Do I need to be an artist or any good at art?
Not at all. You don’t need any experience with art, music, movement, writing, or performance and many sessions don’t involve the arts at all. When we do use them, expressive arts therapy isn’t about artistic skill or making something beautiful.
The focus is on the process rather than the product. A simple image, a few words on a page, a gesture, or choosing a piece of music can help us notice something that is difficult to reach through conversation alone. Creative work can also give us a little distance from a problem, allowing a new perspective or possibility to emerge.
I won’t analyze your artwork or tell you what it means. You are the expert on your own experience. My role is to offer structure, curiosity, and support as we explore what you notice and what feels meaningful to you.
The arts are always an invitation, not a requirement. Depending on what you need, we may spend a session talking, learning practical skills, exploring different parts of yourself, clarifying values and goals, or working through a problem together with no art-making involved.
What therapeutic approaches do you use?
I draw especially from Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Depending on your needs, we might explore different parts of yourself and the roles they play, clarify your values and goals, practice ways to respond differently to difficult thoughts and emotions, build coping and communication skills, or work through patterns in relationships.
The arts give us another option when words alone aren’t getting us where we want to go. At those times, I might suggest a brief image, writing exercise, movement, music, metaphor, or role-play to help us approach something from a different direction. These experiences can be quite simple and may take only a few minutes.
My goal isn’t to fit you into a particular method, but to draw from different approaches — including the arts — based on what feels useful, engaging, and relevant to the work we’re doing together.
What actually happens in an expressive arts session?
Sessions vary depending on what you bring in and what feels useful that day. We usually begin by talking about what’s happening in your life and identifying where you’d like to focus.
From there, I might invite you to try something experiential: making a quick image, writing a few lines, working with movement or gesture, listening to or choosing music, using objects or metaphor, or trying a brief role-play. We may move between different art forms — image, movement, sound, words, or drama — rather than staying with one medium.
The activity itself is only part of the therapy. We slow down afterward and notice what happened: What surprised you? What felt different? Did an image, sensation, emotion, or new perspective emerge? We then connect that experience back to the concerns that brought you to therapy.
This can be especially helpful when you understand something intellectually but still feel stuck, or when words alone don’t quite capture what you’re experiencing. Creative work can offer another way of knowing — helping you become more present with your experience, see familiar problems from a different angle, and discover possibilities that may not have emerged through conversation alone.
There is no set formula, but my role is to provide you with enough of a frame to feel confident in exploring. Some sessions may involve several forms of creation, others may be mostly conversation. We decide together what fits you, your goals, and the moment.
Can we work together if I’m not in San Francisco?
Yes. All of my sessions are held over Zoom, and I can work with anyone located anywhere in California. Most of my clients are outside San Francisco, even though that is where I’m based.
The only thing that requires being nearby is walk-and-talk therapy, since we meet in person at a San Francisco park. Everything else — one-on-one therapy and the Expressive Arts Group — happens online.
What is walk-and-talk therapy, and where do you offer it?
Walk-and-talk therapy brings us into conversation while walking a trail or sitting on a park bench rather than meeting online or in an office. This form of therapy may benefit clients who feel more comfortable in nature, while actively moving, and it can feel more casual. I meet clients at local San Francisco parks, usually Glen Canyon, McLaren, or Golden Gate.
What do sessions cost?
One-on-one online therapy is $200 for a 53-minute session. Walk-and-talk therapy is $240 for the same 53 minutes. Expressive Arts Group Therapy runs 90 minutes and costs $150 a session, billed at $600 monthly.
Full details are on the one-on-one therapy page and the group therapy page.
If you have a PPO plan, your insurer may reimburse a good share of that — see the next question.
Do you take insurance?
I’m out of network, but most PPO plans still cover part of the cost — and I handle the claim filing, so there’s nothing for you to submit.
Bring your insurance card to your free 15-minute consult and I’ll look up exactly what your plan covers, before you commit to anything. Book a free 15-minute consult →
Want the full explanation first — deductibles, percentages, and two worked examples? How out-of-network coverage works →
I’m looking for a therapist for my partner, adult child, or friend — where do I start?
You’re welcome to reach out with questions. A great deal can be answered before the person themselves gets involved, and it’s often easier to take the first step when someone else has done the groundwork.
That said, I work with adults, so at some point the person who would become the client does need to make contact themselves — therapy only works when the person choosing it is the one who wants it. Until then, I’m glad to help you understand how this works, what it costs, and whether it sounds like a fit. Use the form at the bottom of this page to get in touch.
Still have a question?
Send it here and I’ll get back to you. If you’d rather talk it through, you can book a free 15-minute consultation instead.