Self to Collective

FAQs

I’m excited to hear you think I might be a good fit! The next step is a free 15-20 minute consultation, where we’ll chat more specifically about your motivation to seek therapy and your goals for therapy.

This is also your opportunity to vibe check me and ask me questions about anything that might be important for you to know about me, in order to gauge whether you feel like we can build a safe and supportive relationship. For example:

  • Have you worked with clients who have similar goals or needs?
  • Are you comfortable discussing power and privilege?
  • What are your views on the connection between structural/systemic violence and mental health?
  • Are you comfortable discussing characteristics of intersectional identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, and socioeconomic status?

To schedule a consult, email me at nicoleb@selftocollective.com and I’ll respond with my availability for a 15-20 minute phone consultation.

My full-fee services are:

  • Individual therapy, 45-minute session: $190
  • Individual therapist consultation, increments of 30 minutes: $100
  • Training: Vary by offering

My sliding scale availability is currently full. But to help make my current full-fee offerings more affordable, I’m happy to discuss the possibility of adjustments to scheduling, such as meeting bi-weekly or meeting for a limited number of sessions.

For prospective Asian and Asian-American clients, I am a Therapy Fund provider through the Asian Mental Health Collective (AMHC), which provides access to 8 free therapy sessions over 3 months. Applications for the Lotus Therapy Fund and Asian Organizers Therapy Fund open seasonally. Visit the Asian Mental Health Collective for more information.

Asian Mental Health Collective: Free Therapy Funds

At Self to Collective, I am an out-of-network provider, so I do not work directly with any insurance companies. However, my services may qualify for reimbursement under your insurance. I recommend contacting your insurance company to determine what your out-of-network mental health benefits are. 

These questions may be helpful to discuss with your insurance provider:

  • Do I have out-of-network mental health benefits? 
  • What is my out-of-network deductible and has it been met?
  • Once I hit my out-of-network deductible, what percentage will my insurance cover?
  • Are there limits on the number of sessions covered per year?
  • Is prior authorization required?

I will provide you with the monthly statement of services required to submit for reimbursement from your insurance provider. However, it is your responsibility to pay upon receipt of services. Your form of payment on file will be automatically charged at the end of each session.

There is no fixed timeline for therapy. The pace and length of treatment will be a collaborative.

Some clients report initial impact within the first 8-12 sessions. However, in taking anti-oppressive and liberation approaches to therapy, I naturally see targeted symptom goals, like “I want to feel less stressed at work,” as an invitation to understand the systems, previous experiences, and relationships that may be trapping you in a loop, such as you constantly “feeling stressed at work,” for example.

So there will always be an invitation to go deeper and work toward holistic change in our work together. But I would also welcome your feedback about what’s useful and your inquiry about changes to frequency, pausing, or ending the work at any time.

I use SimplePractice, a secure, HIPAA compliant practice management software. SimplePractice is available as an app, but can also be accessed through your browser if you’re tired of downloading a new app for everything.

For email, I use Proton Mail. Proton Mail provides end-to-end and zero-access encrypted email service for between Proton Mail users. By using Proton Mail, I make sure that your emails are confidential on my end. If you want to ensure our emails are confidential and encrypted, you can sign up for a free Proton Mail account and use that email to contact me.

For phone and other messaging, I use the Spruce Health app. Spruce Health is HIPAA compliant service built around client confidentiality. If you want to ensure our text messages are confidential and encrypted, you can download and use Spruce Health for free as a client.

Through SimplePractice, I am able to accept credit cards, debit cards, HSA/FSA cards.

If you are a client seeking my services through The Lotus Fund, we will work that out separately.