Meridian
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For clients located in South Dakota or Colorado. Clients outside the United States: please use the contact/intake option below.

Clinical care

Individual therapy and clinical assessments.

These are the main services. Every therapy client receives an individualized treatment plan. Communication coaching is a separate service and is not clinical treatment.
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For clients located in South Dakota or Colorado. Clients outside the United States: please use the contact/intake option below.

Ongoing individual therapy

Sessions are individual and last about an hour. We meet by secure video, in English. If English is not your first language, we can go slowly.

Every therapy client receives an individualized treatment plan. A goal is what you want to be different. An objective is a sign we can notice along the way. An intervention is the way we will work in session, and anything you choose to practice between sessions. The plan is yours. We look at it together and change it when your needs change.

I work with adults, adolescents, and older adults. If you are seeking care for an adolescent, a parent or guardian may need to take part in consent. What is required depends on where you live. We sort that out before therapy starts.

The usual path is a free consultation, a biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment, your treatment plan, and then ongoing therapy with regular progress reviews.

Session length: About 60 minutes

$100per hour

Billed in US dollars.

  • Individual sessions by secure video
  • An individualized treatment plan with goals, objectives, and strategies
  • Regular reviews so the plan can change with you
  • Care in English, at a pace you can follow

The treatment plan

The plan is part of therapy, not a separate fee. We review it and change goals, objectives, or strategies when your needs change.

Goals

What you want to be different in your life. Written in your words, not a stock phrase.

Objectives

Signs we can notice along the way, so progress is something we can talk about plainly.

Strategies

The ways we will work in session, and anything you choose to practice between meetings.

Clinical assessments

Both assessments below are interviews and a written summary. They are not psychological testing. Need the report once, without weekly therapy? See standalone assessments, including strengths and needs, substance use, risk screening, and return-to-work readiness.

Biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment

About two hours of clinical time, sometimes across two meetings

This is a clinical interview, not a test and not psychological testing. There is no battery of diagnostic tests.

“Spiritual” means sources of meaning, faith, values, or purpose, and only if you want to talk about them. It is not religious instruction, and you can leave it out.

We talk about biological factors (sleep, health, substances), psychological factors (thoughts, feelings, coping), social factors (family, work or school, culture, money, the country you live in), and spiritual factors if they matter to you.

You leave with a written biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment and recommendations. A recommendation might be ongoing therapy, a different kind of support, or a local referral. I do not promise a particular diagnosis, and I cannot promise that a school, employer, court, or insurer will accept the document.

Included

  • Clinical interview by secure video
  • Time for history, current stressors, strengths, and what you want to be different
  • A written biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment with recommendations
  • A conversation to review the written assessment with you

You receive: A written biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment with recommendations.

Not included

  • Psychological testing or standardized diagnostic test batteries
  • Medication or medical care
  • A guarantee that another organization will accept the report

$200flat fee

Flat fee, equal to 2 hours at the hourly rate. Billed in US dollars.

Comprehensive mental health assessment

About two hours of clinical time, sometimes across two meetings

This assessment is a clinical interview and a written summary. It is not psychological testing, and it is not a set of diagnostic questionnaires scored as a test battery.

We cover current concerns, relevant history, how you are getting through the day, strengths, and safety. If there is risk, we talk about local emergency options. This interview is not itself an emergency service.

You receive a written mental health assessment summary with recommendations. Recommendations may include therapy, practical supports, or a local referral for medical or specialty care.

I do not promise a particular diagnosis. I also cannot promise that a school, employer, court, or insurer in your country will accept the summary.

Included

  • Clinical interview by secure video
  • Attention to history, daily life, strengths, and safety
  • A written mental health assessment summary with recommendations
  • A conversation to review the summary with you

You receive: A written mental health assessment summary with recommendations.

Not included

  • Psychological testing or standardized diagnostic test batteries
  • Medication or medical care
  • A guarantee that another organization will accept the summary

$200flat fee

Flat fee, equal to 2 hours at the hourly rate. Billed in US dollars.

Therapy

Social anxiety

Therapy for social anxiety that gets in the way of speaking, work, school, or relationships. The work is informed by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and it follows your individualized treatment plan. I do not claim a certification in either approach.

I do not promise that social anxiety will stop. If the difficulty is mainly practice with English — confidence, assertiveness, or speaking up — and it is not a clinical problem, coaching may be a better fit. We decide that in the free consultation.

Within individual therapy

Substance use and recovery support

Outpatient talk therapy for people in recovery, people working on relapse prevention, and people living with substance use alongside other concerns such as anxiety, grief, or mood changes. I have more than 10 years of experience in addiction recovery. We use person-first language and we do not reduce you to a label.

This is outpatient talk therapy. It is not detox, not a residential program, not medical care, and not medication-assisted treatment. I do not hold an addiction counselor certification (CAC, LAC, or similar). I do not provide court-ordered, DUI, or other legally mandated substance evaluations. If you need medical care, including withdrawal management or medication, that has to come from local services.

Other areas of focus

These concerns can be part of individual therapy. Short descriptions, including limits, are on the About page.

  • Grief and loss
  • Hospice and medical social work
  • Complex trauma
  • Anxiety
  • Social anxiety
  • Self-esteem and confidence
  • Overcoming guilt and shame
  • Building resilience and perseverance
  • Working through ambivalence about change
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Serious, long-term mental health conditions
Areas of focus

Therapeutic approaches

I integrate these approaches according to each client’s individualized treatment plan. I use what fits the goals we set together. I do not claim a formal certification in any of them unless it is listed under certifications.

Trauma-informed care approaches

A trauma-informed care approach shapes all therapy and assessments. It centers safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility. You should know what we are doing and be able to slow down or stop. I do not claim a certification in trauma-informed care, and I do not promise a particular outcome.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

TF-CBT is a structured therapy for people who have been through trauma. It was developed for children and adolescents and is sometimes adapted with adults. It combines an understanding of trauma with skills for thoughts, feelings, and coping. I may use elements of it when they fit your plan. I do not promise a set number of sessions, and I do not claim certification in TF-CBT.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT teaches skills for strong emotions, distress, relationships, and mindfulness. A full DBT program usually includes a weekly skills group and between-session coaching. I do not offer that full program. I may draw on DBT skills inside individual therapy when they serve your plan.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

This approach spends time on what you want to be different and on steps that are already helping, even a little. It is practical and forward-looking. It does not ignore pain. It simply does not require us to take your whole history apart before we look for a next step.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps people notice thoughts and feelings without having to win a fight with them, and then take action toward what matters. The aim is not to erase every painful feeling. The aim is a life that is a little more in line with your values, even when discomfort shows up.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative approach that helps people resolve mixed feelings and find their own motivation to change. I do not push a decision on you. I do not claim certification in motivational interviewing, and I do not promise that you will choose to change.

Mindfulness-based approaches

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment on purpose, with less automatic judgment. In therapy it is a skill we might use for a few minutes, not a religion and not a promise that anxiety will stop. We use it only when it is useful and tolerable for you.

Two ways to reach the practice.

Clients in South Dakota or Colorado can request a time in the client portal. If you live outside the United States, use the contact page. Email is not a clinical record.

Currently accepting a limited number of new clients.

Contact the practice