Faq
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Yes, we are happy to provide virtual sessions! We use a HIPAA-compliant platform called Telehealth by SimplePractice.
Where is your office located?
Our primary office is located at
2001 South Barrington Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90025
The building is called “The Gardens.” We work out of a few different suites in the building, but we’ll always confirm the suite number when we set up a session.
We also have an office in Pasadena:
16 North Marengo Avenue Pasadena, CA 91101
Is there parking?
Yes! At the West LA location, there is a garage connected to the building. It is free in the evenings and on the weekends. If you are parking there during the day on a weekday, make sure to bring cash to get out. There is also street parking (both metered and free) on the streets around the building.
At the Pasadena location, there are several garages around the office that charge $1.50-$2.00 every hour, and there is also metered street parking.
Do you have evening and weekend hours?
Yes, we do! We know our clients have very busy lives, so we are happy to be able to offer therapy at convenient times.
How long are sessions?
Sessions are typically 50 minutes long, but feel free to talk with your therapist about longer sessions as needed.
How do I set up an initial appointment?
We offer a free 20-minute phone consultation to hear about what you are looking for in therapy and to answer any questions you may have about what we offer. If it seems like we’d be a good fit, we can set up an initial appointment on that phone call. To set up the free consultation, submit a form through my “Contact Us” page, or you can call us directly at (323) 379-2147 or by email at info@abundant-life-therapy.com.
Are there forms to fill out?
Yes, there are a few. Once we’ve set up an initial session, you’ll get an email asking you to fill out forms on a site called Simple Practice. These forms will include: (1) Notice of Privacy Practices, (2) Informed Consent for Psychotherapy, (3) Release of Information, (4) Standard Intake Questionnaire, (5) Basic Demographic Information, and (6) Credit Card Information.
What is your cancellation policy?
We ask that our clients notify us of a need to cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours in advance for in-person sessions, and at least 24 hours in advance for virtual sessions. We do charge the full session price for a late cancel or no show (except in the case of true emergencies).
What forms of payment do you accept?
We ask that all clients keep a credit card on file through Simple Practice and we typically charge that after each session. If you’d like to discuss alternative forms of payment, please contact us.
Before starting therapy, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total cost of all non-emergency counseling services. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers.
What age ranges do you work with?
We work with clients ages 8 and up. 🙂
Do you work with couples and families?
Yes, we are passionate about supporting our clients in fostering healthier relationships!
Do your clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?
Sometimes, yes. This can look like written assignments, journaling prompts, or practicing certain concepts we’ve discussed (e.g., spend an hour in self-care this weekend). You won’t get a bad grade in therapy if you don’t do them, but we do believe that so much of the therapeutic progress happens in-between sessions as our clients put their new insights and skills into practice in their lives.
What therapeutic modalities do you use in your client work?
We tailor our approach to fit the needs and personality of the individual client with whom we’re working.
The following are some of the main modalities we draw from (warning: psychological jargon ahead):
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT believes that the way we perceive a situation determines our feelings and actions about it—more so than the objective facts of the situation. We will explore ways in which you may have perceptions about your life, work, relationships, and situations that are not serving you, and work to reframe those perceptions to support you in living your most abundant life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT is a skills-based approach that focuses on pursuing a “Life Worth Living” and walking a “Middle Path” between black and white extremes. DBT incorporates skills for mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. In our work together, we may incorporate some DBT skills to support you in your goals.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Some of our therapists are trained in EMDR, which is a systematic process for identifying and reprocessing difficult or traumatic memories so that they are less impactful in the present.
Narrative Therapy: We all have stories that we tell ourselves and others about who we are, what life is like, and what the world is like. Often our narratives are not effective or true. Narrative Therapy works to rewrite those stories by identifying values and externalizing problems in order to “dialogue” with them.
Strengths-Based Therapy: You have strengths! Strengths-Based Therapy is a type of positive psychology that aims to identify and capitalize on your strengths in the therapeutic process and in your life.
Do you practice biblical counseling?
No we don’t. We offer what we call “Christian-Informed Therapy,” in which we support our clients to integrate concepts of mental health and healing with Christian beliefs. However, we also work with clients of any and all religious/faith backgrounds, and we only integrate faith/spirituality for clients who are interested in exploring that.
Have you been in therapy yourselves?
Yes! We are big believers in doing our own work.
Much of our personal growth and healing has only been made possible by being in therapy regularly.
Have you ever met a client for whom you had no hope?
Nope, never. If you’re still breathing, we believe there’s hope for change, growth, healing and abundance.