FAQ

I offer sessions Mondays through Thursdays, with appointment times varying between 10:00 am and 5:30 pm.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes.

Therapy groups and art workshops vary. Therapy groups are typically 1.5 hours, and art workshops vary between 1.5 to 3 hours.

I accept all major credit cards, cash, and checks. I also accept Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) as payment. Payments are due at the time of service.

Credit card, debit card, HSA, and FSA account payments are processed through Simple Practice, a HIPAA-secure, PCI-protected payment service that allows you to pay with a card-on-file. Once you’ve added your card to this encrypted system, charges are completed and quickly processed. You are emailed a receipt upon payment through this system.

I do not accept insurance; however, I can provide you with the documentation for out-of-network benefits.

Most of my clients choose not to involve their insurance providers in their treatment. Here are some advantages:

You won’t have a diagnosis label permanently attached to your health record.

Your records are protected, so the insurance company cannot get all your personal information.

Your care is not dictated by the insurance company but by the collaborative efforts formed by my professional expertise and your personal preferences and goals.

I offer a free, brief discovery call which you can schedule by calling me at (310) 567-4878.

We decide together if we are a good fit and can discuss setting up your initial appointment at the end of that call.

Life happens. I ask that you give me at least a 24-hour notice to cancel your appointment to avoid being charged your full rate.

I prefer to meet with you in person because I feel the connection is more vital, and we have more access to various art supplies. However, I do offer teletherapy sessions for California residents.

We are privileged to live in a digital age where we can connect through video conferencing. Virtual sessions occur through Doxy.me, a HIPAA-compliant, video conferencing platform. If we decide on telehealth sessions, I will send you a link to log into our sessions.

I use an eclectic approach, including art therapy, mind-body therapies (Somatic Experiencing and EMDR), and other therapeutic methods. My work is strongly influenced by different theories, which include attachment, psychodynamic, family systems, and internal family systems, humanistic, Gestalt, and Jungian.

You are an incredible and unique individual, and I tailor my approach to your uniqueness and attune to what is happening with you at the moment. I love learning (I’m a nerd through and through) and am fascinated by holistic medicine and healing approaches.

Absolutely not! This is YOUR journey. But I may suggest some artmaking here and there because something may come up in our work together that would benefit from our exploring it by creating art.

And just a reminder – art therapy is not about skill. It is an explorative process. And just as the therapeutic “space” between us is nonjudgmental, so is the artmaking “space.”

Yes, but not in the same way that I used to before I had “adulting” responsibilities. I don’t have endless hours to work on an oil painting or sit in a ceramic studio anymore, but I enjoy crafting and making art with my kids and friends.

I use my art journal to get my feelings out onto paper, too. I even get together with other art therapists for artmaking at local coffee shops to help me stay grounded in the practice of using art as a creative outlet.

I go by both. I used to keep Char for my personal life and Charleen in my professional life, but I go by Char more often since starting my own practice, and I’m enjoying it.

My closest friends and family have always called me Char, so why not also my clients? I work so closely with them, too. Right?