FAQ

Where is your office located?

I am not offering office visits at this time. My business address is 114 W Magnolia St, Ste 400 #130
Bellingham, WA 98225

Do you provide office visits or telehealth?
I am a licensed Nurse Practioner in Washington, and I offer secure telehealth visits. I am only providing telehealth at this time.
What are your practice hours?
My hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. I generally schedule clients between 8:00 and 11:00 am, and between 2:00 and 4:00 pm.
How long are your sessions?

Initial comprehensive visits (intakes) are 90 minutes.

You can book follow-up sessions for either 30 minutes or 60 minutes, depending on the complexity of what we are addressing or the length of therapy you desire.

Do you offer a sliding scale?
I will consider a sliding scale on a case-by-case basis for clients who are self-pay.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please give me at least 24 hours’ notification, otherwise a late cancellation fee will apply.
Do you accept insurance?

I am currently in network with Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Premera, Kaiser, First Choice Health, and Molina, and I am happy to bill them directly if you have coverage with any of these carriers.

For those who are self-pay (out-of-pocket), I can provide you with a Superbill receipt to submit to your insurance if you have out-of-network benefits.

How do I set up an initial appointment?

Click here to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. Texting is also okay. Both email and phone are secure.

Do you have forms I need to complete?

Yes. The forms are available electronically through the ChARM electronic health record patient portal. You will receive a link to set up a patient portal if we decide to schedule an initial visit. Forms will be sent to you through the patient portal.

With what age ranges do you work?
I work with adults ages 18 and up.
Do you work with women, men, couples, LGBTQ+?
I work with all gender identities and sexual orientations. I do not work with couples.
You offer integrative psychiatry, but do you also provide medication management? What about therapy?

I offer medication management using an integrative framework to help guide medication selection if we go that route.

Supportive therapy is always part of our work together. I can offer weekly therapy depending on my caseload.

Do you offer long-term prescriptions for opioids, benzodiazepines, or stimulants?
I do not prescribe opioids. I prescribe benzodiazepines (such as Ativan or Klonopin) or Z-drugs (such as Ambien) on a very judicious basis, and I prefer to avoid prescribing them. I prescribe stimulant medications such as Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine), Ritalin or Concerta (methylphenidate), or Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) if I am confident that you meet criteria for ADHD. I usually spend 2 or 3 sessions to make that determination, and in some cases I will request a neuropsychiatric evaluation (through referral) to confirm.
What do you do in sessions with clients?

At our intake session – a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment – I will be gathering a lot of information about who you are, what’s going on, your history, and your goals for treatment.

I may recommend ordering some labs (blood work), depending on when you received the most recent lab tests and what particular difficulties you are experiencing. I may make supplement and/or medication recommendations based on what you need the most support with (such as sleep, anxiety). Follow-up sessions will be scheduled to track your progress.

Depending on the need of the client, I may schedule sessions more frequently. Supportive therapy is usually a part of each session, whether a 30- or 60-minute follow-up, utilizing basic principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing®. See below questions for more information about this.

Do your clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?
There will likely be some home practice/homework to move closer to your established goals at the end of each session. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy involves homework. If we draw from elements of ACT in our work together, there will be ACT-specific homework.
What else does a client need to know to make the most out of working with you?
I aim to draw on my strengths and knowledge to bring you guidance and support to have a fulfilling life. I will work hard to get you feeling better, and I expect you to work hard for yourself, too. My approach is professional yet highly personable, and it involves a good dose of humor regarding the human condition.
What is your professional training and experience?

I am a UCSF trained Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), class of 2016. My post-graduation year-long residency was at the San Francisco VA, where I learned tons by having several different rotations within psychiatry (for example, women’s care, substance use treatment, psychiatric emergency services, general psychiatric outpatient services).

After the residency, I worked exclusively for the Department of Veterans Affairs, both in San Francisco and Oakland, CA, before transitioning to private practice in the Summer of 2022.

Trainings in addition to my formal education that will inform my work with you include 1) Certified Integrative Psychiatric Provider, 2) Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (or SEP), 3) ACT Essentials (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), APT Accreditation, Levels 2, and 4) Radiant Heart Qigong Level I In-Depth Training and Teacher Certification Course.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) all about?

It’s about gaining psychological flexibility and leading a fulfilling life. The basic principle is that quality of life depends primarily on mindful action, guided by your values. Quality of life is possible regardless of how many painful thoughts and feelings you have.

“A” – Accepting your thoughts and feelings and other things out of your control.
“C” – Committing to a direction that is in line with your values.
“T” – Taking action that is in line with your values and principles.

I think this is cool stuff! I use it on myself all the time.

What does the “Safe Zone Trained” sticker mean?

The Safe Zone Project is a resource for LGBTQ+ awareness and ally training workshops. I completed the Safe Zone training to learn more about LGBTQ+ identities, gender and sexuality, and to explore my assumptions, prejudice, and privilege.

The sticker indicates that I support LGBTQ+ individuals and identities and am ready to discuss how this identity impacts you.

What are your guiding principles?

We have what it takes to heal. We just need the right conditions.

Deep healing doesn’t come easy. You have to want it, show up for it, and be willing to make changes.

A healthy dose of humor about the human condition goes a long way!

Empathy and kindness will never go out of style.

A diagnosis can help with understanding what’s going on and guiding treatment, but should never be used to define you or oversimplify the entirety of your experience.

In the words of Carl Jung, “What you resist, persists…”

It is possible to heal from trauma.

Respect for the fact that we each have our own individual paths.

“We are spiritual beings currently having human experiences.”
– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

What does your private practice name mean?

Stillness and Flow. In my practice, I honor the changing nature of physical and mental health. There are periods of darkness and stillness on the continuum of health and illness. These periods lead to a time to rest in the fallow.

But where there is stillness, there is movement – atoms are in motion, the heart is beating, and the body is breathing. Stillness creates space for seeds previously planted to ready for germination. When you emerge from the fallow, there are periods of light, growth, and flow.

I am here to support your process wherever you find yourself within this rhythmicity of stillness and flow.

Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Both! I do best when I have at least one of each. I currently have two dogs – Shea is a Husky mix, and Abby is a terrier/chihuahua mix – and one cat, a Siamese mix named Claudio. They are all “rescues,” but like the bumper sticker says, “Who rescued who?” They light up my life and teach me how to be a more patient and mindful human being.

Abby

Claudio

Shea

What are some of your favorite charities or non-profits?
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary
Animals Asia
WildAid
Territorio de Zaguates
Sulala Animal Rescue
Best Friends Animal Society
Friends of the Earth
NRDC (National Resources Defense Council)
The Nature Conservancy
The Ocean Cleanup
Farmer’s Footprint
Doctors Without Borders
World Central Kitchen
BU Center for Antiracist Research