Frequently Asked Questions

If you are thinking about starting treatment with me, the first step is to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation.

The purpose of the consultation is give us a chance to see if we are good fit to work together. During the call you can ask any questions you may have, and I will ask what you would like to work on. I will also ask a few brief questions about your history and prior experience with therapy. If we both agree that we are a good fit, and you decide you want to start treatment, I will schedule your first appointment. If we find out that we aren’t the best fit, I will provide you referrals to other providers who I think might be a better match.

Although I know it is an extra step, I require a phone consultation before scheduling any therapy appointments. I prioritize this consult because I only accept clients that I believe are a good fit for my practice, and I need a little bit of information before I can know if my expertise is a good match for your presenting problem. I also want you to have the chance to talk to me and ask questions, so that you can decide if we are a good fit. My top priority is for you to get better, and if I don’t think I am the best person to help you, I will provide you referrals to other providers who may be a better fit.

Great question! It is very important to work with a therapist that is a good fit for you. A “good fit” means many things. It means feeling safe, understood, and comfortable with your therapist. It means seeing someone whose therapy approach makes sense to you. It also means seeing someone who is trained, and is an expert at treating your particular concerns.

I have a very specialized practice and use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) to treat anxiety, panic, insomnia and perfectionism. If your main concerns focus on different areas, I might not be the best therapist for you! And that is OK! I believe strongly in only taking on clients when I truly feel I am the best person to help them. I want you to get better, and if I don’t think that I am the best person to help you, I will happily provide you referrals to other practitioners who might be a better fit. So, finding a therapist that is a good fit for you can be a challenge and a process. But, scheduling a free phone consultation can be the first step towards deciding if I might be the best provider for you.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist, which means I received a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D) and have met the requirements of the state of Indiana to be designated as a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP). I also hold a masters (M.S.) and an educational specialist degree (Ed.S.) in counseling and counselor education. I am trained to assess, diagnose and treat mental health disorders.

For more information about my education and experience see my About Me page.

CBT is an evidence based treatment that has been shown to be very effective in treating a wide range of mental health concerns. See my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy page for more information.

CBT-I is an evidence based treatment protocol for insomnia. See my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia page for more information.

For most people, I typically recommend starting treatment with weekly appointments. This schedule will provide enough time and momentum to learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy quickly so we can get to work faster in helping you to practice your newly acquired skills. Many people start out with weekly sessions, and after they have made significant progress, reduce session frequency until they are ready to terminate treatment. I find that when clients attend sessions very infrequently, it can be difficult to maintain momentum and practice therapy skills outside of session, which can actually lengthen the time in treatment overall.

However, each person and situation is unique, and you are in charge of how often you attend treatment. Unless you are attending sessions so infrequently that therapy is unlikely to help, or you want to come in so frequently that you don’t have enough time to practice your skills between sessions, my general stance is that you are in charge of how often you come in for treatment! I’m also happy to talk about my recommendation for session frequency during your phone consultation or intake session.

It is difficult to say as each person and situation is unique. In general, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can work faster than some other types of treatments, but the length of treatment will depend on many things, including your diagnosis, severity of symptoms, frequency of sessions, frequency of homework practice, and your individual treatment goals. Some people prefer to focus closely on their initial presenting symptoms, and terminate therapy as soon as they feel better. Other people may decide to continue on in therapy even after their initial symptoms have abated, in order to address other issues, or receive ongoing support.

Ultimately, you are in charge of how long you attend treatment, and you are able to stop scheduling sessions whenever you feel you have achieved your goals. So, although I cannot tell you exactly how long you will be in treatment, I can say that my goal is for you to learn the skills and strategies you need so that you can get better, complete treatment, and "be your own therapist" after treatment has concluded.

Nope! I am not trained in or licensed to prescribe medications.

If you enter treatment, we can discuss general questions or concerns about psychotropic medications and how they may benefit you. If I believe you may benefit from a medication evaluation I will recommend that you see your primary care provider, a psychiatrist, or a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

I am currently accepting new clients on a limited basis.

However, keep in mind that I only accept clients when I feel I am truly specialized in treating their issue, and I believe their level of need is appropriate for my availability. It is also very important that you select a provider that matches your needs. The phone consultation will give us both the chance to decide if we would be a good fit to work together.

Regular Hours:

• Monday: 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm

• Tuesday: 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm

• Thursday: 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm

Summer Hours: (~June/July)

• Monday: 10:00, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm

• Tuesday: 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm

Please also note that my availability is subject to change.

Nope! I only treat individuals age 18 and up. I do not see kids, teens, couples or families.

The first appointment (the psychiatric diagnostic assessment) is 50 minutes. After that, regular appointments are 45 minutes.

All sessions are by appointment only. I do not hold any weekly appointment times, and all ongoing appointments are self-scheduled through my client portal. I allow clients to schedule as many appointments as they wish, up to three months out. This means that you may pick a different appointment time each week if needed, and you may also reduce frequency of sessions as you improve. Clients can also use the client portal to easily cancel or reschedule appointments as needed.

To see a list of all the states that I serve, please see my Telehealth page.

My practice is a fully telehealth practice, so I do not offer any in-office services. I use a secure, HIPAA compliant online video platform and serve people throughout Indiana as well as many other states.

Data indicates that Telehealth therapy is just as effective as in-office treatment. I have provided exclusively telehealth therapy since 2020 and I have found that telehealth is just as effective as in office therapy, with the main difference being that Telehealth is much more convenient! Please see my Telehealth page for more information.

If you become a client, you will have access to my secure online client portal, which makes attending telehealth treatment easy, convenient and paperless.

Using the client portal you can:

• Send and receive secure messages.

• Schedule, cancel and view upcoming appointments.

• Complete paperwork and electronically sign consent forms.

• Download therapy handouts and homework.

• Upload pictures or documents for me to review.

• Manage payment settings and access billing records.

• Download Statements for Insurance Reimbursement forms (“Superbills”).

Please see my Fees page for my current rates for the psychiatric diagnostic assessment, and ongoing individual therapy appointments.

Fees are due at the time of service and a credit or debit card is required to be on file with my office by the first session. With your authorization, your card will then be automatically charged after each session. I accept all major credit and debit cards including Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards. You may also upload a new card at any time through my client portal.

I do NOT accept health insurance. I am out of network with all health insurance companies, and am considered a self-pay provider. If your health insurance provides out of network benefits for psychotherapy, I can provide you with the paperwork you need to give them to get reimbursed for the benefit your plan provides.

I am paneled with Lyra Health (an employee based mental health benefit plan). If your employer offers Lyra Health benefits, they will compensate me for my services.

Yes! Confidentiality in treatment is one of my most important ethical values and obligations. Everything that you share in therapy will be held in confidence, with a few important exceptions:

• If I believe you pose a danger to your own life, I must take action to protect you, even if that requires breaking confidentiality in some way.

• If I believe you pose a danger to someone else’s life, I must take action to protect the other named party, even if that requires breaking confidentiality in some way.

• If you tell me about, or if I suspect abuse or neglect of children, the elderly or other vulnerable populations. I am a mandated reporter and have a legal obligation to report suspected abuse to Child Protective Services or Adult Protective Services.

• A medical emergency. For example, if you collapse in front of me during a therapy session and do not respond, I will send an ambulance to your location.

• A court order. If a judge sends me a written order to release records or testify in court, I must comply.

If you would like to give me permission to speak to someone else about your treatment, for example a physician or family member, you may also sign a release of information giving me that permission.

First of all, it can be really hard to find a mental health provider, especially when you are feeling very anxious or depressed, so thanks for working to help your loved one! If you have any particular questions you want to ask me, I would be happy to speak with you by phone. However, before I actually accept anyone to be my client, I will need to have a phone consultation with them. The reason for this is so that I can hear from them directly what they would like to work on, and if they wish to start treatment. If you want to speak to me first, you can give me a call, and then your loved one can schedule a phone consultation if they wish.

Absolutely!! I welcome all people to my practice, no matter their color, race, ethnicity, nationality, culture, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, spiritual/religious orientation, size or level of physical ability. I am a strong advocate for social justice and know that racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious discrimination, and all other forms of oppression have a big impact on wellbeing and mood. If issues of oppression are impacting you I encourage you to talk about this in therapy. I welcome you to my practice, and invite you to come as you are.

The fastest way to get in touch is to login to your client portal (there is a link on the Current Clients page). If your chart is closed, you will not be able to self schedule, but you can send me a secure message. Let me know you would like to come back, and we will go from there.

My legal first name (you will see this on paperwork) is Anlize. However, I go by my nickname Lizite (pronounced "Lee-zeet"). I know my first name is unusual so I will not be offended if it takes a few tries to get it!