FAQs

How much will this cost and can I use my insurance plan?

Initial consultations and all subsequent 60-minute sessions are $225 each. The fee is payable at the time of your session by PayPal, debit or credit card, Venmo or Zelle QuickPay and I will provide details of how exactly to send a payment once you decide to book your first session. I always provide receipts for payments received, including super-bills for clients who would like to recoup part of the cost of our sessions from their insurance providers, for reimbursement from flex spending and HSA accounts, and for tax purposes. I also have a limited number of sliding-scale appointment times available. Please let me know if you are experiencing financial difficulties, and I will let you know if I can make any adjustment to my fee based on appointment time and availability.

If you have a health insurance plan that includes mental health coverage, you may choose to have your insurance cover whatever portion of my fee your plan allows. However, you should be aware that, in return, I will be required to provide at least some basic information about why you are seeking the help of a psychotherapist. For example, insurance providers require me to provide a diagnosis before they will process any claims, and they could potentially require me to share more detailed information about why you are seeking my help and what progress you have been making.

Please Note: You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can read more about Good Faith Estimates here >>

If you have any other questions about fees or insurance, please feel free to call me at 650-680-7124or email me at claire@gclaireroberts.com.

Will my information be kept private?

Everything you discuss with me will be kept confidential, except under certain specific circumstances where California state law requires a mental health practitioner to break confidentiality on safety grounds, such as in cases of suspected child abuse or neglect, or where there appears to be an imminent danger to yourself, another person, or another person’s major property such as a house or a vehicle. More details on this topic are provided as part of the Consent to Treatment form you will be asked to sign when you initiate treatment with me.

That being said, if you are using insurance coverage, as mentioned earlier, before processing any claim, your insurance company will require me to provide some basic information about you including a diagnosis and occasionally a bit more information such as why you have been seeking help and what progress you are making. Feel free to ask me if you want to understand more about how this works.

How frequently will I need to come, how long does each session last, and how many sessions will I need?

To get the most out of our work together and experience the quickest and most effective results, I typically recommend clients attend sessions once a week. However, some clients need sessions more than once per week if they are experiencing a crisis and need extra support.

Individual sessions are 60 minutes in length, although when processing a particularly disturbing memory, I may occasionally recommend a 90-minute session, in which case the fee will be prorated to $337.50. I also work with couples and families and in these instances, I also recommend 90-minute sessions, if possible.

The number of sessions you are likely to need depends on a variety of factors, such as the nature and severity of the issue(s) you are facing, the goals we agree upon, and your own level of commitment to our work. Accordingly, you and I will work together to come up with a schedule that’s right for you, and fits your needs and goals, and sometimes we will need to adjust the schedule as our work together progresses.

What if I need to cancel a session?

There is no charge if you cancel at least 48 hours before the scheduled time of your session. However, you will be responsible for paying the full fee for any session canceled with less than 48-hours notice. If this does occur, I will always try to offer you an alternative appointment that same week, if I have a slot available, so you can avoid having to pay for a session you did not have.

Do you provide couples counseling?

Yes! Although not a primary focus of my practice, I do enjoy working with couples. In fact, one of my passions is to teach healthy communication and conflict resolution skills to couples at all stages of their relationships, as this is key to establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship that will last a lifetime. I am proud to have had the privilege to train with some of the best couples’ experts in the world, namely Dr’s. John and Julie Gottman of the Gottman Institute in Seattle, WA, and also Dr’s. Pete Pearson and Ellyn Bader of the Couples Institute in Menlo Park, CA.

What is an LCSW?

LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is one of the ways an individual may become licensed to practice psychotherapy within the State of California. The name of the licensing board for an LCSW is the California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners, or BBSE, based in Sacramento. LCSWs typically come from a background in sociology and social work that places an emphasis on understanding each person in relation to their socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. This may be compared to a Marriage and Family Therapist whose background is mostly in psychology which stresses interpersonal dynamics. But the licensing process for both LCSWs and MFTs has a great deal of overlap and both types of professionals share a great deal in common.

Where are you located and what are your office hours?

I am currently providing only online counseling and teletherapy. This is a convenient, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to in-person counseling and psychotherapy that is just as powerful and beneficial. In fact, the vast majority of my clients have been surprised by how well teletherapy works and how easy it is!

My current office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am to 4pm Pacific time.

How do I reach you to discuss my situation and ask about setting up an initial appointment?

The best way to reach me is by calling my confidential voicemail at 650-680-7124 or, if you prefer, you may also email me at claire@gclaireroberts.com. I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation to anyone inquiring about my services. I look forward to speaking with you and helping in any way I can.