frequently asked questions.
My office is based at 1945 Palo Verde Ave, Long Beach, California. I see clients both online and in person. My office is easily accessed by the 405. My clients primarily come from Long Beach, the Greater Los Angeles area, the South Bay, and Orange County. I see telehealth clients all over the state, from San Francisco to San Diego. I see coaching clients all over the United States.
where are you located?
You can contact me by phone at 562-204-6384 or by email at ali@alidilley.com to set up your free 15-minute phone consultation. If we choose to work together, we will then choose a day and time to schedule your intake session.
how do I get started?
do you provide in person or online services?
Yes, I provide both in-person and telehealth sessions. During our consultation, we will decide together whether in-person or telehealth is the best option for your care.
Telehealth is another means to providing therapy. Telehealth is just like an in-person session, only over phone or video.
what about payment and fees?
Full payment in the form of credit/debit card is due at the conclusion of each session. Your payment information will be gathered before your intake appointment and saved throughout the rest of treatment. I am an out-of-network provider, and I am happy to provide you with monthly invoices so you can use your out-of-network insurance coverage if that is available to you. See about insurance and superbills below.
No, I do not take insurance at this time. Some of the reasons why I don’t accept health insurance have to do with me and my well-being, and most have to do with my clients and their well-being. Many potential clients don’t realize that there are several downsides for therapists and clients when using insurance to pay for psychotherapy. When you solely use insurance:
Treatment is dictated by what your insurance chooses to pay for.
Confidentiality and privacy go out the window.
Insurance requires your record to have a medical diagnosis.
Your diagnosis can increase your insurance premiums.
Your insurance can decide to not pay me for services rendered, which impacts the therapeutic process.
If a magical dream comes true, and the insurance industry in the United States becomes more ethical and in-line with my standards, this policy may change. Here’s hoping for healthcare reform.
do you take insurance?
how do you set your fees? I found someone cheaper.
I love this question because I have spent a lot of time and energy determining my fees, and I’m never afraid to talk about money with you. The reality is that most therapists are not able to see 40 clients per week. That means 40 hours of face-time every week, plus paperwork, phone calls, trainings, continuing education, researching and reading, consultations with other providers (like your psychiatrist), and preparation for your session. It’s just not possible for therapists to see 40 clients a week, so my fee reflects that. Other factors that go into cost include:
Specialization. Therapy tends to be more expensive when the therapist is an expert in a highly specialized field or treats an unusual or challenging condition.
The location of therapy. Therapists in large metropolitan areas and regions with high costs of living must charge more to keep up with cost of living.
The therapist’s reputation. Well-known therapists who are highly in demand often charge more.
Insurance coverage. People whose therapy is covered by insurance tend to pay less.
Length of the therapy session. The longer the session is, the more a client typically will pay.
There's also a pretty common misconception that therapists charge this much simply because we want to make as much money as possible – but in reality, we’re charging what we need to in order to give you the best experience possible and pay our bills at the same time.
can I use my out-of-network insurance benefits?
Yes, sure can. Some insurance plans reimburse claims at varying percents for out-of-network providers, meaning that if you see a therapist at $200 a session and your insurance plan reimburses 50%, you’d be paying the $200 out of pocket but receive a check for $100, for each session. This isn’t usually available with HMO plans, but flexible PPO plans often have this.
Please call your provider to verify how much your plan reimburses for out-of-network therapists. I’ve had clients be under the impression they reimburse only to find out that they don’t and be in a difficult situation. If your plan does reimburse, I can provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company. Please note that all insurance companies require a diagnosis on your superbill, even if doing it out-of-network.
Yes, absolutely! Psychotherapy is subject to doctor/patient confidentiality. Anything discussed in therapy cannot be disclosed to a third party without your expressed permission. There are very few exceptions to this, such as a plan to harm yourself or another. If we work together, we will discuss this in detail during the informed consent process, as this is an important part of trust in a therapeutic relationship. All clients who utilize superbills will receive a diagnosis that will be communicated to your insurance carrier.
is therapy confidential?
can I use my parent’s or partner’s card to pay for sessions?
Yes, sure can! With their consent, you can input their card information within the informed consent and intake paperwork.
do you offer sliding scale sessions?
Yes, I offer sliding scale, low-cost sessions when I am able. At almost any time of the year, I save 10% of slots on my client roster for sliding-scale clients. My typical fee is $185 a session, and my sliding scale sessions are $100, $125, and $150. At this time, I am accepting sliding scale spots for those who belong to marginalized communities. There is about a six-month wait, so this wait is not feasible for high-risk clients.
In order to cancel or reschedule an appointment, you will be expected to give notification at least 48-hours in advance of your appointment. If you do not provide me with at least 48 hours advanced notice of cancellation, you are responsible for payment for the missed session. The credit card on file will be charged for any no-show or late cancellation fees. If client is able to reschedule their session within the same week, there will not be charged a cancellation fee. This fee can be discussed and altered for emergencies and severe financial impact.
what’s your cancellation policy?
how did you choose this cancellation policy?
Cancellation policies are common practice across all health care professions and service-based businesses. In mental health care, an astonishing 20-30% of all income earned in private practice is subject to a write-off because of high no-show and cancellation rates. That's double the rate of all other healthcare specialties.
It helps to think of my cancellation policy as an agreement between two people who want to respect each other's time and money — the therapist wants to provide mental health care, while also getting paid fairly for their time and expertise, and the client wants to take care of their mental health, while also avoiding extra fees when they occasionally can't make it to their therapy sessions. In other words, my cancellation policy helps me get paid when clients break their commitments on short notice, and they help clients learn what qualifies as adequate notice in order to avoid incurring those late cancellation fees in the first place. Boundaries are hard, but they’re worth implementing and respecting.
do you work evenings? how about weekends?
I primarily work with college students and early to mid-career professionals, so I have appointment availability in the afternoon and late evenings. On the rare occasion, I have a morning or two spot open. My earliest appointment is typically 11:00 am, and my latest is typically 7:00 pm.
do you work with teenagers, or just adults?
I work with children as young as 12 years old and adults as old as mid-40’s. My typical clients are Gen-Z, Zillenials, Millenials, and early Gen-Xers. If you’re outside of this age window but still feel we’d be a good fit, don’t hesitate to reach out.
if my child is seeing you, how do you work with parents?
Parents are absolutely an important part of their child’s therapeutic process. When working with children and adolescents, I always start by meeting with the family in order to determine the best course of therapy. We want to find out if individual or family therapy will be the best fit. If individual therapy is deemed to be the most helpful for your child, I also meet with parents for “parent coaching” or “parent sessions” to help parents increase their emotion-focused parenting skills. I deeply believe that parents are typically the medicine needed to help their child get better.
Absolutely, I adore the boys and men who work with me. If you feel like we’ll be a good match, I imagine we will be. I love working with boys and men who meet the same criteria as all of my other clients.
do you work with boys and men?
is this a safe space for LGBTQ+ people? how about people of color?
Yes, yes, and more yes. I am queer myself, and I have worked with many queer clients. I also have plenty of experience working with a variety of clients with diverse, intersectional identities. I do my own anti-racist, anti-trans personal work to be sure I am multiculturally competent. These are topics we discuss in session. You’re safe with me.
is there paperwork I need to fill out?
Yes, but you don’t have to worry about this not until after our consultation call. You will receive a small intake packet to fill out before your first appointment. In the intake packet, you won’t be asked to go into detail about your mental health history, as this can be overwhelming. No paperwork is necessary for your brief consultation.
love yourself a little extra today.
feeling warmed up yet?