Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs About Starting Therapy Together

  • Typically, I am able to get you in for an appointment within 1-3 weeks so you don’t have to wait long to get started.

  • I send you a link to my booking calendar and you choose a time that works for your schedule.

  • My office is located at 55-514 Hawi Rd, Hawi, Hawaii, 96719.

  • For online therapy, I send you a telehealth link before our session so you can join from anywhere. You are encouraged to be in a quiet and private space.

  • Yes, contact me to set up a free 15 minute consultation by phone to ask any remaining questions you may have and get a feel for how I work.

  • In Colorado I accept:

    • Optum - UnitedHealthCare/UHC, Oscar, Student Services, Oxford, GEHA, UMR and Surest

    • Aetna - GEHA, Meritain

    • Anthem BCBS or Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Anthem

    • Kaiser

    • ChampVA

    • Colorado Medicaid - Colorado Access/COACCESS, Rocky Mountain Health Plan/RMHP, NorthEast Health Partners/NHP, Colorado Community Health Alliance/CCHA

    • Self pay

    In Hawai’i I accept self pay. I offer a limited number of sliding scale spots for those with financial need.

    During our initial consultation, we can discuss fees and payment options to ensure they work for your situation.

  • As a pre-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I have completed my master's degree and practicum experience and am in the process of accumulating the clinical hours required for full licensure.

    During this time, I work under supervision of two American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) approved licensed marriage and family therapists who provide guidance and ensure the quality of care.

    This arrangement provides you with the benefit of two clinical perspectives—mine and my supervisor's—while generally offering more affordable rates than fully licensed therapists. My supervisor and I meet regularly to discuss cases (while maintaining client confidentiality), allowing me to provide the best possible care during this final phase of my professional development.

  • Yes. I offer online couples therapy for couples located anywhere in Hawaiʻi and Colorado. Meeting virtually allows you to attend from home or another private space that works for both of you, without adding a commute to your day. Online sessions can be a practical way to make consistent time for your relationship, even with busy schedules or when you're in different locations on the island.

  • The duration varies based on your specific goals and circumstances:

    For couples, EFT typically involves 15-20 sessions, with many couples reporting significant improvements by session 10-12.

    For individuals, the timeframe depends on the complexity of the issues being addressed. Some clients achieve their goals in 8-12 sessions, while others benefit from longer-term work to address deeper patterns.

    During our initial consultation, I can provide a more specific estimate based on your situation. We'll also regularly review progress to ensure the work continues to meet your needs.

  • Between-session practice is an important part of the change process. Even though we can have wonderful conversations, I want you to see the change where it matters most: in your every day life. Between-session practice typically involves:

    • Noticing patterns as they emerge in daily life

    • Practicing new ways of responding to situations or internal experiences

    • Reflecting on insights from our sessions

    • Reading, watching videos or trying specific exercises that support our work

    These practices help integrate insights from our therapy sessions into your daily life, accelerating the change process. I'll always make sure any suggested practices feel manageable and meaningful for your specific situation.

FAQs About Couples Therapy

  • It's common for partners to feel differently about starting therapy. One person might be ready to talk, while the other worries about being blamed, criticized, or pressured to change. You don't have to arrive with the same level of enthusiasm or certainty. We can start by exploring what each of you hopes for, what feels difficult about being here, and what would help therapy feel worthwhile. The goal isn't to take sides—it's to help both of you feel heard and find a way forward together.

  • Repeated arguments often point to something deeper than the topic you're fighting about. Beneath frustration or defensiveness, one partner may be longing for reassurance or connection, while the other feels criticized, overwhelmed, or afraid of getting it wrong. Before long, you're reacting to each other instead of reaching each other. In therapy, we'll work to identify what's happening between you, understand what each of you needs, and practice new ways of responding so difficult conversations can lead to greater understanding rather than more hurt.

  • Yes. Infidelity can shake the foundation of a relationship, leaving partners with painful questions, broken trust, and very different experiences of what happened. Therapy provides space to address the hurt, understand the impact, and explore what rebuilding trust would require. Healing takes time, and there's no one-size-fits-all timeline. Whether you're hoping to repair your relationship or still trying to figure out what comes next, we can work toward greater clarity and a more intentional path forward.

  • You don't need to have a clear explanation for what's happening to begin therapy. Sometimes distance develops gradually through busy schedules, accumulated disappointments, stress, or conversations that never quite happen. You might still care deeply about each other but feel more like roommates than partners. We'll explore what the disconnection looks like for each of you, what may be contributing to it, and how to begin rebuilding closeness, curiosity, and connection. You don't have to know exactly what needs to change before we start.

  • You don't have to be struggling to benefit from couples therapy. Even strong relationships can benefit from intentional time to reconnect, explore each other's inner worlds, and keep growing together. We can focus on strengthening communication, deepening emotional and physical intimacy, navigating differences with greater ease, and building skills that support your relationship through life's changes. Think of it as investing in the relationship you have and the one you want to keep creating together.

  • Absolutely. I welcome LGBTQ+ couples and relationships of all identities and configurations. Your relationship deserves care that respects who you are, how you define your partnership, and the experiences that shape your lives together. Whether you're navigating communication, intimacy, identity, family dynamics, or the impact of stress and discrimination, we'll work together in a space where you don't have to explain or defend the validity of your relationship.

  • Yes. You don't have to be certain you want to stay together to seek support. Sometimes one partner is ready to work on the relationship while the other is questioning whether they can or want to continue. Therapy can help you slow things down, speak honestly about what's brought you here, and explore what each of you needs. Depending on your goals, our work may focus on repairing the relationship, gaining clarity about your options, or making decisions with greater care and understanding.

  • Yes. I offer online couples therapy for couples located anywhere in Hawaiʻi or Colorado. Meeting virtually allows you to attend from home or another private space that works for both of you, without adding a commute to your day. Online sessions can be a practical way to make consistent time for your relationship, even with busy schedules or when you're in different locations on the island.

  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) helps couples understand and change the emotional dynamics that leave them feeling disconnected, defensive, or caught in conflict. Rather than focusing only on communication techniques, we look at what's happening underneath your reactions—such as the need for reassurance, the fear of rejection, or the feeling that you're not enough for your partner. Together, we'll work to interrupt painful cycles, communicate more openly about what matters, and build a relationship where both partners can feel safer, more understood, and more connected.

  • In Hawai’i I accept self pay for couples therapy. I offer a limited number of sliding scale spots for those with financial need.

    In Colorado I accept:

    • Optum - UnitedHealthCare/UHC, Oscar, Student Services, Oxford, GEHA, UMR and Surest

    • Aetna - GEHA, Meritain

    • Anthem BCBS or Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Anthem

    • Kaiser

    • ChampVA

    • Colorado Medicaid - Colorado Access/COACCESS, Rocky Mountain Health Plan/RMHP, NorthEast Health Partners/NHP, Colorado Community Health Alliance/CCHA

    • Self pay

FAQs About Individual Therapy

  • Individual therapy can help when anxiety, self-criticism, painful experiences, or difficult emotions are affecting how you feel about yourself and move through the world. Maybe you find yourself overthinking, struggling to set boundaries, reacting more strongly than you'd like, or repeating behaviors you wish you could change. Therapy offers space to explore what's driving these experiences, develop new ways of responding, and build a more grounded relationship with yourself. The goal isn't to become someone different—it's to help you live with greater freedom, clarity, and connection to what matters to you.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapy approach that understands the mind as made up of different “parts,” each with its own feelings, beliefs, and ways of trying to protect you. You might recognize a critical part that pushes you to do better, an anxious part that anticipates everything that could go wrong, or a part that shuts down when emotions become overwhelming. IFS helps you get curious about these different sides of yourself, understand what they're trying to do for you, and develop a more compassionate relationship with your inner world.

    Having different parts is a normal way of describing the complexity of being human. You might feel confident in one situation and deeply insecure in another, or want closeness while also feeling the urge to pull away. These experiences don't mean you're broken or inconsistent. IFS offers a way to understand the different needs and protective responses within you, rather than judging yourself for having them. The goal is to help you work with these reactions instead of feeling controlled by them.

  • Yes. The ways we protect ourselves emotionally can have a big impact on our relationships. One part might push for reassurance, while another pulls away to avoid feeling overwhelmed. A critical part might try to prevent rejection, while a defensive part reacts strongly to feeling judged. IFS can help you recognize these reactions, understand the vulnerabilities beneath them, and make more intentional choices about how you respond. This work can be especially helpful if you want to change your own responses within relationships, whether or not your partner is participating in therapy.

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy approach that helps the brain process distressing experiences that continue to affect you in the present. Even when you know something is in the past, reminders can trigger intense emotions, anxiety, shame, or a sense of danger. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps, while you focus on aspects of a memory. This can help reduce the emotional intensity of difficult experiences and change how they affect you today.

  • EMDR is commonly used to treat trauma and PTSD, and may also help with anxiety, shame, painful memories, and negative beliefs about yourself. Sometimes experiences like repeated criticism, rejection, or feeling unsafe leave a lasting impact on how you see yourself and respond to others. If you find yourself reacting strongly to situations that remind you of earlier experiences, EMDR may help you process what's contributing to those reactions. We'll explore your concerns and goals to determine whether it's a good fit for you.

  • No. You don't need to share every detail of a painful experience for EMDR or IFS to be helpful. We'll talk enough to understand your concerns, identify appropriate treatment goals, and help you feel prepared for the work. You remain in control of what you share, and we can adjust the pace based on what feels manageable. Building emotional safety and developing tools to navigate difficult feelings are important parts of the process.

  • You don't need to know which therapy approach you need before getting started. EMDR may be helpful when distressing experiences or memories continue to affect how you feel and respond in the present. IFS may be a good fit if you want to understand your inner world, work with self-criticism or conflicting feelings, and change how you relate to yourself. We'll talk about what you're experiencing, what you'd like to change, and what feels comfortable to you. From there, we can choose an approach together based on your goals and needs.

  • Yes. EMDR and IFS are complementary ways of working with difficult experiences. IFS helps you develop more Self-leadership with internal parts and the protective roles they play, while EMDR helps process distressing memories and and strengthen your internal resources. Depending on your goals and readiness, we may draw on one approach or integrate elements of both. The focus is on finding an approach that supports meaningful change at a pace that works for you.