I view our work together as a collaboration. This means that I see us both as experts — you in your own experience, and myself in more general processes of therapeutic change and growth — working together toward the shared goals of relieving your distress, increasing your self-awareness, strengthening your relationships, or helping you discover greater meaning and authenticity in your life.

I draw upon a number of different theories and techniques in my work, including interpersonal/relational, humanistic, psychodynamic, emotion-focused, and cognitive-behavioral theories. I believe that each theory has its strengths and weaknesses, but that together they offer a richer and more multi-dimensional picture of the human experience and the process of change. In addition to these more historically Western treatment modalities, I have found that many people also benefit from the integration of Eastern-influenced approaches, such as mindfulness and self-compassion practices. 

To learn even more about my approach to counseling and therapy, please refer here.

I work with English-speaking adults (including couples), adolescents, and families. I specialize in working with expats, international students, intercultural couples, “third culture kids” (TCKs), and others living abroad. However, I do also work with French individuals who speak English and who may prefer to work with an American-trained therapist or someone with an international perspective.

Finally, I also work with fellow mental health professionals, providing supervision, mentorship, and professional consultation.

For more information about the types of clients I work with, common presenting concerns, and my areas of expertise, please refer here.

You can schedule appointments using my secure online scheduling system.

If you are a new client, please schedule an Initial Consultation before scheduling any other type of appointment. If you do not see availability for Initial Consultation appointments, please sign up for my waiting list to be notified of new appointments as they become available.

For information about my current fees, please refer here.

I accept payment by cash, credit card, or bank transfer. I do not accept checks.

I ask that you save a credit card on file in my online system when you schedule in order to hold your appointment. This does not mean that you have to pay by credit card, but it does mean that if you no not show up for the appointment, or if you do not pay within a reasonable period of time by other means, I may charge your card.

If you wish to pay by credit card, you can opt to have me charge your card automatically after each session, although this is completely optional.

I do not bill directly to insurance companies.

However, many private health insurance companies or mutuelles do reimburse for psychotherapy services (at least partially or up to some limit), and I am more than happy to provide you with a statement/facture that you may submit to your insurance company if you wish to do so in either French or English.

For more information about insurance, please refer here.

I generally schedule appointments Mondays-Friday between the hours of 10-5.

I do not schedule appointments on weekends or in the evenings.

I am currently only in my office one day per week and otherwise I schedule appointments online.

To view my current availability, you are welcome to visit my online calendar.

Sessions take place either in my office, which is located in Lyon’s 7eme arrondissement (see here for more information), or online.

For more information about online therapy, see here.

I provide therapy in English.

While I do speak French reasonably well and navigate my daily life in French, I do not feel completely effective providing therapy in French. That being said, I do regularly work with intercultural couples where one partner is French and I also occasionally see French individuals who prefer to see an English-speaking therapist. In such cases, it’s perfectly fine to use French words or phrases here and there if you’re having difficulty expressing yourself fully in English.

However, if you are looking for a truly bilingual therapist, I’m probably not the best fit. In that case, I recommend that you check out either the Pages Jaune or the website, Counselling in France.

This will really differ from one person to the next and will depend on the types of challenges you’re facing as well as your own goals.

Some people may be able to benefit from just a handful of sessions to develop greater awareness of factors or patterns that are contributing to their distress and to kick-start changes that they can continue to work on individually. Many other people will benefit from more ongoing support and guidance as they work to make such changes. 

We will discuss your individual needs, goals, and expectations about how long we might work together in our first meeting.

My ultimate goal is to help you become your own therapist so you do not need to keep coming to see me indefinitely.

Especially when you’re first starting out, I usually recommend that we meet weekly or every other week in order to establish consistency and build momentum in our work.

However, in our first session, we will discuss your needs and goals and collaboratively come up with a plan for how often we will meet. This can also be adjusted over time as your needs shift.

If you prefer to meet less frequently or your schedule or budget does not permit you to meet weekly or biweekly, that’s fine. There’s no one right way. We’ll work together to figure out what works best for you.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes long.

Couples and family sessions may be either 50 minutes or 100 minutes (1 hour and 40 minutes) long, depending on your preferences and what we determine works best for you (we will discuss this in our initial meetings and can reevaluate your needs over time).

Group sessions are 90 minutes long.

Appointments must be canceled at least 48 hours in advance.

Because last-minute cancellations mean that I cannot schedule other appointments during your session time, failure to cancel 48 hours in advance will result in a charge of the full session fee unless there are extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness, a personal or family emergency).

Appointments may be canceled by email or by phone or using the secure online scheduling system.

If you are experiencing a medical or life-threatening emergency (including suicidal thoughts or otherwise feeling unable to keep yourself safe), please call 15 (SAMU/Ambulance) or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you are not experiencing a medical or life-threatening emergency but you need to speak with someone immediately, please see my resources page for more information on who to call. This page also contains helpful links to other emergency service information.