Body-Focused Psychotherapy Services

I’m so lucky to do what I do for a living. I have my own private corporation, (Loft Counseling, PC) and I work at a cross discipline medical office in Chicago near iconic Wrigley Field. I get to collaborate with some amazing people. I am surrounded by a skilled team who also love what they do. We strive for excellence individually and as a collaborative team. I also get to call these esteemed colleagues my friends and family. I look forward to arriving at the office. We support and enhance each others’ growth both personally and professionally. We push each other to be impeccable in life and career. As if that weren’t enough, I’m so grateful to work with smart, motivated insightful, and highly creative clients. They inspire me daily. I see miraculous transformations in my office daily. I want to not only relieve suffering but spread happiness through the work I do. I have evolved my practice over the years into more Somatic (a big word for “body”) approach. I’m trained in neuro-psychotherapeutic touch modalities and Somatic Experience over the past 10 years. Now I assist facutly and coordinate trainings. Somatic Experience is one of the largest most popular and effective modalities in the world for treating and reparing trauma. Somatic experience is effective for many reasons including that it incorporates the body into the psychotherpy proscess.

When my clients come to see me, they are most often looking for freedom from a limiting pattern. I know my clients have the answers within them. I work quickly and effectively alongside my clients while reflecting to them their intrinsic gifts and abilities. From there, my clients explore and then clear the blocks to having the life they truly desire. I hold a space in which my clients may create from their own truth, vision, strength and passion. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing my clients get the results they envision for themselves and watching them take joyful ownership of their lives.

I draw on theories and skills from many disciplines. I use whatever works in the moment. Counseling can be a highly creative and collaborative process. There is no one theory that works for every client. My main psychotherapeutic approach is Somatic Experiencing. It is based in neurobiology and yet is a highly intuitive approach to treating trauma, anxiety and depression. SE asks “what didn’t get to happen?” in a trauma, a chaotic home, in any charged situation. It allows the brain and body to gain completion and mastery. In turn, the individual is better able to regulate her/his own brain and nervous system and ultimately, settle and find peace and stability. It can be something awe-inspiring to see a client regain her sense of self with simple SE techniques.

I recognize each client as a unique and gifted individual. I pull from the principles of Internal Family Systems, Attachment Theory, Traumatology, Jungian Psychoanalysis, Somatic Experience (www.traumahealing.org), Somatic Practice (www.somaticpractice.net), Transactional Analysis, Archetypes, Transpersonal Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Career Assessment, Imago Theory. 

If you’re interested in an appointment please email or call. I would love to get started with you and see if we’re a good fit. If not, I am well-resourced and can help you find other competent professionals for you. I am currently approved as a preferred provider through Blue Cross Blue Shield. I also take out of network benefits for many many other insurances. Please note, insurance is for mental health counseling only - NOT for my other intuitive healing services described on the “Intuitive Healing” page.

 Expertise in treating:

  • Trauma & Complex Trauma

  • Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse and toxic family dynamics

  • Sexual Abuse Recovery

  • Somatic Experience

  • Psychotherapeutic Touch

  • Bodywork and Somatic Experience

  • Eating Disorders

  • Life Transitions

  • Depression and Anxiety

  • ADHD

  • LGBTQ+

  • Creativity Blocks

  • Performance Anxiety

  • Specialized training in:

  • Somatic Experience

  • Bodywork

  • Somatic Practice

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy/

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems

  • Meditation

  • Individuation/Jungian Analysis and Archetypes

  • Career Counseling

  • Compassion Fatigue

  • Couples Work

    Federally Required Form

    “Good Faith Estimate for Health Care Items and Services” Under the No Surprises Act
    (For use by health care providers no later than January 1, 2022)

    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
    Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight 200 Independence Avenue SW

    Washington, DC 20201

    Summary

    Starting on January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act1 (NSA) protects uninsured (or self-pay) individuals from many unexpectedly high medical bills. The Act requires that health care providers and facilities give uninsured (or self-pay) individuals an estimate for the cost of their health care before the individual agrees to get the item or service. Throughout this document the term “providers” also includes providers of air ambulance services People with insurance may also ask for an estimate, which will generally be shared with the insurance plan.

    If the uninsured (or self-pay) individual is billed for an amount at least $400 above the estimate, the individual may be eligible to start a Patient-Provider Dispute Resolution (PPDR) process by submitting a request to HHS and paying a small administrative fee. The PPDR process is handled by a third-party company certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This company will decide if the estimated amount, or billed amount, or another amount in between the estimated amount and billed amount should be paid.

    This document contains specific requirements and information about the “Good Faith Estimate” and PPDR process.

    Good Faith Estimates for Uninsured (or Self-Pay) Individuals

    You are generally considered an uninsured or self-pay individual if you do not have health insurance, or do not plan to use your insurance to pay for a medical item or service. If you are an uninsured or self-pay individual, a provider or facility must give you a “good faith estimate” detailing what you may be charged before you receive the item or service.

    The good faith estimate will include:

    • A list of items and services that the scheduling provider or facility reasonably expects to provide you for that period of care.

    1 Enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260).

    1

    • Beginning in 2023, a list of items and services and their associated costs, that can be reasonably expected to be given to you by another provider or facility involved in your care (a co-provider or co-facility). For example, a doctor probably expects that along with an individual’s knee replacement surgery, the patient will also be given anesthesia. Both of these items and services should be included in your good faith estimate, and starting in 2023, the anesthesia items and services will have to be included.

    • Applicable diagnosis codes and service codes.

    • Expected charges or costs associated with each item or service from each provider and

      facility.

    • A notification that if the billed charges are higher than the good faith estimate, you can ask your provider or facility to update the bill to match the good faith estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available.

    • Information on how to dispute your bill if it is at least $400 higher for any provider or facility than the good faith estimate you received from that provider or facility.

      If you get a bill that is at least $400 more for any provider of facility than the total expected charges for that provider or facility on the good faith estimate, there is a new patient-provider dispute resolution (PPDR) process available to you. Under the PPDR process, you may request a payment review and decision from an independent company certified by HHS. These companies are referred to as Selected Dispute Resolution (SDR) entities. The SDR entity will decide what amount you must pay if your bill is at least $400 more for any provider or facility than your good faith estimate from that provider or facility.

      A summary of important information for this process is provided below.

      For detailed information, you can review the HHS interim final rules (IFR) titled Requirements Related to Surprise Billing; Part II, published on October 7, 2021. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-10-07/pdf/2021-21441.pdf

      Does the PPDR process apply to people with health insurance?

      The PPDR process is set up for:
      • People without health insurance.
      • People with health insurance who receive an item or service that isn’t covered by their

      plan or coverage.
      • People with health insurance who plan to not use their plan or coverage to pay for a

      portion or all of the costs for the item or service.

      People with health insurance includes those with:

      • A group health plan (a plan through their employer or union),

      • Group or individual health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer,

      • A Federal health care program (such as Medicaid, Medicare or TRICARE), or

      • A health benefits plan under a Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.

    Note: Enrollees in Federal health care programs are not eligible to receive a good faith estimate as there are other surprise billing protections under these programs.

    Where can an uninsured (or self-pay) individual find information about a good faith estimate?
    You should find information about good faith estimates on your provider or facility’s website and in the provider or facility’s office or on-site where you might schedule items or services or have questions about your costs. If you have questions about the cost of items or services, your provider or facility must inform you in writing or orally about requesting a good faith estimate. All of this information must also be available in accessible formats and languages.

    When can you expect a good faith estimate?

    If you schedule an item or service at least 3 business days before the date you will receive the item or service, you must be given a good faith estimate no later than 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule the item or service at least 10 business days before the date you will receive it, or request cost information about an item or service, the provider or facility must give you a good faith estimate no later than 3 business days after scheduling or requesting.

    Is the good faith estimate a bill?

    No. The good faith estimate shows the costs of items and services that your provider or facility expects to charge you for an item or service. The estimate should be based on information known at the time the estimate was created and does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during the course of treatment. For example an individual could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur.

    How will individuals identify items or services on the Good Faith Estimate?

    On the good faith estimate you should be able to locate a list of items and services, grouped by each provider or facility, that includes:

    • Applicable diagnosis codes,
    • Expected service codes,
    • Expected charges associated with each listed item or service for the primary provider or

    facility (the main provider or facility you are scheduling with), and
    • Any expected charges associated with each listed item or service for the co-providers or co-facilities (the other providers or facilities who will also be a part of your care and bill

    you separately).

    Note: In 2022, the good faith estimate may not include all expected charges for items and services from a co-provider or co-facility for items and services that are usually expected to be provided along with the primary item(s) or service(s). This means, for example, that until January 1, 2023, if you schedule a knee replacement surgery with a particular surgeon, your

“Life is long. Let’s make it worth our time here.”