. a hardship. Sacrifice means choosing between therapy and non-essential pleasures. For example, accessing therapy at the standard rate may mean that you need to eat at restaurants less frequently or travel less for recreation. Hardship, on the other hand, means you would be forced to choose between therapy and essential living expenses. Essential living expenses include things like rent, groceries to meet your caloric intake needs, or gas for your commute to work. If paying full fees for therapy will cause you to sacrifice, but it won't cause you hardship, please don't apply. Consider this thought from Courtney Rice: “The sliding scale is not about what one might feel a service should cost, or would prefer to pay, but what you can afford to access. ” Use the following list to figure out if it's appropriate for you to apply for reduced fee appointments: Consider Applying I don't own a home, and live in sub-standard rental housing. My home has more people than listed bedrooms. I can't buy new clothes or home items when I need them. I have debt which sometimes prevents me from meeting basic needs. I do not have financial support from my family. I support my family members financially. Maybe? My home has the same number of people and listed bedrooms. I anticipate that, one day, I will be able to own my home. I have some rainy-day savings. I have the ability to travel recreationally. I have student loan debt from a completing a bachelor's degree. My family holds assets. Probably Don't Apply My home has more listed bedrooms than people. I own at least one property. I get paid time off for sick leave and vacation. I can afford multiple vacations per year. I have student loan debt from an advanced/professional degree. I choose to make less than my earning potential. *These criteria are based on Alexis J. Cunningfolk's "Green Bottle" model.
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How do I make, cancel, and manage my appointments?To schedule, email me directly. Existing clients can cancel appointments by logging in to the SimplePractice Client Portal. You can also use the SimplePractice app, available in the App Store or in Google Play to access appointment information and send secure messages. If you're having trouble with any of the linked features above, you can visit the Client Help Center (a third party service).
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What is your cancellation policy?I get it - things happen! It can be an adjustment to think of paying for a service that you weren’t able to utilize. It’s not your fault, after all, that you got sick, or carpool was late, for example. Whenever I am able to, I'll do my best to fill your spot if you need to cancel with less than the minimum notice. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. I am committed to your success as a client, and therefore committed to protecting time for you. Requesting 48 hours notice for couples and 24 hours for individuals allows me to ensure that, even when things come up every once in a while, you are still able to access the support you seek for your ongoing work. Couple's sessions cancelled less than 48 hours before the session start time are charged 1/2 the session feel, and less than 24 hours are charged the session fee. Individual sessions cancelled less than 24 hours before the session start time are charged the full session fee.
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What can I expect from you as a therapist?My role as a therapist is to support your healing as you define it. Through warm, caring conversation, we proceed at exactly the pace that feels safe for you as we figure out how you’re experiencing challenges and what you’d like to change. Once we have an idea of what change will look like for you, I’ll offer you several options of activities, exercises, and frameworks that might help you get from here to there. I’m always happy to explain why I think a particular approach might be a good fit, and I’m always ready to change course if something about the way we’re working doesn’t work for you. While I have developed expertise in healing modalities, you are the expert on your experience. You can expect a respectful, supportive, collaborative approach from me as we strive to support your unique work. Finally, I am committed to outcomes. I don’t think my role is to passively listen and only validate while clients talk. Rather, I see my role as utilizing proven methods to help clients build on their strengths, make powerful discoveries about themselves, and live more fully embodied, enriching lives. I am a capacity building therapist; I begin our relationship knowing that it will end when you feel you have accomplished your healing and growth goals, and ready to celebrate with you when that time comes.
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Will you understand me/my experiences/my values/my perspective?I am deeply committed to supporting clients from a person-first stance. Sometimes it can seem comforting to work with clinicians who we assume share some values, life experiences, or perspectives with us. Sometimes, however, this can lead to both clinicians and clients making assumptions about each other than get in the way of the work. While I strive to curate ongoing cultural humility, I can’t anticipate your specific, lived experience. Rather than assume I know you based on a category, however, this is an invitation to learn about your specific experiences towards maximally personalizing your work. I don’t have to share your values in order to respect and honor them in our work together. It’s not your job to educate me about a demographic experience, but it is my job to help you explore how your particular experience of your identity overlaps with your healing.
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Are you the right therapist for me?My expertise is well suited to struggling couples, people managing challenging family relationships, and people striving to heal from childhood trauma. People who are earnestly hoping to better understand themselves and implement meaningful change tend to be well-supported by my practice. I welcome and affirm LGBTQIA individuals and partnerships, members of faith communities, and clients who don’t yet know who they are or what community might be right for them.
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What if therapy doesn't work?As the expert in your experience, you are always in control of whether or not we continue working together. If my approach isn’t the right fit for you, I'm happy to offer recommendations of clinicians who might be a better fit. Every clinician is different, and every client has unique needs. I see my role as supporting those for whom my approach feels appropriate by working together, and supporting those who need something else by helping to figure out what that might be. I schedule free 20 minute phone consultations with every prospective client. This helps us to assess your needs, my skills, and how well they line up so that we can get you support as efficiently as possible.
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How do I make my partner come to couples' counseling?There are many reasons a partner might resist counseling. Maybe they fear that it will involve talking about problems without finding solutions. It could be scary to think that a therapist will blame one partner or another for challenges within a relationship. We might have been brought up with the idea that asking for help means we’re weak. In my practice, the relationship is my client. I’m not interested in talking about problems without building concrete solutions. I AM interested in supporting a couple to understand how to shift negative dynamics so that both partners understand what they can do to improve the relationship. Most importantly, I understand that committed partnership is the hardest thing we’ll do, and few of us are well trained in how to do it. I also know it’s a learnable skill! I offer a space that is safe, non-shaming, and solution-oriented. I respect both partners’ autonomy – we can’t ever make anyone do something they don’t want to, but we can commit to listen with kindness and curiosity to better understand and lovingly address their concerns.
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What if I have more questions?If you have more questions about couples' therapy, please check out the PACT page in the 'About' section. If you have questions this site doesn't answer, please reach out and let’s get you more info!
Methods Matter
Just like there are lots of therapists, there are also lots of different kinds of therapy.
I am a trauma-responsive practitioner trained modalities that reduce symptoms
and increase clients' skills and agency.
Most importantly, I practice in ways that prioritize clients' values, autonomy, and choice.
The modalities that inform my PACT couples' work include:
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured protocol to engage the whole brain. It's particularly useful for healing PTSD, but is also impactful for anxiety, depression, and many other challenges.
IFS
Internal Family Systems (IFS) supports clients to build caring relationships with themselves while cultivating what found Dr. Schwartz named "The 8 C's": calm, clarity, confidence, courage, curiosity, connectedness, compassion and creativity.
Somatic Regulation
Somatic Regulation helps shift the impact that mental health has on our nervous system. Guided by Polyvagal Theory, we can incorporate awareness and exercises to support
mind-body integration.
This integration can help us
to feel safe and calm.
In addition to the main approaches above, I am also trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based CBT, Psychodynamic and Narrative therapies. I also pursue learning about womanist multicultural theory and pre-colonial indigenous healing ways, which I utilize when appropriate and with permission.