Frequently Asked Questions
About RMH Therapy
Are you accepting new clients?
Unfortunately, I am unable to take on additional therapy clients at this time. If you or your child needs a psychological evaluation, and I am able to provide the service you need, I can complete an assessment. However, these may book several weeks in advance due to demand.
If you need ongoing therapy services, you can look for someone who meets your needs and accepts your method of payment at Therapy Den or Psychology Today. I also recommend Neurodivergent Therapists for finding a provider with both lived experience and clinical expertise in neurodivergence and neurodiversity-affirming mental health care.
I need an evaluation for a court-related issue. Can you help me?
I am unable to provide recommendations for court. This includes but is not limited to: custody recommendations, an opinion on competency to stand trial, or a recommendation regarding guardianship or conservatorship. I do not conduct assessments for court. This includes situations where an evaluation has not been ordered by a judge but has been recommended by an attorney. I recommend using one of the directories above to find a provider with the appropriate specialization to issue the kind of recommendation you need.
What insurances do you accept?
I am credentialed with most Sanford and Avera health plans. As of July 5, 2024, I am no longer participating with BlueCross, Wellmark, or Anthem plans.
I am a South Dakota Medicaid and Medicare provider. I am a Federal Medicare provider. I am not permitted to credential with Medicaid in other states even if I am licensed in that state, as I am located in South Dakota. Additionally, I am not permitted to bill Medicaid outside of South Dakota as an out-of-network provider.
I am not in-network with any other insurances. If your insurance company tells you otherwise, they are mistaken. Some insurers have chosen to list me as "in-network" even though I did not apply or sign a contract with them. I am selective about which insurances I accept and base this decision on the amount of admin time, extra paperwork, reimbursement rates, and confidential client information the payer requires in order to credential with them. If I cannot sustainably accept the offered contract, I do not credential with that company.
In addition to these insurances, I provide EAP therapy services through Lyra Health, Modern Health, and Spring Health. Check with your employer regarding your benefits and coverage.
If I a m not in-network with your insurance, I can provide you with a superbill that allows you to request reimbursement from your insurance company after you have paid for the services directly. I can also use Thrizer to bill out-of-network.
Do you offer sliding scale rates?
I do offer income-based therapy services on a limited basis. At this time, my sliding scale spots are full. If you are uninsured or need a sliding scale rate for any other reason, I recommend Open Path Collective for finding affordable mental health services.
Due to the overhead cost of psychological tests, I am unable to offer psychological evaluations at a sliding scale rate.
How does payment work?
Information about my fees can be found on the Services page. For self-pay, based on your needs, I will provide a good faith estimate of the cost of services. I require that the estimate be paid prior to conducting the evaluation. I also collect co-pays on the day of service.
Sometimes, insurance takes a while to process claims and let me know how much you owe for services. In the event that this bill is higher than anticipated, we will work out a payment plan that fits your budget.
I have a question about telemental health with children.
You can find answers to frequently asked questions about telemental health with children here!
What does therapy with kids look like at RMH Therapy?
Children process emotions differently than adults, often through play rather than talking things out. I create a space for my child clients to express themselves and work through emotions in a way that is comfortable, safe, and developmentally appropriate. Furthermore, I believe that children benefit from having a certain amount of control over their therapy in order to have rapport with the therapist. As such, I aim to take whatever they bring to their sessions and find the therapeutic value in it rather than implementing a specific set of interventions. This includes modeling skills for them, narrating emotion, and sitting with big feelings.
I have also amassed a large arsenal of coping skills and tools that I present when appropriate, help kids practice, and encourage practicing in between sessions. I solicit feedback from both you and your child about what works and what doesn't so that I can choose activities that can be the best fit for your needs.
Can I get information about what happened in my child's session?
Please know that I do take any safety concerns seriously, so if your child indicates that they are in danger or plan to hurt themselves, I will contact you and ensure that an appropriate safety plan is in place. In the event that this occurs, I will let your child know that they have told me something that I cannot keep private.
I am always happy to talk with parents and guardians about their relationship with their child, problem solve things that can be done at home to manage symptoms, and address any concerns. However, the therapeutic relationship can only be maintained if my client trusts me. As such, I will let them know if we have communicated in between their sessions. I also ask that you not request specific details about what your child has said to me in their therapy appointment in order to preserve that relationship.
What does the first session look like?
The goal of the first session is for me to get the history of the client, including their life story, strengths, symptoms, and any past events that might contribute to those symptoms. This means I will ask many questions about a lot of different topics. Please know that you have the right to decline to answer or only share as much as you feel comfortable.
For children, I typically do the initial session with the parent or guardian only. This is so that I can ask questions about things like trauma history or behavioral issues without having to worry about the child having a strong emotional reaction to what is being discussed. I also do this so that the parent can openly and honestly share their concerns with me. You obviously love your child! But your child might feel like you don't like them very much after hearing about their difficulties during the intake.
What if I need or prefer in-person sessions?
I have an in-person office for psychological assessments that cannot be conducted via telehealth. However, my availability for in-person appointments is limited.
Research shows that telemental health is equally effective to in-person therapy for a number of concerns. Online sessions save time driving to and from sessions, eliminate the need for childcare for children in the home during appointments, and increase privacy, as you are not seen coming or going from a therapy office.
No method of service is the right fit for everyone. If online sessions are not a fit for you or your child, I encourage you to use one of the directories listed on this page to find a therapist in your area who is seeing clients in person. If we try telehealth sessions and you realize it is not a good fit, I will provide referral information to a provider who can see you in person.
Do you keep a waiting list?
When you are looking for a therapist, you want to see someone as soon as possible. The length of therapy varies, and it can be difficult to predict when someone will be ready to stop coming for sessions. Because I do not know when I will be available to take new clients, I do not keep a waiting list for therapy clients. I encourage you to use the directories listed to find someone with immediate availability.
For evaluations, I keep a list for cancelations to try and offer an earlier time if one becomes available. Please be aware that this often does not happen.
Since you do telehealth, can you see me in a state you are not licensed in?
The current laws around mental health services indicate that the provider must be licensed at the client's physical location at the time of service. This means that I cannot provide therapy services to someone who is not in a state where I am not licensed.
Some states allow for telehealth across state lines for certain providers, and some allow established clients to continue seeing a provider if the client moves to that state. This varies greatly, and laws around this are subject to change. If you are not an existing client, and you do not reside in South Dakota, North Dakota, New York, Montana, Florida, South Carolina, or Wisconsin, I am most likely unable to provide you with services. However, the directories listed on this page allow you to search for therapists based on your location.
What are your privacy policies and agreements?
Before you meet with me, you will be asked to review and agree to my policies, which I have developed based on applicable laws and ethical codes. You can review these policies here: