FAQ

I have offices in South Lake Tahoe, CA and San Ramon, CA. Parking is free.

My locations:

YES! Online therapy is available for anyone who lives in the states of California and Nevada.

I use a secure, HIPPA-compliant (i.e., totally private) video platform for telehealth, accessible from your computer, tablet, or phone. All you need is a reliable high-speed Internet connection.

Research shows that virtual therapy is as clinically effective as in-person therapy. A few great perks of online therapy include flexible scheduling, convenient locations (wherever you are!), and no commute.

My fee is $175 for a 50-minute individual session, $195 for a 50-minute couples session, and $265 for a 75-minute family session. Longer sessions are more effective, and absolutely necessary, for families.

When requested, longer sessions may be available, and the cost prorated accordingly.

Cash is always good! You can also write a check payable to “Lisa Olson” if you still have any of those lying around. I accept electronic transfer payments (think: Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal).

Unfortunately, I no longer take credit cards in my office or online due to skyrocketing processing fees for small businesses. I realize this could be inconvenient.

No. I do not work with insurance companies. I am an out-of-network provider, but I can provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Because every health plan is different, it is important to contact your insurance provider and determine your mental health benefits.

No, but I can point you in the right direction. First things first: contact your insurance carrier and ask about your mental health benefits. Then, check your coverage carefully and find the answers to the following questions:

What are my mental health benefits?
How many therapy sessions per calendar year does my plan cover?
How much does my insurance pay for an out-of-network provider?
What is my deductible, and has it been met?
How much do you cover per therapy session?
Is approval required from my primary care physician?

I am not an insurance expert, but having this information is an excellent place to start.

Easy-peasy – you can call or text me at 530.208.9424 or email me directly at lisaolsonmft@gmail.com to schedule your free 15-minute consultation call. We will discuss your questions, goals, and concerns.

Then, we can schedule your first entire session if we agree that I am the best fit to help you

Compatibility is paramount in therapy because we will dig deep. Research indicates that the quality of our therapeutic relationship is the strongest predictor of successful therapy.

It’s important that we trust one another to collaborate on your goals for therapy and mutually engage in “the work” of the treatment process.

YOU, as a client, have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.

Under a new federal law, the No Surprises Act (H.R. 133), health care providers must give patients who don’t have insurance or are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for items and services provided on or after January 1, 2022. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of non-emergency services, including psychotherapy, and you receive a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one business day before your first appointment. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

Please give a 24-hour notice if you need to cancel your appointment. Call, email, text, send me smoke signals, or skywriting – just let me know. I charge the full session fee for appointments canceled less than 24 hours in advance.

The length of time in therapy depends, honestly. There is no prescribed time frame to be in therapy for any person, issue, or the approach we take together.

What I can say is I want you to leave! No offense. If I am an effective therapist, I will work myself out of a job. In general terms, therapy aims to heal or alleviate symptoms of the concerning issue or condition. Simply put, you will feel better and have some practical skills to maintain your growth trajectory.

Let’s dig in and work to make some profound changes to get back into your great, big, fat life.

Of course, life happens, and things unexpectedly change. If you are considering leaving therapy, please let me know so we can use the time in the last session to zip you back up and celebrate all the hard work you have done thus far.

You are welcome to return anytime for “tune-ups” and additional therapy when life deals out those doozies (‘cause it will). If there is one thing that we can all agree on, life will change and evolve. Since we already have an established relationship, we can pick up where we left off if you need more therapy.

I work with individuals and families ranging in age from teenagers to seniors.

As a mental health clinician, I worked on several high school and college campuses for years. I profoundly understand the issues that young people and marginalized populations face. The world is a chaotic and scary place right now. As an emerging adult, launching and striking out on your own can be challenging on several levels.

At the same time, I am getting pretty old, so I have racked up some solid life experiences. I’m still married to the same person for 28 years. This fact is surprising given my family background, which consisted of my immediate family experiencing death, grief, alcoholism, divorce, and infidelities.

I’ve extricated myself from toxic, codependent relationships, even when I thought setting and keeping boundaries would cause me to burst into flames. I have doubled over in shock and confusion when blindsided in jobs, friendships, parenting, and by my delusional stories.

We’ve raised three children to young adults – each with different challenges – and it was hardest during the seasons when my spouse and I had opposing approaches to parenting.

Sexuality, gender, mental health crises, and neurodivergence have been matters visited in our home, and despite all that I thought I knew about myself, my kids, and professional experiences (I mean, I am a therapist!), I learned to do the hard things like educate myself, challenge my thinking, transform my heart, and stand with them in the trenches of their struggle, even when it felt unbearable to watch their suffering and excruciating to feel it.

Yes! I am an LBGTQ+ ally and understand the unique issues and risks individuals face in a world that isn’t supportive of sexual and gender identities marginal to dominant culture. I’ve been privileged to accompany a myriad of people from diverse histories, genders and sexualities who have found healing from systemic oppression and trauma to embrace their authentic identities and live with intention.  

I also have some personal experiences standing firm with family members who are courageous enough to live out loud.

To preserve your confidentiality, if we see each other in public, I will not greet you. If you say hello to me, however, I will say hello back. If it is appropriate to chat, we will!

By deferring the decision to engage over to you, you can choose if you want an interaction. This way you are not in an awkward position to explain that I am your therapist if you want privacy.

Although listening is one approach to therapy, it is not my approach. I know what I am about, and if I had a superlative for my demeanor (I did, actually – Class Clown), it would be “Most Likely to Dive Headfirst into the Icebreaker.”

I have an interactive and vibrant style, but I will always let you take the lead in the direction we go. Using regular helpings of humor, curiosity, creativity, and honesty, I work collaboratively with you to illuminate your inner world. I am not afraid of salty language – yours or mine. I sometimes self-disclose relevant anecdotes and experiences, and I do this primarily so that you don’t feel alone in your experiences.

I am dynamic and engaging and have a natural ability to relate genuinely. Suppressing who I am models inauthenticity to you. That isn’t the reason you came here.

So, yeah – I do talk. And yah, I nod and ask, “How does that make you feel?”

Yes! One of my colleagues in our San Ramon suite has a six-year-old Yorkie who is a therapy dog and doubles as our office manager. His name is Fronz, also called Fronzie, Fronzie-pants, or Sir-Fronz-a-lot. He is an extrovert and loves to greet people in the waiting room between sessions.

Unfortunately, Jasper, my Chocolate Lab therapy dog recently passed away. I will be training a new pooch for work in my therapy office, to provide emotional support and snuggles to clients who wish to engage. Keep your eyes peeled for an official introduction! 

We realize that not all people love dogs, and if this is you, please let me know. I can make those arrangements if you would rather not receive a greeting from our therapy dogs or have any contact.

Absolutely. I see my current therapist online (props for online therapy!) to keep my mental health in check so that my own personal sh*t doesn’t interfere with the work I facilitate with my clients. Seeking therapy is like accruing emotional CEUs.

As a professional, it is important to actively engage in regular therapy to hone my coping skills and check myself for my emotional blind spots. I love being on both sides of therapy because I still learn so much about myself personally and professionally.