Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is your specialty?
A: I specialize in helping clients heal from past traumatic stress, emotional trauma and abusive relationships. My work is dedicated toward helping people reduce anxiety, depression and the physiological trauma responses of the body. I have worked with all kinds of mental health issues over the course of my career and have found that varying degrees of trauma are ubiquitous in all of our lives. I believe the best therapists today are "trauma informed" and help people make sense of their distressing symptoms by looking at potential causes from past life-challenges. 
 
Q: Do you accept insurance?
For regular therapy sessions I work with Sondermind, who accept many forms of insurance. However, some of the most profoundly transformational trauma-healing services I offer are not covered by insurance and they are self-pay only. 

Q: How much do you charge per medicine-assisted therapy session?
A:  The fee is $200.00 US per hour, payable via cash, check or credit card. The typical ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) session is two hours long. Many people choose to do one or more of these per month for 6-12 months to start. I do not prescribe ketamine, nor do I work with those who wish to take very high doses, or the injection form. My clients are typically prescribed the sublingual version of the medication by an MD or NP and they will always need someone to pick them up after a session since driving afterward would be unsafe. 
Some clinics offer injection ketamine therapy for $7-8,000+ over a period of 6 weeks. While it may work well for some, these doses may be too high for others (causing dissociation) and can leave the client feeling alone in the process. This may not feel therapeutic for all people. I wish there was a magic pill or medicine to make all the pain go away instantly, but in my experience there is not. Most people will achieve optimal results with a highly trained therapist supporting them throughout sessions. Please email me any questions you may have and also consider doing as much research as you feel you need before making decisions around medicine-assisted therapy and the use of psychedelics for mental health purposes.

Q: What are your qualifications?
A: I have a masters degree in Mental Health Counseling which I obtained in 1998. I'm grateful to have had decades of experience working in substance abuse hospitals, outpatient clinics, medical facilities, schools and jails. I spent over 11 years doing emergency mental-health evaluations in Emergency Rooms all over the Denver metro area. I learned so much about how trauma leads to acute mental health, and often physical, issues by doing this work. Over the decades, I have worked with clients presenting with just about every mental-health issue imaginable. In the last several years I have been receiving specialized training in a number of trauma healing and body-centered modalities, including EMDR, EFT, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), breath work, energy medicine, etc.

Q: Can anyone qualify for medicine-assisted therapy?
A: No. There is a thorough vetting process to ensure my clients are appropriate for this type of therapy. 

Q: What does "trauma-free living" mean? Is there a way to be free of all trauma?
A: Trauma-free living is a making a decision to co-create the life you truly want. Generally, it is finding joy in the present moment. However, there are sometimes mental and physical effects caused by certain traumas which CANNOT be healed with positive thinking or an empowered attitude alone. I address these physical effects with the latest somatic and body-centered therapies. I have seen people make amazing shifts with this work! I believe in healing, and in LOVE as a powerful energetic force and tool for growth and overcoming the past. It is my promise to use everything I have learned over the past quarter of a century to help you reach your goals. I respect those who bravely seek help when they need it. I love meeting and working with diverse people from all over and show unconditional acceptance and compassion to those who come to me for therapy.