Frequently Asked
Questions

Brainspotting (BSP) was discovered in 2003 by David Grand, Ph.D. Over 10,000 therapists have been trained in BSP in the US, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

“Where we look affects how we feel”. Brainspotting makes use of this natural phenomenon through its use of relevant eye positions. This helps the Brainspotting therapist to locate, focus, process and release a wide range of emotionally and bodily-based conditions. Brainspotting is also a brain-based tool to support the therapy relationship. It has been shown that Brainspotting taps into and harnesses the body’s natural self-scanning, self-healing ability. When a Brainspot is stimulated, the deep brain appears to reflexively signal the therapist that the source of the problem has been found. Brainspotting can be used to find and strengthen our natural resources and resilience. Brainspotting is designed as a therapeutic tool that can be integrated into many of the healing modalities, and can also be used for performance and creativity enhancement.

Polyvagal informed therapy is based on Polyvagal theory, originated by Dr. Stephen Porges, which provides a physiological and psychological understanding of how and why people move through a continual cycle of mobilization, disconnection, and social engagement. Based on this theory our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is the foundation upon which our lived experience sits. We come into the world wired to connect. Connection and feeling safe is our birth right. “With our first breath, we embark on a quest to feel safe in our bodies, in our environments, and in our relationships with others. The autonomic nervous system is our personal surveillance system, always on guard, asking the question “Is this safe?” Its goal is to protect us by sensing safety and risk, listening moment by moment to what is happening in and around our bodies and in the connections we have to others”.

Dr. Porges coined the term neuroception to describe the way our autonomic nervous system scans for cues of safety, danger, and life threat without involving the thinking parts of our brain. Neuroception is detection without awareness. It’s automatic and it’s been shaped based on our early life experiences.

Trauma interrupts the process of building the autonomic circuitry of safe connection and sidetracks the development of regulation and resilience. People with trauma histories often experience more intense, extreme autonomic responses, which affects their ability to regulate and feel safe in relationships. The extreme behaviours are autonomic actions in service of survival—adaptive responses ingrained in a survival story that is entered into automatically. Trauma compromises our ability to engage with others by replacing patterns of connection with patterns of protection. If unresolved, these early adaptive survival responses become habitual autonomic patterns. Therapy through a Polyvagal lens, supports clients in re-patterning the ways their autonomic nervous systems operate when the drive to survive competes with the longing to connect with others.

Brain-based psychotherapy aims at changing brain functioning not directly, but through experiences. This is neuro-psychologically informed psychotherapy. Keywords: brain functioning; brain-based treatment; neuropsychology; neuroscience; psychotherapy; translational studies.

Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is based on the core idea that talking about the things that are bothering you can help with emotional distress. Some talk therapists follow a specific school of thought, such as cognitive theory or behaviorism.

The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough assessment of the couple’s relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

Vibration Therapy is a form of therapy that uses whole-body-vibration to enhance physical health and well-being. It has been widely researched and used by healthcare practitioners, professional athletes and personal trainers for years for its many health benefits.

Vibrational sound therapy can retune your body, mind and spirit, encouraging relaxation, healing and wellness. This one-on-one service uses therapeutic singing bowls placed on the body to create a combination of tones and vibrations that produce a state of tranquility and act as a massage for the nervous system.

The vagus nerve, also known as the vagal nerves, are the main nerves of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. These functions are involuntary, meaning you can't consciously control them.

It is the longest, most complex of the cranial nerves. It transmits information to or from the surface of the brain to tissues and organs elsewhere in the body. When the body sustains a period of trauma the vegus nerve becomes hyperactive. When we think of stress and trauma as primarily emotional responses, however the real impact happens throughout your body. When your vegus nerve is triggered, it rights to do many things, such as slow your heart rate, drop your blood pressure, you can experience nausea, ringing in your ears, tunnel vision, irregular heath rhythms. When your mind suffers, so does your body. 

We accept the following insurances:

• Tricare
• Medicare
• Cigna
• Aetna 
• UHC (and all its subsidiaries )

Many people choose to pay for services out of pocket for a variety of reasons, with privacy being the main reason.

Insurances authorize strict 45-53 minute sessions. Trauma and couple’s work requires a skilled balance of building trust, doing difficult work, and stabilization. One hour simply is not enough time for most sessions.

Self-pay allows you to schedule the time you feel you need, generally scheduling from one hour to three. This gives us plenty of time to do intensive work, then ground you so that you never leave the office feeling rushed from the session.

Insurance companies require a medical diagnosis to authorize services, regardless of your reason for seeking counseling.

Mental health diagnoses can be used to make determinations about life or health insurance premiums. Many life insurances now ask if you’ve ever been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, such as anxiety or depression. Insurance companies can review your treatment and life circumstances when determining whether to continue covering treatment. They can also decide how many sessions you can have, how frequently you can attend, whether they will pay for ongoing treatment, and how long sessions can last.

Most insurances do not cover phone or video sessions. Self-pay allows you this option.

If we don’t take your insurance, we can provide you with a ‘Superbill,’ which you can submit for direct reimbursement from your insurance provider.

Cancellation fees are fees that you charge when the customer fails to turn up to an appointment or pre-booked service. Their purpose is for you to recoup some of the lost revenue, that you would have received if they showed up to their appointment.

Many providers will charge a no-show or late cancellation fee if an appointment is missed. Often, it is the full cost of a self-pay session.

While this may appear punitive to the person being charged, and can even look unreasonable to them, there is a reason for this:

Providers make a commitment to you when they schedule you. We hold a slot specifically for you and no one else. We don’t book other people in your time slot and try not to cancel at the last minute when you’ve made arrangements to come. Emergencies always come up. That’s a given. But missed appointments create a loss of income for providers, who are in a unique position in that we cannot bill insurance for hours someone did not show up, unlike companies who can pay sick time to you or pay you whether you are working or daydreaming during your shift.

When you book an appointment, that hour is a product that usually cannot be re-used, returned or replaced.

If you have any questions about late cancel and no-show fees, please feel free to talk to your provider.

All the levels of licensure listed on this web site are governed by their respective Boards in the state of Arizona. You can easily look up any person who holds a license on their respective website (specific to their Board) and search for any disciplinary action against that provider, or to verify that their license is recent and in good standing. All providers are required to attend continuing education to maintain their licenses.

To verify licensure and search for Board actions or complaints for LMFT, LCSW, and LPC, visit www.AZBBHE.us and click on “Verifications.”