I’ve never been in therapy before, what can I expect?

Therapy is a different experience for everyone. Some people come knowing exactly what they want to work on and the best ways for them to go about change. Others come feeling uncertain with what is wrong but they feel an overall sense of things not being quite right. I strive to have every client feel comfortable in the therapy space with me. Therapy can be a deeply uncomfortable experience as we explore our traumas, stressors, and things we’re really good at avoiding. The ultimate hope is that through exploring and replacing these stressors, we can create more satisfying habits for our life.

What happens after I reach out?

If interested in working with me, contact me here. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can and we can schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation. From there, I ask a bit about what you’re coming to therapy for and you can ask me questions that can help you see if I’m the right fit for you. If things feel good to continue, we can go ahead and schedule then. After we confirm the start of services, I will send you an email link to the paperwork, which is all online. Our first session is always an intake session.

How do I know you’re the right fit for me?

I recommend you read about me and my practice! If my style seems to fit with what you’re looking for, reach out for a free 15-minute phone consultation. The best indicator for a “successful” therapy experience is the relationship between therapist and client, so I really want you to find a provider who feels right for YOU. If that is not me, I’ll do my best to point you in a few directions that can get you there.

What is Couples Therapy like?

Generally, couples therapy is when any partnership comes to therapy together. The client is the relationship, not the members of the relationship. Couples session are typically 50-minutes, with the option of extended 80 minute sessions. With the therapist, couples can explore and develop better communication skills, understanding and clarity about the relationship and themselves as partners, and practice better conflict resolution skills. Couples therapy can be positively impacted when the members of the relationship unit are also seeking individual therapy at the same time.

In-person or Telehealth: Is one better than the other?

They are both great options! My clients have expressed enjoying Telehealth because of the scheduling flexibility and not having to deal with LA traffic (valid!!). Others have expressed enjoying in-person as it provides a ‘container’ place that they can come and process in and then return to their everyday life. When it comes to the efficacy of therapy, they are equally good options. For certain topics that you may bring, in-person may be more appropriate than Telehealth. In those cases, I will inform you if that is what I believe would be better for treatment. Anyways, I offer both! In-person options may be limited.

You list that you specialize in woman of color issues and work a lot with POC. I don’t belong to those communities, can I still work with you?

Yes! While I do specialize and work primarily with clients of color and issues related to marginalization, I don’t turn away folks who can benefit from my therapeutic style and specialization. Consult calls are a great time for you to ask me any questions that may help you feel more comfortable pursuing services.

What are your fees? Why are they set at that rate?

Please see the fees page for more details about fee per service. Offering high quality, accessible, and inclusive mental health services to my community is an absolute must for me and is a goal I keep striving to meet. My fees are based off of my formal education, licensing fees, business costs, lived experience, continuing education, and pro-bono services I offer to survivors of genocide, natural disasters, and human-made disasters. Those who can commit to my full fee directly support these individuals and communities with limited resources. Limited sliding scale options are available. If you are unsure if you can pay the full fee, yet believe and are motivated to work with me to achieve your goals, please still reach out for a consultation as sliding scale slots open up randomly. If I am unable to take you on and you prefer to not be on a waitlist, I can provide you with referrals to other practitioners who may have a fee and availability that works for you.

Do you accept insurance?

Nope. At this time I am out of network only. If desired, I can provide you with a monthly superbill to submit to your insurance for reimbursements. Please verify and check your out of network benefits with your insurance provider. If you are looking for telehealth, confirm with your insurances that they cover it.

I understand the frustration of not accepting insurance and the barriers that can provide to clients ready to heal. My personal decision to not use insurance stems from multiple reasons.

• Insurance plans often provide only a limited number of sessions that they deem necessary, Typically it is not enough time to address the deeper root of the issues.

• Insurance requires diagnosis to be assigned, and while I do work and have deep knowledge of the Diagnostic manual, often diagnoses can be oppressive and harmful to clients while not fully capturing their lived experience. I also work with clientele that are in specific industries where it is performed to NOT have any diagnosis on record.

• While confidentiality is a tenet and must in the therapy room, there can be a lack of confidentiality and privacy due to insurance having the right to request more information on your treatment to justify and approve covering the costs.

• Especially working with marginalized communities, I believe it is my duty to protect my clients who hold experiences, identities, and journeys that the health system may currently look down upon or try to defund healthcare for. Especially with this current administration, I make sure to stay up to date on proper documentation need to protect clients. When working with insurance, there is the risk of breach in privacy as mentioned above.

• Ultimately, not going the insurance route allows you to be in more control over your treatment, who you work with, what sort of work you do, and how long you participate in therapy. There is no worry about insurance suddenly refusing to cover services or only being able to get covered services for specific issues for a specific span of time.

Where can I donate for your donation based community offerings?

https://buymeacoffee.com/therapywithdaniya

What is the difference between your therapy services and community offerings?

Great question! My therapy services are conducted and provided through my professional license. I charge a fixed fee and clients, as receivers of these services, have rights and protections under federal and state laws and ethical codes.

Community offerings are spaces I create and provide based off of what I see the collective is needing at the time and what I also have the capacity for. These spaces are typically more informal and shorter in time. Anyone who may find benefit and meets the requirements can join, (adults only at this time). I consider myself to be a collective being and value being in service to my community and our collective liberation. The MHW offerings are specifically to mental healthcare workers (mft, sw, pcc, mhc, psyd, phd, etc). You can join from anywhere, not just CA.

All and any community offerings are NOT therapy services and are not a complete replacement for therapy services.