I am licensed in Massachusetts and can provide services to anyone physically located in Massachusetts.
I work almost entirely via telehealth (Zoom), aside from some types of more involved evaluations in which I may complete on-site observations in the greater Boston area, as well as providing expert testimony in courts in the greater Boston area.
I can provide private-pay consultations of a nature that are not considered a medical service to those located anywhere in the United States (with other locations on a case-by-case basis depending on my cultural familiarity).
I do not provide regularly scheduled ongoing therapy services at this time.
Sub-acute assessment and referral services, i.e., "your child needs to be in services"
I especially understand that trans youth, youth of color, neurodivergent youth, and youth with disabled parents are particular targets for overreaction from providers and often face unnecessary contact with crisis, hospitalization, law enforcement, DCF etc. As such, I am able to see children who are presenting with new or increased concerning behaviors (mood symptoms, disordered eating, autistic burnout, school refusal, troubled peer relations, self-injury...) for an initial consultation and to establish a professional relationship within a week, and can begin the process of diagnostic assessment and recommendation of further services. My aim whenever possible is to keep youth in their familiar environment with appropriate supports. I am able to provide safety-planning services and document a formal safety plan with families. I am a creative problem-solver and work with families to "fight fires" through means such as enrolling in an accredited online school, initiating the accommodation process at public or private school, and so forth, so that families can focus on attending to their child's needs rather than worrying they will be punished for doing the best they can. This service can be billed to insurance as psychotherapy.
Gender-affirming care letters
I am typically able to provide these in one session, sometimes needing two or three sessions if we need to gather documentation and/or if someone needs flexibility due to neurodivergence or other circumstances. These can be billed to insurance as a psychotherapy evaluation and followup, as we will be completing basic screening tools around mood and gathering a history. If I don't take your insurance, I can usually do these at no cost. I believe in autonomy and self-determination and while there are sometimes cases where I need more information, I cannot think of any instances in which I would decline to provide such a letter to someone who is living as trans/nonbinary and approaching me in good faith. Note that I am required to take a history and do basic screenings as my license requires these things any time I am seeing a client and attesting to things. My preference would be to be write letters stating any adult can do anything they choose, but this unfortunately is not how the law works.
Disability documentation
I can provide updated documentation of long-term psychiatric, learning, and neurodevelopmental disabilities through a combination of interview, records review, and brief assessment. I may be able to provide documentation of other types of disabilities when these are either obvious or when documentation exists for instance from a school or workplace but an individual is needing a current letter specifically from a healthcare provider. I can update documentation based on past records as needed to reflect current name/gender, to provide only information relevant to current accommodation needs while omitting sensitive history, and so forth. This can generally be billed to insurance as a psychotherapy evaluation and followup, as I will be taking a history and administering brief normed tools. I understand that the medical model of disability expects that anyone who has a disability or history of certain behaviors is "seeing someone for that" despite no current clinical needs; as such, I am happy to serve as someone's provider of record and see them on an infrequent consultation basis.
Developmental evaluations
I am a certified early intervention specialist in addition to an LMHC, and can provide brief developmental assessment of children of any age, billed to the child's insurance. I do not perform in-depth neuropsychological testing. I am happy to provide second opinions for school assessments or early intervention assessments, or provide assessments for families who are wondering about their child's development but are not sure they wish to identify their child to these systems quite yet. My assessments aim to strike a balance between appreciating neurodiversity and understanding there are many different valid ways of approaching the world, while naming and documenting certain differences that may present a true functional deficit that can be improved through targeted communication or motor therapy, or which may signal a medical condition. I have particular experience in pediatric eating and feeding disorders and practice from a Health At Every Size model.
Adult diagnostic evaluations
I provide comprehensive adult diagnostic evaluations. I do not perform in-depth neuropsychological testing. My assessments are strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming and include detailed narratives of what a person can do well and what supports they do not appear to need, in addition to limitations they may have and supports they may need. These can typically be covered by insurance. Depending on a few factors, I can usually include formal assessment of life skills such as home management and community use if this is needed, for instance, for a disabled parent looking for documentation that they have ways of addressing their family's needs.
Parenting evaluations
I provide in-depth parenting evaluations to be used in Care & Protection proceedings (or prevention of such action). Evaluations are arranged through CPCS contract for parents who have a court-appointed attorney, or through private pay for parents who have a private attorney. These services cannot be covered by insurance. I do not generally provide services for divorce/separation cases without DCF involvement, and I do not under any circumstances support foster/pre-adoptive/guardianship families seeking to prevent a child from reunifying with their family or from being placed with kin.
Court expert services
I have been qualified as an expert in a number of Massachusetts juvenile courts. I am able to be contracted via CPCS or through private pay. Topics include normative child development, pediatric feeding and nutrition, developmental and other disabilities (children and parents), transgender and gender-expansive children, responsible homeschooling, attachment disorders, and others.
Parenting support
I provide assessment and short-term guidance with trauma-informed and disability-positive parenting, drawing from my clinical training as well as my experience as a foster parent and parent of disabled children. I have particular experience in supporting neurodivergent parents and/or parents who have a trauma history. This can generally be billed to the parent's or child's insurance depending on several factors.
Support groups for LGBTQ youth and young adults
I am currently running several online social/support groups for LGBTQ youth 6-18 and young adults 18-24. The youth groups are $10 per week and young adult groups are no cost. These are not therapy groups and cannot be reimbursed by insurance. These groups are open to any youth regardless of location. The groups tend to be mostly U.S.-based folks, but I have had young people from 24 different countries join.
Payment options:
I am a CPCS vendor for Massachusetts court evaluations/consultations. Individuals with a court-appointed attorney can have their attorney contact me to determine whether we might be able to work together via this route.
I can provide superbills for potential reimbursement from private insurance.
I can accept most private Massachusetts insurances and am working on taking MassHealth.
Note that some types of more in-depth evaluations are not always covered by insurance, particularly those that are primarily educational in nature. I will work with you to provide something that is both affordable and serves the purpose it needs to.
I accept private payment payment via PayPal account (including debit/credit card) here and can discuss other options (Venmo, Zelle, etc.) I am flexible with invoicing practices when contracting with state agencies or healthcare/educational organizations.
To book an initial consultation for an adult, child, youth, or family using private insurance, please do so here. Otherwise, e-mail me and let me know how I can help.
