Frequently Asked Questions

Arden Way Therapy  ·  Albany & New York State Virtual Therapy

GETTING STARTED

  • No—you do not need to be in crisis to start therapy. Many people seek therapy while managing their daily lives well but sensing there is room to grow. Common reasons include:

    • Wanting to handle situations more gracefully

    • Wanting to have a healthier mindset

    • Not wanting to overshare with people in their lives

    • Recent breakup

    • Separated from usual support network

    • Wanting unbiased guidance

    If you want to attend therapy, that's all you need to start.

  • The two terms are often used interchangeably. In general, counseling tends to focus on specific, shorter-term challenges—a career decision, a recent loss, a relationship conflict. Therapy, or psychotherapy, tends to go deeper: exploring the patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that have developed over time and continue to show up in your life.

    This practice offers psychotherapy, meaning we work on both the immediate concern that brought you in and the longer-term patterns beneath it.

  • Finding the right therapist matters more than most people realize. This website is designed to give you a genuine sense of my philosophy and approach before you ever book a session.

    I also create content regularly so you can get to know me beyond a bio page. And I offer a free video consultation so you can assess our compatibility with no commitment. Fill out the inquiry form to get started.

    I am a licensed therapist serving clients throughout New York State virtually, with in-person options available in Albany, NY depending on scheduling.

  • A previous therapy experience that didn't help often comes down to timing, fit, or approach—not to you. Sometimes people try therapy before they're ready to examine the deeper patterns at play. Other times, the therapist's style simply wasn't the right match.

    This practice focuses less on giving advice and more on helping you understand the patterns and beliefs that have quietly shaped your choices—because that's usually where lasting change begins. If something hasn't clicked before, it's worth exploring whether a different approach might feel different.

    A consultation is a good place to start.

  • This practice specializes in helping people who feel stuck in patterns that hold them back—even when life looks fine from the outside.

    Common focus areas include:

    • How to stop people-pleasing

    • How to care less about what people think

    • How to overcome perfectionism

    • How to be less codependent

    • How to stop overthinking

    • How to stop the negative self-talk

    • How to set boundaries in a relationship

    • How to stop overgiving

SESSIONS & APPROACH

  • Each session follows a loose structure designed to keep things focused and useful. We start with a brief check-in, then identify together how to best use the time ahead.

    The majority of the session is spent doing the actual work on whatever you bring. Toward the end, we reconnect with how you are feeling and discuss any tools or homework for the week ahead.

    Sessions are collaborative—you are always in the driver's seat.

  • I genuinely believe that each person has the answers they need within themselves. Therefore, I do not generally offer advice. Instead, I guide you through questions that will bring you to the best answer for yourself. I have a whole arsenal of tools to pick from and share when applicable. If you want tools, I'll share them whenever appropriate. If you don't want tools, I will note that and adjust accordingly.

  • The general rule of thumb is between 5 and 20 sessions. From my professional experience, the issues that brought a client in can be significantly improved within 5 to 8 sessions.

    However, after that, many choose to continue with therapy and shift focus to other areas of themselves or life that they now want to work on. We will regularly check in on your progress and adjust together.

  • Initially, there is a lot of information for me to learn about you while also providing support—the session time tends to fly by at first. Meeting weekly for at least the first month helps us build momentum for the work ahead. Naturally, clients tend to reduce their session frequency to every other week for a while. Before concluding services, I recommend dropping down to once-monthly appointments until that frequency no longer feels necessary.

  • Yes. The platform this practice uses offers secure messaging, which allows us to send encrypted, secure messages to each other as needed.

    Our work in sessions prepares you to handle difficult times between appointments, but if you need support before your next session, that option is available to you.

  • This practice primarily offers virtual therapy to residents throughout New York State. If you are local to Albany, NY, in-person sessions may be available depending on scheduling. Reach out and we can discuss what would work best for you.

LOGISTICS & RATES

  • The full rate for a 45-minute individual therapy session is $155 (CPT code: 90834).

    There are several ways this cost can be reduced:

    • Out-of-network insurance benefits can offset the fee significantly

    • Clients who attend regularly (every 1–2 weeks) receive 15% off

    • A limited number of reduced-rate spots (25% off) are available for those experiencing financial hardship

    I believe therapy should be accessible. If cost is a concern, I'm happy to discuss what works for your situation.

  • This practice does not bill insurance directly as an in-network provider. However, many clients use out-of-network (OON) benefits through their health plan. PPO and some POS plans often include OON coverage; HMO and EPO plans typically do not.

    I have partnered with Thrizer to handle the OON claims process automatically. You provide your insurance information, and they manage the submission on your behalf. OON benefits most often have a deductible to meet first. Once you meet it, you have the option to pay a reduced fee for sessions instead of needing to pay the full rate and waiting for a reimbursement check.

    You can check your eligibility at: eligibility.thrizer.com/ardenwaytherapy

    If you have no insurance or OON benefits, you are still welcome to work with me on a private-pay basis.

  • A minimum of 24 hours notice is required to cancel or reschedule a session without a fee. Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice are subject to a $100 late-cancellation or no-show fee. If I do not hear from you for 3 months, you will be discharged from the practice—though you are always welcome to reach back out and resume sessions.

PRIVACY & SECURITY

  • Yes—everything shared in therapy is confidential. There are narrow legal and ethical exceptions where I am required to act to protect safety:

    • The client is in immediate risk of suicide or serious self-harm

    • The client threatens harm toward another person

    • Any serious medical or safety concerns where emergency services must be contacted

    • Reasonable suspicion that a client is the victim, perpetrator, or observer of neglect, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse of a vulnerable person—"Vulnerable Person" refers to children under 18 and/or dependent adults/elders, as defined by state law

    • The therapist receives a court order or a lawful subpoena

    • The client is being treated by order of a court of law, or if information is obtained for the purpose of rendering an expert's report to an attorney

    • Consultation with other professionals (your identifying information is not shared)

    • Accidental contact between client and therapist out in public—the therapist will never initiate an interaction in public in order to best protect client privacy

    • For minor clients, parents may be entitled to some information—you will be made aware of any information shared with your parents

  • Yes. All virtual sessions are conducted through SimplePractice, which is HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST certified—the gold standard for healthcare privacy and security.

    You can attend sessions from anywhere in New York State with confidence that your information is protected.

  • Yes, in a limited and fully transparent way. AI transcription tools within SimplePractice (the electronic health record software used by this practice) assist with session note-taking. Here is exactly how it works:

    • Audio is recorded only during the therapy session—your therapist controls when recording starts and ends

    • Audio recordings are never retained as part of your medical record

    • Recordings are auto-deleted immediately after a transcript is generated

    • Transcripts are de-identified per HIPAA standards—all personally identifying information is removed

    • Transcripts are permanently deleted within 7 days, or once the session note is signed—whichever comes first

    All AI tools used are HIPAA-compliant, HITRUST certified, and encrypted.