FAQ

  • No, we don't have a physical office. We've found that teletherapy works just as well as in-person for most issues and cuts down on the time and money you have to invest in your care.

    You can read our tips formaximizing and making teletherapy feel more like in-person here.

  • We made a decision to spend all our time focused on providing the best care to our clients rather than on the phone with insurance companies, so we do not work directly with insurance.

    However, we recognize that insurance can be helpful in managing the cost of ongoing therapy and therefore support our clients who are submitting reimbursement claims (PPO policies only) by providing timely and detailed documentation for submission.

    If you have questions about what your insurance will and will not cover, check out our third-party reimbursement calculator.

    We've also put together a helpful script to get good information from your provider.

  • We are usually able to schedule a consultation call within a few days to determine if we can place you with one of our therapists. If we are able to place you, we are usually able to schedule a first session within the week, depending on your availability.

    We are not a crisis center and cannot respond to urgent or life-threatening inquiries. If you are in crisis please call 988 or text the word TALK to 741741

  • We have a particular passion for healing and uplifting the LGBT community, but we work with people who hold many different identities and life experiences. We love working with couples, millennials, teenagers, and lawyers.

    We're a small organization that cares deeply about the personal connection between therapist and client. Everything we do is personalized and customized.

  • We love working with newcomers! Having the opportunity to provide a positive first therapy experience gives us a lot of joy.

    In your initial consultation, we'll ask a bunch of standard questions to get to know you and see if we can match you with one of our therapists. We care very deeply about making sure you have a great match, and if we can't match you, it's because we never want to give the second-best care.

    If we're able to place you with one of our therapists, you'll have a brief initial phone call to get a taste of what they're like. If that feels good to you, then you will schedule a first teletherapy session together. In that first session you'll talk about what brings you to therapy and what's on your mind.

    The first three sessions are a trial period. It can take a little time to figure out if the therapy match is a good one, and we encourage you to be honest about how you're feeling. In that third session, if both you and your therapist feel good about the match, you'll decide on some goals for working together. From there, you'll do the work.

    Sometimes therapy involves uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and memories. That's normal. But if you're feeling like therapy is constantly overwhelming and unpleasant, please tell your therapist! We want to make sure that the pace and content of your sessions is helpful and feels safe.

  • Currently, we have therapists licensed to see people who are physically located in California, Pennsylvania or Florida at the time of service. Your state of residency does not matter. It seems silly because therapy is the same no matter where you are, but state laws are quite rigid about who is authorized to provide care to people in each state. If you are an ongoing client and you temporarily travel out of the state for work or leisure, we may be able to see you for a few sessions to provide continuity of care, but it is state-specific.

    If you reside outside of California, Pennsylvania, or Florida and will not physically be in any of those states while doing therapy, we are unfortunately not able to work with you.

  • Our rates are considered industry standard for the level of experience and expertise we provide, and are as follows:

    • 50-minute weekly therapy session with a licensed provider: $210-$250

    • 50-minute weekly therapy session with a registered pre-licensed provider under clinical supervision: $165-$185

    We are happy to provide any and all information to assist you in processing reimbursement claims for your insurance.

    Here is a calculator for estimating what your PPO insurance policy will cover.

    We also have a helpful script for getting information about reimbursement directly from your insurance provider here.

    ​Our practice complies with the No Surprises Act.

  • We always start out seeing clients once a week, at least for the first few months. It can be too difficult to build a solid working relationship and understand what's going on if we meet less frequently. After a while, depending on what's going on, we may titrate down to biweekly sessions on a case-by-base basis. If we do that, we may need you to be flexible about when your sessions are scheduled.

  • We use a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform for all our teletherapy sessions. Prior to each session, you'll receive a unique link to join a video chat. Just click and make sure you have a private, quiet place to talk for 50 minutes with good internet connection. From there, we'll proceed just as we would in person. Newcomers welcome!

How The Process Works

  • a seed falling into a pink pot representing the first step of teletherapy for people in san francisco or los angeles and the power of therapy for anxiety

    1. Consultation

    We’ll talk for 15-20 minutes (more for couples) to learn what's going on and how we can help.

  • a sprout growing in a pink flower pot representing the first call in therapy for anxiety done via teletherapy for people in los angeles or san francisco

    2. Free call with your match

    If we can match you with one of our therapists, you’ll have a free 10 minute call with that therapist to see if it’s a good fit.

  • a flower growing in a pink pot representing the benefits of therapy for anxiety and the help of teletherapy in los angeles or san francisco

    3. Schedule your first session

    ​If you feel good about the therapist we’ve matched you with, you’ll schedule a session. The first three sessions are a trial and there’s no pressure to continue.

Tips For Teletherapy

  • To ensure a smooth and uninterrupted video appointment, choose a quiet, private location. Communicate with household members to let them know you won't be available for the next 50 minutes to maintain focus. If you don’t have somewhere private in your house, try sitting your car or going to a quiet local park and using our mobile app to log in to your session. If using the mobile app, make sure your phone battery is fully charged.

  • Minimize common distractions such as Slack, email, iMessage, and other notification programs to maintain a productive session.

  • Develop a structured transition in and out of our video appointment, similar to preparing for and concluding in-person office meetings. Consider taking a short walk or practicing deep breathing for a few minutes before and after the session to enhance the impact of our work together, especially when conducting sessions in your home office or workspace.

  • We encourage you to communicate any questions or thoughts about our video sessions. Your feedback is valuable, and we're dedicated to ensuring that our sessions are not only effective but also tailored to your needs.

a woman holding coffee wearing glasses sitting on the couch smiling at her laptop representing the best teletherapy in san francisco or los angeles

How Much Will My PPO Insurance Cover For Teletherapy?

We are pleased to offer this third-party estimate calculator to facilitate information gathering about PPO insurance reimbursement. Please note Laurel Therapy Collective cannot guarantee reimbursement based on information gleaned using the calculator below. You might also consider contacting your insurance directly and asking the questions on the PPO reimbursement script provided here.

Laurel Therapy Collective cannot guarantee reimbursement based on information gathered using the tool above.

What people are saying our about teletherapy services!

Other Teletherapy Services in California & Florida

We offer customized teletherapy for a wide range of issues related to mental health. Our California & Florida teletherapists can help with anxiety, trauma therapy, EMDR, LGBT issues, holistic therapy, enneagram therapy, therapy for lawyers, couples therapy, and even therapy for teenagers. We serve California and Florida, and see many people in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles. Our team is LGBT affirming, anti-racist, body positive, and sex positive. You deserve to feel better.