Frequently Asked Questions

You’re welcome to contact Sarah by email at sarah@hpcollective.com to schedule an appointment.

Once your first session is scheduled, Sarah will send her practice documents to complete and upload into a secure client portal. A copy of your insurance card and ID will also be uploaded for billing purposes.

Yes. Before a first appointment, Sarah offers a free 15-minute phone consultation.

This gives you a chance to briefly discuss your concerns, ask questions, and determine whether Sarah may be a good fit for what you’re looking for. She may also ask a few questions to make sure she has the appropriate experience and resources to meet your needs.

Sarah currently offers weekday appointments only.

Her latest weekday appointment is 5:00 PM, though she may be available for emergency or crisis sessions during evenings or weekends if necessary.

Yes. Sarah currently accepts:

HMAA
HMSA (PPO, HMO, and Quest)
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) with Optum
UHA
Tricare
Aetna
Cigna with MDX

These insurance companies generally reimburse for treatment provided by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Depending on your insurance provider, you may be required to pay a co-pay for each session. You are responsible for determining what insurance benefits you receive.

Helpful questions to ask your insurance provider:

Do I have mental health insurance benefits?
What is my deductible and has it been met?
Is there an annual limit to the number of therapy sessions covered by insurance?
What will be my co-pay with an in-network and out-of-network psychologist?

Yes. Sarah accepts private-pay clients at a rate of $200 for a 60-minute session.

Her fee is based on the customary rates for LCSWs with her level of experience in Hawaii. Sarah does not want clients to be unable to access services due to financial hardship, so if you need to pay out of pocket on a sliding-scale fee, please ask about it during the initial consultation.

Payment is made at the time of session by credit card through Sarah’s HIPAA-compliant Simple Practice EHR system.

You will not be charged for a cancelled session if you give at least 24 hours’ notice before your scheduled appointment. Otherwise, a late cancellation fee of $150 will apply. Advance notice allows that appointment time to be offered to another client in need of care.

Sessions are typically 53–60 minutes and are via telehealth only at this time.

During the first few sessions, Sarah explores the issues bringing you into therapy, gains a better understanding of who you are from a biopsychosocial perspective, and helps identify your goals for therapy. She may ask questions about your history, background, relationships, education, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and goals or aspirations.

Throughout the session, Sarah may summarize, offer suggestions, and assign reflective homework to support you in meeting your therapy goals.

When choosing a therapist, it is important to consider the therapist’s clinical education, training, and expertise.

Equally important is your own comfort in working with that therapist. Sarah encourages clients to schedule initial therapy sessions with multiple therapists to determine who feels like the best fit.

The frequency and length of treatment depend on your specific goals and circumstances.

Sarah provides both time-limited and longer-term therapy.

No. Sarah is licensed to see clients only in Hawaii.

Because of that, she is unable to continue seeing clients if they relocate to another state.

No.

When appropriate, clients may be referred to a psychiatrist for a medication evaluation.

Brainspotting is a somatic modality that emerged from EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and uses focused mindfulness to explore, desensitize, and reprocess unconscious stress and trauma.

It integrates neuroscience with intuition to support healing of trauma patterns, areas of stuckness, emotional dysregulation, and limiting beliefs through accessing and releasing unconscious thoughts, feelings, memories, and patterns. Brainspotting is based on the principle that where you look affects how you feel.

By finding and focusing on specific brainspots, which are points of activation, expansion, resource, or safety in the visual field, clients are able to rapidly support healing in the body, mind, and nervous system and move from emotional dysregulation toward regulation.

Check out this video from David Grand, PhD who goes more in depth.

A Therapy Intensive is an accelerated form of therapy designed to help clients go deeper and get results faster.

Instead of attending therapy one hour per week for a year, imagine carving out one day, a weekend, or even a week for your own personalized therapeutic retreat. Intensives are designed to help people feel better faster, without the need for a weekly therapy appointment.

Many people think of Therapy Intensives like a retreat. For that a half or full day, a weekend. you can unplug, take time off work, arrange childcare, or even stay in a hotel. This time is completely dedicated to healing, reflecting, and reconnecting.

Sarah’s Therapy Intensives integrate a variety of evidence-based therapeutic techniques, such as CBT, DBT, Humanistic, and parts work, as well as somatic modalities for holistic healing, including Brainspotting, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Breathwork, Mindfulness, and Meditation.

Therapy Intensives are ideal for people who are ready for relief now.

If you’re ready to see things change in your life and relationships but do not want to wait for that to happen next year, a Therapy Intensive may be right for you. If you have a specific topic, trauma, or stressor you want support with, that can become the focus of your intensive. The dedicated time is customized specifically to you and your goals.

Therapy Intensives are often more effective and efficient than a traditional 60-minute therapy session.

Typically, in a 60-minute session, there are at least 5–10 minutes of check-in at the start and another 5–10 minutes spent closing out at the end. That leaves only 30–40 minutes for deep therapeutic work.

By contrast, a 3-hour Therapy Intensive allows for approximately 2.5 hours of depth work. That is the equivalent of about three 60-minute sessions, or nearly a month of therapy in a single day.

That depends on your goals.

Therapy Intensives can be booked as a Day Intensive (5 hours), while more complex goals may require a 2-Day Intensive. Sarah can help determine the number of days that would best support your therapy goals.

Absolutely.

Therapy Intensives can work very well as adjunct therapy. Sarah would ask that you sign a Release of Information so your current therapist and Sarah can collaborate and coordinate care in the way that best supports you.

Therapy Intensives are not covered by insurance.

However, if you have out-of-network benefits, your insurance company may reimburse a portion of the intensive. It is best to call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card to learn the details about your specific plan.

Helpful questions to ask include:

Do I have a deductible for out-of-network services?
Have I met my deductible?
What CPT billing codes do you reimburse, such as 90837 or two 90843 codes in one day?
What is the rate of reimbursement for each billing code?
What is the allowable amount for reimbursement?

A 50% non-refundable deposit is due when you book your Therapy Intensive.

The remaining 50% is due on the first day of the Intensive Session.

Schedule a time to talk with Sarah.

Sarah is happy to answer questions and explore your unique situation to see whether a Therapy Intensive may be helpful for you.

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