Frequently Asked Questions

The first step is a free 15-minute phone consultation. It’s not an intake — it’s a brief conversation to see if the fit is right. You can schedule one here, or call or text 412-206-9080.

The first session is about understanding what brought you here and what you’re hoping to change. I’ll ask questions, listen carefully, and start forming a picture of the patterns that may be keeping you stuck. Most people leave feeling heard and with a clearer sense of what we’ll work on together.

That uncertainty is completely normal and worth exploring. A free 15-minute consultation can help you figure out whether this kind of work makes sense for where you are right now. There’s no pressure to commit.

Most people who say therapy didn’t work describe a version where they talked about their week while someone nodded and offered supportive reflections. That can be pleasant, but it rarely produces change. The therapy I do is more direct, more psychologically specific, and more focused on what’s actually happening beneath the surface — not just what you’re reporting. If previous therapy felt too generic or too passive, this is a different kind of experience.

Initial intake session (60 minutes): $225. Standard individual session (53 minutes): $200. Standard couples session (53-60 minutes): $225. Extended couples session (75 minutes): $280. Payment is due at the time of service. I accept credit/debit cards, checks, and cash.

This is a private-pay practice. I don’t bill insurance directly, but I provide superbills you can submit for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Private pay means no insurance company limiting our sessions, dictating what we work on, or attaching a diagnosis to your permanent record — which matters especially for work involving sexuality, shame, or relational patterns.

Insurance companies often require a formal diagnosis, limit the number of sessions, and request access to clinical information. For the kind of specialized, depth-oriented work I do — particularly in sex therapy, couples counseling, and compulsive sexual behavior — these constraints can undermine the quality and confidentiality of care. Working privately allows me to focus entirely on what’s best for you.

Call the member services number on the back of your insurance card. Ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits — specifically your annual deductible, the reimbursement rate for outpatient psychotherapy (CPT code 90837) and couples counseling (90847), and whether there’s a session limit. I’m happy to help you think through this during a free consultation.

A superbill is a detailed receipt I provide after each session. It includes the date, session type, diagnosis code, and CPT code — everything your insurance company needs to process a reimbursement claim. You submit it to your insurer, and they reimburse you according to your plan.

Standard individual sessions are 53 minutes. Couples sessions are 53-60 minutes, with 75-minute extended sessions available when the work calls for it. The initial intake is 60 minutes.

Most clients come weekly or biweekly. Consistency matters — this kind of work requires building something over time, not dropping in when things feel urgent. For psychodynamic work, some clients choose to meet more than once a week, which can deepen the process significantly.

It depends on what you’re working on. Focused concerns — a specific anxiety pattern, performance anxiety, a decision you’re stuck on — can shift meaningfully in a few months. Deeper work around shame, avoidance, attachment patterns, or long-standing relational difficulties typically takes longer, because you’re not just managing symptoms — you’re changing the underlying structure. I check in regularly about what’s working and what needs to shift.

Monday through Thursday: 11 AM – 9 PM. Friday: 10 AM – 6 PM. Sunday: 6 PM – 9 PM. I offer evening and weekend availability because the people who need therapy most are often the busiest. You shouldn’t have to choose between your schedule and your wellbeing.

I ask for at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. Late cancellations and missed sessions are charged the full session fee. This policy exists because your time slot is reserved specifically for you, and last-minute cancellations can’t be filled. I understand that life happens — if there’s a genuine emergency, we’ll figure it out.

Both. I see clients in person at my Pittsburgh office (134 S Highland Ave, East Liberty/Shadyside) and online via secure video across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Rhode Island. Many clients alternate between in-person and video depending on the week. Both formats work well — what matters most is showing up consistently.

I specialize in couples counseling (EFT), sex therapy, individual therapy, therapy for compulsive sexual behavior, and therapy for men. My approach draws on psychodynamic depth, attachment theory, and mindfulness — not as buzzwords, but as the frameworks that actually help people understand why they’re stuck and how to change.

EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) is an attachment-based approach that helps couples identify the negative cycle they get stuck in and build new patterns of safety, responsiveness, and repair. It’s not communication skills training — it’s a restructuring of how you experience each other. You can learn more on the couples counseling page.

Sex therapy is talk therapy — there is no physical component. We have direct, honest conversations about desire, arousal, avoidance, shame, and the relational dynamics that affect your sexual life. I may assign structured exercises (like sensate focus) to practice between sessions, but sessions themselves are conversation. You can read more about how sex therapy works here.

AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) certification is the highest clinical credential for sex therapists in the United States. It requires extensive specialized training, supervised clinical hours, and ongoing education beyond a standard therapy license. Most therapists receive little to no training in human sexuality — AASECT certification means this is a core competency, not an afterthought.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) tends to focus on identifying and changing specific thought patterns and behaviors. Psychodynamic therapy is more interested in the deeper emotional logic behind those patterns — why they developed, what they protect, and how they connect to your relational history. In my experience, psychodynamic work is often a better fit for people whose difficulties feel rooted in something older or more complex than a thinking error. That said, these approaches aren’t mutually exclusive.

No. Many people do sex therapy individually. Individual sex therapy can be powerful for understanding your own relationship to desire, arousal, and the body — whether or not a partner is involved. Couples sessions are also available when both partners want to work together.

Yes. Male sexuality, shame, avoidance, and relational patterns are a particular focus. Many of my individual clients are men dealing with performance anxiety, emotional withdrawal, or the kind of quiet isolation that comes from never having talked honestly about these things. If you’re a man who has struggled to find a therapist who gets it, this practice was built with you in mind.

Yes, with the standard legal exceptions (imminent danger, abuse of minors or vulnerable adults, court orders). The private-pay model adds another layer — there is no insurance company receiving diagnoses or treatment summaries. For many clients dealing with sensitive concerns around sexuality, relationships, or shame, knowing that confidentiality is airtight makes it possible to be honest for the first time.

Yes. I use a HIPAA-compliant video platform with end-to-end encryption. Your sessions are never recorded, and no session content is stored on any server. Online therapy follows the same ethical and legal confidentiality standards as in-person sessions.

That’s common — especially in couples work. We’ll move at a pace that feels workable, and I’ll help translate what’s happening into something that feels practical, not abstract. Skepticism isn’t a barrier; it often reflects a real need for the work to feel relevant and direct.

Yes, though I typically don’t see both partners for ongoing individual therapy while also seeing them as a couple — it creates complicated dynamics. With that said, when one or both individuals has ambivalence about staying in the relationship or committing to couples counseling, I will often meet with them one-on-one to work through the mixed feelings. What also works well is individual therapy alongside couples therapy with a different clinician, or individual work that addresses your relational patterns from your side of the dynamic.

That’s one of the most common things people say when they start therapy. You don’t need to have the language figured out before you walk in. Part of this work is learning to identify and articulate what’s going on internally. We build that skill together.

Completely. Almost everyone feels some version of that in the beginning. Part of what makes this work effective is creating a space where these conversations become possible — not by pretending they’re easy, but by meeting the discomfort with directness and respect. It usually gets easier faster than people expect.