Frequently Asked Questions

There is currently a Monday night group in Moraga. We meet at The Art of Living, Inc., near the Canyon Club Brewery. Other groups may form in the future depending on demand, most likely in Oakland or Berkeley.

This is an in-person group, and attendance is required to get the full benefit of the program. We can go over the meeting dates and any breaks for holidays with your calendar in hand, so that you can feel confident in making the commitment before paying.

The program consists of eight sessions, usually over eight consecutive weeks. (Sometimes we skip a week with a holiday.) Each session is two hours long.

We can discuss the option of transferring your program and any additional fees to cover my standard session rate of $200/50-minutes. I will ask you to be in conversation with your buddy in the group and me unless that is the reason you are considering leaving the group. I generally have an even number of people in the group for buddy pairs, so departing during the program will leave one person without a buddy to share with. We can also try switching the buddy partners so that you can work with someone else. My aim is to find the right balance between supporting you in overcoming the challenge of being in the group and eliminating unnecessary discomfort in the form of mismatched or incompatible buddies.

Each week, we discuss our reading from chapters in The Grief Recovery Handbook, our companion book for this process. In the second half of the program, you share things like your history of life losses and unresolved elements of relationships that have ended. We follow a predictable and consistent agenda each week that guides us through the steps of recovery. If you have more you’d like to talk about after the meeting, you are welcome to set up an individual support session with me at my standard session rate.

$1,440 for 16 service hours (eight two-hour group meetings), a copy of the book, access to me in between meetings when necessary and free 15-minute follow-up sessions to read any future completion letters that you’ve done on your own using the Grief Recovery Method™ tool. This works out to less than $90 per hour, which is less than half my standard rate.

I offer a 10% discount if you register and pay before the first group session.

$1,600 for eight one-hour sessions, either in person at one of my offices (Berkeley or Lafayette) or online via Zoom. A copy of The Grief Recovery Handbook by John James & Russell Freidman is included. You can either pay all at once before your first session (10% discount offered for this option) or I will bill you after each session.

Yes. I am always open to negotiating your program fee if you are committed to attending all eight sessions, and you are sincere in knowing that this program is your preferred option for your healing work. I also offer one lower-cost seat for every three full-fee participants signed up for the group. So, if you know someone else who is lost in grief and looking for support, recommend they reach out to me for an initial consultation.

PayPal, check, cash or money order. I will send you a PayPal invoice with all the relevant details, dates, refund policy, etc., that you can pay through PayPal or with a credit or debit card.

I am not currently on any insurance panels. Some insurance policies **MAY** allow you to submit a “superbill” to them (a beefed-up receipt with some important codes on it) for reimbursement or partial reimbursement. It is up to you to talk with your plan administrator or insurance agent to find out whether you qualify for this and to follow up with them on the status of your requests for reimbursement.

My refund policy is as follows:

• “Unhelpful” Refund. If this program does not provide any relief in your grief process, I will refund the whole amount you paid within two weeks of the date of the last meeting. You must attend all eight meetings to claim this type of refund.
• “Non-Attendance” or “Cancellation” Refund. If you are unable to attend all eight meetings because of illness, incompatibility with the program, facilitator or other group members or a natural disaster, I will provide a prorated refund based on how many meetings you did NOT attend.
• PLEASE NOTE: This program can be uncomfortable, and you will likely feel and express painful emotions. This is part of the healing process. I ask that you refrain from stopping for this reason alone and request that you experience the full eight-week program and all the steps in the Grief Recovery Method™ process before you decide if this program was helpful for you.

I offer depth psychotherapy to individuals and couples in a comfortable, supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere. I take a highly personalized approach tailored to each client’s individual needs to help attain the personal growth they’re striving for.

Issues worked with:

• Grief and loss
• Relationship support
• Work and career issues
• Life transition issues
• Stress Management
• Self-awareness and identity issues
• Depression and anxiety

Trained in the use of the following tools and modalities:

• Nonviolent Communication
• Anti-racist stance, social justice lens
• Meditation and Mindfulness
• Somatic Experiencing®
• Shadow Work
• Internal Family Systems
• Parts Work and Gestalt (empty-chair technique)
• Sand Tray
• Motivational Interviewing
• Some elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
• Solution-Focused Therapy

Yes, I am not currently working with clients with eating disorders, severe personality disorders, severe substance addiction when not in recovery, or chronic illnesses such as autoimmune disorders and Lyme disease.