FAQs

Additional location:

I typically see clients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Depending on my availability, I have sessions in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings.

The easiest thing to do is to call or text me at (949) 514-8690. You can also email me at cryssa@thirdwaycounseling.com.

Absolutely! I would love that! The best thing to do is to call/text/email me, and we can set up a time for a 20-minute phone consultation. That will give me an opportunity to learn more about you and to make sure that I am the best person to help you, while giving you a chance to find out more about me, ask questions, and feel if we would be a good fit.

We will schedule time for our first session. I will gather all your contact information and send you a link with my intake paperwork, and then all you have to do is show up!

During the first session, I will spend time not only learning more about what brought you to therapy, but also will gather some background information, so I can get to know you better. We will work immediately on identifying goals and creating a plan to get there. It is my hope that you leave our first session feeling empowered to do this work.

My fee is $175 for a 50 minute session. 

I do not bill insurance directly, so am considered out of network. I am happy to provide a Superbill receipt if you have any out-of-network benefits. I also accept Health Savings and credit cards as well.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.

You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

I ask for a 24-hour advance notice for cancelled sessions. Sessions that are cancelled (and not rescheduled for that week) are subject to a cancellation fee equivalent to the full session fee.

I work with adolescents, teens and adults. I specialize in issues related to anxiety, men’s issues, identity/confidence/self-esteem issues, substance abuse and recovery, as well as overall coping (or lack thereof.)

The modalities that inform how I work are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Thoughts, emotions and behaviors are all connected, and it is our work to figure out how to shift this system in a way that is more helpful to you.
Existential Therapy – The process of dealing with death, freedom, isolation and meaning – all the fun stuff!
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Learning how to take committed action that supports your values even when faced with painful and difficult emotional experiences.

I am direct and will take an active role in therapy. Some of you may have been in therapy before, but others have not, and I don’t expect you to know what to do.

I will be your guide, educate you, push you, challenge you, and inspire you… but, I can’t do the work for you. Therapy works when you own it, when you let yourself get uncomfortable and use that as a catalyst to let change happen. It is possible. I see it all the time, but it takes a lot of work.

As a therapist, it is my goal to work myself out of a job with each client. It can take time to develop insight and change behaviors, but the goal is always to discharge. Therapy is not working if you feel dependent on your therapist (have you listened to the podcast The Shrink Next Door? Crazy…)

I believe that over the long-term, people should be able to come in and out of therapy as needed – as their lives shift and evolve. The therapeutic relationship is a working relationship between client and therapist, and we will always be assessing our goals and the value of our work together.

I did my undergraduate work at Boston College, studying Sociology, and got my Masters from Salve Regina University (Newport, RI) in Holistic Counseling. My program was unique because everything was through the holistic lens that body, mind and spirit are connected (which I believe).

I have been working in the field since 2015 and got licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 102238) in 2017.

I have attended trainings and workshops on mindfulness, anxiety, addiction, masculinity and yoga. I am an avid reader and lifelong learner and am excited about where new interests might take me!

You might not need therapy. My clients come to me because what they are doing isn’t working. They need more support than family and friends can offer. They want to change, but are struggling to make that happen. They feel stuck and don’t know what to do. If you have great support and are able to make positive changes in your life, then you probably don’t need therapy.

It takes times to develop a therapeutic relationship and to build trust and rapport. I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation, which I encourage you to take advantage of. This is a great opportunity to learn more about each other, see if we are a good fit and to make sure that I can help you.

I am very relational in my approach, and I believe that the therapeutic relationship is a critical component to successful therapy outcomes. In my experience, most clients know by the third session if I am the right therapist for them. This is something we can always discuss. By agreeing to do therapy in no way binds you to the therapeutic relationship. If you feel like you need to find someone who is a better fit, I will be happy to make referrals.

I don’t take insurance, because I want the therapeutic process to be controlled by myself and the client. I don’t want a diagnosis, or lack thereof, to interfere in treatment, or have an insurance case manager determining how many sessions we can have.

Only from one of my favorite books, “The Great Work of Your Life – A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling” by Stephen Cope! Seriously, it is the best.

Here are a few quotes from the book:

“…if we held the tension between two opposite forces, there would emerge a third way, which would unite and transcend the two.”

“…the capacity to stand in mystery; the capacity to tolerate the unknown; the courage to live in the wilderness for a while; the love of the dark and the night and the moon; the wisdom of the circle, not the line.”

“Whatever the third way is, it usually comes as a surprise, because it has not penetrated our defenses until now.”

Yes! Of course. I am human, too. As my client, it is my job to take care of you, so I always make sure that any self-disclosure on my part is made in a way that is helpful to you.