Question 1

How Much Do The Sessions Cost?

Accepted Answer

The fee for an initial consultation is $250 for weekdays and $350 for weekends . The fee for each additional weekday session is $250. Weekend sessions are $350. Sessions are scheduled for a minimum of once a week depending on the particular needs of each family.

Question 2

Can't I Find a Cheaper Therapist with my Health Insurance or Through Better Help?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Using your health insurance or a corporate service like Better Help to find a psychotherapist and pay for your teenager's sessions would result in a more affordable rate.

However, there are a few downsides to be aware of when using health insurance or corporate online therapy services like Better Help.

Involving third parties in psychotherapy limits your psychotherapist's ability to ensure full privacy and confidentiality. Health insurance companies and corporate entities like Better Help have policies for sharing your teenager's mental health treatment information under certain circumstances that you may not agree with. For example, in the case of a court order, or as part of a vetting process to gain government security clearance. As a private psychotherapist I do not share information about your teenager with any third party without your explicit written consent. If legal pressure is brought to bare I employ lawyers with experience in protecting people's right to confidentiality. The only exceptions to confidentiality are the ethical matters of high risk suicide, high risk homicide and on-going child abuse. 
Insurance companies may have limits on how much treatment they are willing to pay for and under what conditions. Insurance companies are for-profit corporate entities that are incentivized to limit paying for treatment whenever possible. This can introduce an unpredictable and chaotic factor in your teenager's treatment which can be clinically destructive. As a private psychotherapist my fees are straightforward and predictable creating a stable environment for your teenager's treatment. In private psychotherapy the treatment duration and focus is determined by us, not third party corporate entities with an incentive to stop treatment whenever possible. 
Health insurance companies and online psychotherapy corporations require a formal mental health diagnosis. However, not every person in psychotherapy needs or wants a diagnosis. In private psychotherapy we can decide not to unnecessarily label teenagers with a stigmatizing diagnosis.  
Online psychotherapy corporations like Better Help employ thousands of mental health professionals with the explicit goal of maximizing each one's number of patients. This can result in overworked and underpaid mental health professionals. These psychotherapists can suffer from burnout and see your teenager as "just another case". As a private psychotherapist I have the luxury of prioritizing quality over quantity and I have no need to over burden myself with unrealistically large caseloads.

Question 3

How long does this process take?

Accepted Answer

Because I am helping your teen build psychological capacity rather than just treating a temporary symptom, this is often a medium- to long-term process. Just as building academic or athletic mastery takes time, developing deep emotional resilience is an accumulative process. I honor each teen's individual pace, ensuring the changes they make are authentic and lasting.

Question 4

What is your Cancelation/Rescheduling Policy?

Accepted Answer

As I hope everyone can understand cancelations are not just a clinical issue but also impact my personal financial health. When someone cancels a session late or does not show up, in person or over zoom, my objective is to allow as much flexibility as a can while still looking out for myself and the availability I can offer other patients. For that reason I have a 24 hour cancelation policy instead of a 48 hour cancelation policy. For late cancelations and no shows I also offer people, working with what my schedule allows, an opportunity to reschedule. If that person shows up to the rescheduled session then I do not charge for the missed session or late cancelation (1 per missed session or late cancelation. I do not reschedule already rescheduled sessions). If someone cancels inside of the 24 hour window and cannot reschedule or does not show up to a scheduled session and cannot reschedule then I charge the person the full fee for my time.

I also do not allow people to accumulate more than one thousand dollars in owed fees. If someone passes this mark I inform them that the sessions will have to be paused until payment is made.

These situations can be uncomfortable and they can interfere with the regularity treatment needs for a good outcome. However, I understand that life happens and some situations can take us all by surprise. So, I am always willing to talk about it and to be as flexible as I can to find a solution that works for everyone. Ultimately, I want to do quality work and I care about the teenagers and families that come to see me.

Question 5

Isn't Online Psychotherapy Inferior Compared to In-Person?

Accepted Answer

Traditional in-person psychotherapy is the gold standard and it can be enhanced with Online sessions. We in the mental health field have known for a long time now that the most important consideration for a good outcome in psychotherapy isn't whether it's online or in-person, it's the quality of the therapeutic relationship and Consistency. A productive therapeutic relationship can happen online just like it can happen in person. Teenagers, with their vast experience in online relationships, know how it works. Online sessions in combination with In-Person sessions provide the quality of in real life experience with the convenience and consistency need for good outcomes.

In my practice I make special accommodations to help the therapeutic relationship continue online.

A high-speed fiber optic internet service for a stable connection. This has almost completely eliminated lagging, blurring, buffering, and interruptions in talking and seeing that significantly interfere with forming a therapeutic relationship online.
A high quality 4K webcam with modifications to enable the feeling of eye contact. This helps in the development of trust and good quality non-verbal communication. 
Studio quality sound. This was a great investment I made to help my voice come across as life-like and full-bodied as possible. It sounds more like a professional YouTube video than a facetime call. This adds to the quality of the experience and stops me from sounding robotic or distant. 
A Comfortable, high-fidelity, noise cancelling headset for me. This helps me prevent getting tired, straining to hear or asking people to repeat themselves.

These considerations have made an enormous difference in my online psychotherapy experience and help create the right conditions for a productive therapeutic relationship to take root and grow.

Question 6

My Teenager is Only Available After School. Do You Have Late Afternoon/Weekend Availability?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I've been a night person my whole life so this comes very naturally to me. I offer sessions starting at 12:30pm through 9:30pm. On the weekends I offer afternoon sessions both Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30, 4:30, or 5:30pm.

Question 7

How Do You Accept Payment?

Accepted Answer

My preferred way to get paid is through Zelle. I can also accept Venmo, Cash app, PayPal, credit cards and checks. The most private way to pay is cash.

Question 8

How does psychodynamic therapy prepare my teen for future success?

Accepted Answer

True success requires more than just academic intelligence; it requires emotional intelligence and self-regulation. I help teens build a robust "emotional infrastructure." By understanding their own minds, they develop the capacity to handle pressure, navigate complex relationships, and recover from setbacks. I view this work as laying the psychological foundation for a successful transition into university, professional, and personal life.

Question 9

Will therapy help my teen become more resilient to stress?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Resilience is not about suppressing feelings; it is about the capacity to process them without collapsing. My work helps teens internalize a sense of stability and self-soothing. Rather than being overwhelmed by the high expectations placed upon them, they learn to integrate these demands healthily, developing a grit that comes from genuine self-confidence rather than fear of failure.

Question 10

My teen is high-performing but fragile. Can therapy help them sustain their performance?

Accepted Answer

High-performing teens often run on a fuel of anxiety, which leads to burnout. I help shift their internal drive from a fear-based perfectionism to a sustainable, intrinsic motivation. By resolving the internal conflicts that cause emotional fragility, your teen can maintain their high level of achievement with greater ease, focus, and emotional stability.

Question 11

Is this just about talking, or will they gain skills for the real world?

Accepted Answer

While I don't rely on worksheets, the "skills" gained in psychodynamic therapy are profound and permanent. Through the therapeutic relationship, teens learn how to advocate for themselves, how to manage conflict, and how to tolerate frustration. These are the executive and emotional skills that differentiate those who merely survive college from those who thrive in it.

Question 12

My teen isn't "acting out," but they seem withdrawn. Is therapy necessary?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In high-achieving communities, we often overlook the "internalizers"—teens who turn their distress inward to avoid causing trouble. They may have perfect grades but suffer from intense loneliness or a harsh inner critic. I help these quiet teens voice their internal experience, preventing that silence from evolving into depression or sudden burnout later in life.

Question 13

How does this work prevent the "college crash"

Accepted Answer

Many students thrive in Miami’s structured prep school environments but struggle when faced with the total autonomy of college. My goal is to facilitate "separation-individuation" before they leave home. We work on building an internal compass so that when they arrive on campus, they are not just academically prepared, but psychologically autonomous and capable of self-regulation without parental oversight.

Question 14

What is the difference between your approach and other therapies?

Accepted Answer

Many therapies focus on symptom management—teaching a client "tips and tricks" to reduce anxiety in the moment. My approach is psychodynamic, which goes deeper. I explore the root causes of the anxiety, looking at early development and unconscious patterns. By resolving the underlying issue, I aim for structural change that makes the symptoms unnecessary, rather than just managed.

Question 15

Why is the "therapeutic relationship" so emphasized in your practice?

Accepted Answer

Research shows that the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is the strongest predictor of success. In my sessions, the relationship serves as a laboratory. It is a safe space where your teen can experiment with new ways of relating, trusting, and communicating. The relational health they build here becomes the blueprint for their relationships in the outside world.

Question 16

Why do you recommend weekly sessions?

Accepted Answer

Psychological resilience is built through consistency. Meeting weekly creates a reliable "container" for the teen’s emotions. This regularity allows us to move past surface-level updates and do the deep work required to change entrenched patterns. It teaches the teen to value their own mental health as a consistent, non-negotiable commitment.

Question 17

My teen is resistant to the idea of therapy. How do you handle that?

Accepted Answer

Resistance is often a form of self-protection. I do not try to break down your teen’s defenses forcibly. Instead, I treat their hesitation with respect and curiosity. I find that when intelligent teens realize I am not there to judge them or act as another authority figure telling them what to do, but rather to help them understand themselves, the resistance usually transforms into engagement.

Question 18

How do you measure progress if there are no grades or checklists?

Accepted Answer

We measure progress by observing changes in the teen's capacity to live fully. This looks like: increased frustration tolerance, a wider range of emotional expression, better choices in friendships, and a shift from being reactive to being reflective. The progress should be plain to see.

Question 19

How do you ensure discretion for families in our community?

Accepted Answer

I know that families in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Key Biscayne value their privacy deeply. My practice is structured to ensure minimal crossover with other clients. I maintain strict internal protocols that go beyond standard HIPAA requirements to protect your family’s identity and the content of the work.

Question 20

Will my teen’s school or college counselors know they are seeing you?

Accepted Answer

No. Your teen’s mental health treatment is completely separate from their academic record. I do not communicate with guidance counselors, admissions officers, or schools without your explicit, written permission. I provide a confidential space where your teen can unburden themselves without fear of it impacting their reputation or academic standing.

Question 21

How involved will I be in my teen’s therapy?

Accepted Answer

I view parents as essential allies. However, for a teen to truly mature and develop emotional autonomy, they need to know their sessions are their own private space. I can speak generally about progress made and the more I get to know your teenager the more tailored my advice to you as a parent will be. I prefer to see parents AT LEAST for a few minutes each week before the session with the teenager starts. However, your level of involvement depends on each particular case and ranges from brief check-ins to full participation in family therapy.

Question 22

Do you prescribe medication?

Accepted Answer

I provide psychotherapy, which focuses on the "software" of the mind—thoughts, feelings, and patterns. I do not prescribe medication. However, if we determine that medication is worth considering, I collaborate with a network of highly regarded private psychiatrists in Miami to ensure a cohesive treatment plan. I am picky when choosing  psychiatrists that are not automatic pill-pushers and take the time to know their patients well.

Question 23

How do we determine if you are the right fit for my teen?

Accepted Answer

The "fit" is everything. I begin with an initial consultation where we can discuss your teen’s needs and your family’s values. It also gives your teen a chance to meet me and see if they feel a sense of safety and rapport. I encourage this to be a mutual decision among all members of the family.

Question 24

Is therapy only for when things are going "wrong"?

Accepted Answer

No. While many families come to me during a crisis, the most profound work often happens when a teen is doing "fine" but wants to understand themselves better. Just as an athlete trains when they are healthy to build strength, psychotherapy is very effective when used to build emotional capacity before a crisis hits.

Frequently Asked Questions