FAQs

What is your experience?

If you'd like to see full details on my education, professional experience, and other accomplishments, please view my CV here. Here's the short version. I received my doctorate in clinical, counseling, and school psychology in 2015. My dissertation investigated the types of individuals that prefer online forms of therapy to in-person treatment. Following my time at UCSB, I interned at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. During my time at Kaiser, I wrote the first book in the Hardcore Self Help series and began focusing on providing useful mental health information for "real people". Throughout graduate school, I also interned and worked for Erik Lande, Ph.D. within his private practice, Insight Neuropsychology. Following my pre-doctoral internship, I did a two-year post-doctoral neuropsychology internship with Dr. Lande. Since becoming licensed in 2017, I have worked as a neuropsychologist at Insight focusing on both assessment and psychotherapy.

Aside from therapy and assessment, I keep quite busy. I have a brand called Duff the Psych that allows me to communicate mental health content to people all around the world. I have written several books, made an online course, and host a weekly podcast to answer listener mental health questions.

Who do you work well with?

I have always been complimented on being personable and clear in my communication. For that reason, I seem to work well with people that have not had much success in prior therapy due to a bad fit with their therapist. I have education and expertise, but you are the true expert on yourself. My job is to learn your emotional language and use that knowledge to guide you toward skills that will make an impact on your situation.

I work with individuals ranging from adolescent to older adult. Given my unique background, I tend to work well with people from a variety of age groups. I am versed in technology, social media, social issues, and many other modern concerns that some older therapists do not seem to understand. At the same time, my extensive work with older adults as a neuropsychologist allows me to empathize with physical, cognitive, and lifestyle changes that happen with advanced age.

While I have experience and comfort working with individuals dealing with trauma, I do not provide EMDR. I also have no personal experience with addiction. Therefore, if you are looking for substance abuse counseling, you may prefer to see someone with a stronger connection to that community. I am unwilling to see individuals that have been forced or coerced into therapy. It is very important to me that you are here on your own volition and have made a commitment to improving your life.

Social justice and feminism are guiding principles in my personal and professional lives. While I continue to explore many facets of my own identity and do not claim membership in these groups, I am enthusiastic to work with people representing LGBTQ+, kink, sex work, and polyam/enm. 

Do you take insurance?

My practice is primarily cash-pay. I accept Medicare for neuropsychological assessment only. For therapy, my out-of-pocket rate is $150 per session.

For those looking to use PPO insurance, I am an out of network provider. This means that you are responsible for the full fee each session and can be provided with a superbill to submit for reimbursement from your insurance company. Rates of reimbursement vary greatly, so please check with your insurance company ahead of time to determine coverage.

Do you practice telehealth?

Yes! In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am exclusively doing online therapy. Although many providers are now using telehealth as a primary method, I have actually been providing online therapy for years and completed my doctoral dissertation on the topic.

While there are some inherent differences between in-person and online therapy, the research suggests that telehealth is safe and shows similar efficacy to in-person therapy for a wide variety of issues. It also may be more comfortable for some individuals that are more anxious and introverted, as there is a lower degree of social intensity during online communication.

Current laws and regulations only allow me to work with individuals that live in California. If you would like to work with me in a non-medical coaching capacity, I can do that with people from anywhere in the world.

How long does treatment last?

This varies widely depending on the particular issues we are working on and how things progress. I am not one of those therapists that wants to keep you around for years and years. My goal is to work myself out of a job. If you are not seeing improvements to your life and benefitting from our work together, then we aren't the right match for one another and you should see someone else. That said, I typically see people on a weekly basis for the initial part of their treatment. This might be for several weeks or several months. From there, we might reduce the frequency of sessions to bi-weekly or monthly. When things are looking like you can phase out of therapy, we will discuss and plan for a smooth transition out of treatment.

Do you prescribe medications?

Nope! That's the realm of medical doctors, not Ph.D.'s like me. I often advise that people work with a psychiatrist, who is a medical doctor focusing on treating psychiatric conditions. In my opinion, medications and therapy go hand-in-hand. Medications do not solve problems or change your thinking, but they allow you some relief from your symptoms. This can make it so that you benefit even more from therapy. Between therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes, you can much such a massive difference for yourself. Medication isn't for everyone, but it is a topic that I'm always happy to explore with you!