FAQs
Please carefully review all of the frequently asked questions below before contacting me at saraouimettemft@gmail.com.
These questions are here to help you assess if it makes sense to set up a consultation call with me. If you have any questions or concerns about any of these items, please let me know!
Since you offer online or phone sessions, do you work with folks outside of California? No. Since I am licensed to practice in California, I am restricted to working with California residents (you must be physically located in CA). If you are a California resident, but living out of state for an extended period of time, I will not be able to treat you.
Do you see couples, kids, teens or families? I only work with individual adults. If you are seeking another form of therapy, or therapy for your child, I might be able to provide a referral.
When are you available for sessions? I see clients Mondays through Thursdays between 10 am and 4:30 pm. Unfortunately I do not have any availability outside of these times to schedule sessions. I offer in-person sessions on Mondays only (often with therapy dog Ona). Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I offer remote sessions via secure video, or by phone.
What’s your fee? My current full fee is $250 per 50 minute session. I accept payment by credit, debit, HSA or FSA card. Payment is expected after each session. If you are coming in-person, you may also pay by check.
Do you take insurance? No, I am considered an out-of-network provider. I am not on any insurance panels, but if you have out-of-network benefits, you might be eligible for partial reimbursement by your insurance company. I encourage you to call your insurance company before we decide to begin therapy. I can provide you with the form you will need (a “superbill”) to submit a claim at the end of each month.
What about Medicare? I have opted out of Medicare. That means that if you are eligible for Medicare, or 65 and over, you will not be able to use Medicare to pay for our sessions. We will need to have a private contract between us indicating that you accept full responsibility for payment for my services. I will provide this contract to you before we begin.
Do you have a sliding scale? I reserve a limited number of sliding scale spots for clients. I prioritize sliding scale spots for folks who come twice weekly, but are unable to at my full fee.
How often will we meet? We will schedule a time to meet each week on the same day and at the same time. Sessions are 50 minutes long. I do not work with people less than once weekly because I believe the therapy is much less effective that way. I will hold a weekly time slot especially for you. I am unable to schedule sessions every other week. Making your therapy a priority will make a big difference in its effectiveness! Please consider carefully if you can make this kind of financial and time commitment before we begin.
How long does therapy take? As long as you’d like it to! Although you are free to end your therapy at any point, psychotherapy is most beneficial when a relationship is established over time. Therefore, I do not recommend just a few sessions unless you are coming for a brief consultation about a specific issue. Length of treatment varies and often cannot be predicted. I work best with folks who are engaged and committed to long term treatment (most of my clients stay for at least one year). However, if you are looking to consult on a specific matter or topic, or you’d like to come back to discuss things as they arise, I will see what my schedule will allow.
Do you work with folks in crisis? My practice is not set up to support people in active crisis. If you are experiencing a severe physical addiction, frequent suicidal thoughts or feelings, or are otherwise in crisis/at risk of crisis/at risk of harm or self-harm, you need more support than I can offer. I am currently unable to work with heavy substance abuse/addiction (other than cannabis), psychosis, mania, active or acute trauma cases, self-harm or suicidality. Even if you aren’t in crisis at the time you reach out to me, if I feel that I will not be able to provide a level of care you might need based on my assessment, I will not take you on as a client. Sometimes it takes time to assess your needs, and even if we have already started working together, I might need to stop your treatment with me and refer you to other providers better suited to help you.
Do you offer psychedelic therapy or microdosing guidance? I do NOT currently offer psychedelic therapy or microdosing guidance. However, I do offer harm reduction consults regarding psychedelic use and assistance with processing psychedelic experiences. Please let me know if this is what you’re looking for. I enjoy working with folks who are using psychedelics for healing purposes and want to maximize the benefits of their use. If you are seeking psychedelic integration therapy, please click on link for clarification of what integration services entail. Please note: I do not give referrals for underground psychedelic therapy. I also might gently discourage use of psychedelics if I believe the risk of harm is too great. Using psychedelics and cannabis always comes with risk of adverse effects and events, even in legal and highly controlled research settings.