Reduced rates
Yes I offer reduced rates! Here’s a whole page with more information on what I offer and how to determine where you fall in the ‘sliding scale.’
Talking about Money
In our society many of us have been taught that it’s ‘bad form’ to talk about money and doing so often leads to discomfort. That discomfort is valid and probably comes from somewhere… we can invite curiosity into that discomfort. AND refusing to look directly an issue doesn’t make it go away, it only lets us avoid the discomfort for a bit… sometimes it even lets ‘the problem’ get worse while we’re not looking.
So I’m inviting you to take a deep breath and look. We can even talk through it together.
I’m not proposing that we’re going to solve the issues of capitalism here and now. But those big picture issues show-up in our interpersonal relationships (and the weird limbo space that is the interpersonal/professional dynamic of the therapy relationship) and I believe the only way we have any hope of limiting the harm of those big picture problems is facing them honestly and together.
So we will have more discussion about sliding scale/reduced rates and your budget and care needs, as well as what I can realistically accommodate and offer. I also know that knowledge is power and you might feel more comfortable and confident discussing this with me with a little more info so here are some resources that might help and typically what my practice can budget for and accommodate.
After checking out the ‘green bottle’ infographic here’s an idea of where you might fall on a sliding scale for my services:
Left Bottle:
If you currently fall into the ‘full bottle’ category of financial privilege you might consider paying a ‘pay it forward rate’ of $200-150 per session, allowing me to offer more reduced rate sessions to those who need it. If that is outside of you financial capacity you might consider a rate between $150-$100 per session.
Middle Bottle:
If you fall somewhere in the middle bottle area of financial privilege you might consider a rate between $100-$50 per session.
Right Bottle:
If you feel you fall somewhere in the right bottle area of financial privilege you might consider a rate between $50-$5 per session.
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I chose not to have a set sliding scale where you plug in some personal information and it computes a set rate for you because there are so many variables that can impact financial in/security (familial support, dependents, hidden costs of invisible disabilities, etc). I don’t believe there is a questionnaire that can comprehensively account for the many factors that contribute to one’s financial privilege. I do not want my services to put undue financial burden on the folks I am honored to serve. Please give your needs some thought and then we can discuss and come up with a plan that works for both of us.
You may also consider what the total cost to your monthly budget would be for a set session rate, keeping in mind how frequently you’d like to meet.
For instance if you fall in the middle bottle area of financial privilege you may consider $100 a session - but let’s say you feel weekly session would be best for you meaning your monthly cost would be about $400, perhaps that’s outside your budget but $300 would fit with your budget, that would put a comfortable session rate at $75 per session ($75 per session at 4 sessions per month = $300).
Want more info? Check-out these resources:
The Green Bottle diagram was developed by Alexis J. Cunningfolk and describes what different financial situations can look like in day to day life. You can learn more about this sliding scale fee approach at http://www.wortsandcunning.com/blog/a-better-sliding-scale
Also, here’s an interactive tool that helps you compare your perception of your income to others in your country. https://www.compareyourincome.org/