What should I expect in psychotherapy?

The decision to begin psychotherapy is a serious commitment on the part of both therapist and patient. As therapists, our role is to provide attuned, consistent care so that you can have the space to freely explore and develop your self-understanding. As a patient you will get the most out of therapy if you honor your commitment to yourself by attending all of your scheduled sessions, doing your best to speak freely (especially when it’s difficult), and letting your therapist know about your experience of therapy.

How frequently should we meet?

In private practice, Brooke and Nathan see patients at minimum one time per week, but may recommend more frequent sessions to address significant needs and facilitate deeper and more meaningful progress. Patients who have sessions at least 2x per week may be offered lower fee in order to reduce the financial burden of deeper work.

For patients in our Worker’s Compensation Division, frequency is determined by a number of factors, including the patient’s needs and availability, the number of authorized sessions, and therapeutic modality (i.e., CPT, CBT, EMDR, etc.).

What are your rates?

Brooke’s standard fee is $225 for a 50-minute session of individual psychotherapy.

Nathan’s standard fee is $140 per 50-minute session of individual psychotherapy.

On occasion we may be able to provide a sliding scale based on financial need, frequency of sessions (i.e., a lower rate for more frequent sessions), and other factors.

Do you take insurance?

Brooke is in-network with Aetna, and is currently accepting private practice patients who wish to use their Aetna insurance benefits. Nathan does not accept insurance as a psychological associate.

What about Worker’s Compensation?

In addition to serving individuals seeking care for personal reasons, this practice has a Worker’s Compensation Division called Emerging Insights Psychological Services. Patients cannot self-refer for worker’s compensation services, and must be referred by an official who is overseeing their worker’s compensation case.

Rather than gaining insight and making lasting deep change, worker’s compensation services are focused on restoring occupational functioning so that patients can resume work activities. As such, we tend to use briefer, more focused therapeutic modalities with those being seen through the worker’s compensation system.

When a patient’s worker’s comp case is resolved, they are absolutely welcome (and invited!) to return and work with a therapist on their personal goals.

What is a psychological associate?

As a pre-doctoral psychological associate, Nathan is registered with the California Board of Psychology and works under the direct supervision of Brooke Ferragamo, PhD, who is a licensed clinical psychologist in California (License # PSY34065). Nathan is currently a graduate student at the Wright Institute pursuing his PsyD degree. Although he is pre-licensed, Nathan was hired because he is very good at what he does.

Is your office ADA accessible?

Our San Francisco office is not ADA accessible, as one needs to climb approximately 20 stairs to reach the office and waiting room. If you would like to work in-person but are unable to use stairs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can arrange to sublease an accessible space from a nearby colleague for our sessions.