Question 1

What do I do if I feel like I may hurt myself? Can I schedule a session ASAP?

Accepted Answer

If you are in a life-threatening situation, please do not use this website.
Please use the list below for resources or call 911 to request crisis intervention,
or other appropriate personnel, for immediate support.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Call 800-273-TALK (8255)
Crisis Text Line – Text NAMI to 741-741

Question 2

Can I use my insurance?

Accepted Answer

We accept all PPO insurance plans as an out of network provider.  We are not on any insurance panels, so we are not in-network at all.  Please provide us with a picture of the front and back of your insurance card, date of birth, and mailing address.  We can check your benefits and tell you what the coverage will be with no obligation.

Question 3

Does being in therapy mean there is something wrong with me?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely not.  Taking part in therapy is a wonderful opportunity to make significant change in your life.  It is not just for people in crisis or that are experiencing a severe mental illness.  Your therapist can be considered a personal trainer for your brain just as a personal trainer in the gym works with your body.  The best work and personal growth comes from the process of therapy when a client is not in crisis.  With crisis aside, clients can really focus on the core beliefs that get in the way of personal satisfaction which will then lead to a full and satisfying life.

Question 4

Why should I start therapy?

Accepted Answer

Some people start therapy because they are experiencing a crisis or a mental health issue that they cannot manage on their own.  Others start therapy because they are tired of living an unsatisfying life and want to make significant change.  Working with a therapist can change your life for the better no matter what your goals are.

Question 5

How can I tell if I'm depressed?

Accepted Answer

When you are going through a tough time it is appropriate to feel sad, unmotivated, or down.  Depression is characterized by a lack of motivation, irritability, trouble sleeping or too much sleep, low energy, trouble concentrating, or having suicidal thoughts.  If you find yourself feeling like this more often than not, then seeing a therapist to have an assessment is recommended.  Depression is easily treated, so don't wait.  Schedule an intake call with one of our therapists today.

Question 6

How can I tell if I have anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Worry and concern about challenging life situations is appropriate.  When you feel excessive worry, have trouble sleeping, irritability, headaches, sweating, excessive concern for safety and wellbeing, or having difficulty concentrating... More often than not, we recommend that you see a therapist to have an assessment done for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.  This is easily treated, so don't wait. Contact one of our therapists to schedule an intake today.

Question 7

What happens in therapy?

Accepted Answer

Therapy can differ depending on what you desire and the modality of the therapist.  Generally speaking, you will meet with your therapist once a week for 50-minutes.  During that time you will talk about things you would like to work on and your therapist will help you reach your goals.  The goal of therapy is not to find blame in parents or drudge you through your past.  The purpose of therapy is to have healthy and appropriate conversation to develop understanding of oneself and use that information to make informed choices in your life.  Making good choices leads to reduction in anxiety, depression, addiction, and many other emotional challenges.

Question 8

How do I choose a therapist?

Accepted Answer

It's important to find a therapist that is a good match for you in personality and modality.  Once you speak to a therapist on the phone and meet them in person, you can decide if it feels like a good fit.  It is not uncommon for people to try 2-4 therapists before finding the right match.  In order to do the best work, your therapist needs to be someone you trust and feel connected to.  If you would like help deciding which of our therapists could be a good fit, please contact our Main Office at 310-612-2998 or office@pacificmft.com (office@pacificmft.com)and one of our trained staff will assist you.

Question 9

What languages do your therapists speak?

Accepted Answer

We have therapists that speak English, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Question 10

How involved can I be when my child is in therapy?

Accepted Answer

Therapy with a child is much more involved than with an adult.  Typically, your child will meet their therapist for 50-minutes weekly.  On occasion, parents and other family members may be invited to a "family meeting" where everyone gets to together to discuss how to improve family communication.  You may also get updates on an ongoing basis.

Question 11

What is couples therapy like?

Accepted Answer

Couples therapy is a generic term for therapy with two people in a relationship.  Therapy sessions typically run 50-minutes but can go as long as 2-hours depending on the intensity of the issues at hand.  Couples work together with their therapist to develop and practice communication skills, methods for connection, and conflict resolution.  Both parties typically come to session together, but at times an individual session with your therapist is recommended.  At times, couples therapy can be positively impacted by each part of the couple participating in their own individual therapy concurrent to couples work.

Question 12

Can each of my family members see a therapist in your group?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  We are specially designed to accommodate coordination of care for families and couples.  It is not uncommon for a mom to have a individual therapist, a dad to have an individual therapist, a child to have an individual therapist, and parents see a couples therapist or the whole unit sees a family therapist.  In this case, 4-5 therapists are working with one family unit.  Each therapist engages in consultation meetings to ensure we are giving the best care possible and understanding each of the family members needs independently and as a part of the whole.  No other group therapy practices provide this level of service.

Question 13

How long does therapy usually last?

Accepted Answer

The duration of therapy depends on what your therapy goals are and how quickly you and your therapist reach those goals.  For some people therapy lasts a few months.  For others, it can last a few years.  It is up to you to determine when you have attained the growth you are satisfied with.

Question 14

Do you do teletherapy?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  We offer teletherapy to all of our clients.  Rates and fees are the same as face to face therapy.  Teletherapy can be done via video or phone.

Question 15

Is in office or telehealth better?

Accepted Answer

The decision is up to what you are most comfortable with.  Online therapy has some advantages; less travel time, less traffic, the comfort of your own home or office, more flexibility with availability, and working with a therapist that may not practice locally.  In office therapy sessions have other advantages; real life connection, more physical interactions like games or toys for children, providing a space that you can be sure is safe and private. All of our therapists are providing services via telehealth.  In-office appointments are available with some of our therapists at the Santa Monica offices.

Question 16

Do you do in home therapy?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  We can accomodate therapy sessions in home.  Fees and rates are different than typical therapy as travel time is included in the fee.

Question 17

Do you have evening and weekend appointments available?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  We have therapists available 7 days a week and at all times of the day.  No matter the time or day you require, we will have a therapist to help you.

Question 18

Do you have a sliding scale (discounted fees)?

Accepted Answer

Our typical fee per session starts at $200/session and can go up to $400/session.  On occasion, we can offer a sliding scale or reduced fee based on financial need.  When requesting a sliding scale fee, your options of available therapists will be limited. Sliding scale fees are a benefit for clients that come to weekly therapy sessions and may be reevaluated on a 6-month basis.  Not all therapist offer sliding scale fees.  If they do not, they will refer you to one of our therapists that does.

Question 19

Where can I find Privacy Practices and Disclosures?

Accepted Answer

Right here.

We receive, collect and store any information you enter on our website or provide us in any other way. In addition, we collect the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login; e-mail address; password; computer and connection information and purchase history. We may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, and methods used to browse away from the page. We also collect personally identifiable information (including name, email, password, communications); payment details (including credit card information), comments, feedback, product reviews, recommendations, and personal profile.
 
When you conduct a transaction on our website, as part of the process, we collect personal information you give us such as your name, address and email address. Your personal information will be used for the specific reasons stated above only.
 
We collect such Non-personal and Personal Information for the following purposes:
To provide and operate the Services;
To provide our Users with ongoing customer assistance and technical support;
To be able to contact our Visitors and Users with general or personalized service-related notices and promotional messages;
To create aggregated statistical data and other aggregated and/or inferred Non-personal Information, which we or our business partners may use to provide and improve our respective services; 
To comply with any applicable laws and regulations.
 
Our company is hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix.com provides us with the online platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you. Your data may be stored through Wix.com’s data storage, databases and the general Wix.com applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall.  
 
All direct payment gateways offered by Wix.com and used by our company adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of credit card information by our store and its service providers.
 
We may contact you to notify you regarding your account, to troubleshoot problems with your account, to resolve a dispute, to collect fees or monies owed, to poll your opinions through surveys or questionnaires, to send updates about our company, or as otherwise necessary to contact you to enforce our User Agreement, applicable national laws, and any agreement we may have with you. For these purposes we may contact you via email, telephone, text messages, and postal mail.
 
If you don’t want us to process your data anymore, please contact us at office@pacificmft.com (mailto:office@pacificmft.com)or send us mail to: 2716 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 3075, Santa Monica, CA 90405.
 
We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.
 
If you would like to: access, correct, amend or delete any personal information we have about you, you are invited to contact us at office@pacificmft.com (mailto:office@pacificmft.com)or send us mail to: 2716 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 3075, Santa Monica, CA 90405. 
 
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310-612-2998
CALL OR TEXT NOW

Empowering You to Live the Life You Want

Pacific Marriage & Family Therapy Network

FAQs

310-612-2998 CALL OR TEXT NOW

Empowering You to Live the Life You Want

Pacific Marriage & Family Therapy Network

FAQs

310-612-2998
CALL OR TEXT NOW