The "frame" is one of the most important parts of the therapeutic relationship. The frame holds our work, and takes care of both of us as we dive in together and swim around in the deep. These documents are part of that frame, and we will talk about them during our first session.

Fees

My fee for a 50 minute session is $275. If you are in need of therapy and my fee is out of reach, please see this list of sliding scale psychotherapy agencies in the Bay Area.

Insurance

I do not take insurance, but it may be possible for you to be reimbursed by your insurance provider for our sessions as I am an out-of-network provider. Please call your company to find out 1) your deductible and 2) what percentage of the fee they will reimburse to you. This option may make therapy with me more affordable for you.

No Surprises Act and Good Faith Estimate

Although my fees are transparent, stated at the time of our first call/session, listed prominently on my website, and payments are made at the end of each session, I am required by new federal law to articulate the estimated cost of cash-pay services to you annually if you are uninsured or do not plan to use your health insurance to submit a claim. In this case, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. I will ask you if you plan to use any kind of healthcare benefit to submit out of network superbills for reimbursement. If you do not plan to seek reimbursement, or are uninsured, I will email you an estimate of the expected charges for non-emergency psychotherapy services for the year. You can ask me, 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. Please note that bill disputation may require me to release some private and protected health information to the disputation agency. 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 https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

A typical Good Faith Estimate will include your name, date of birth, a diagnosis code and an estimate for the cost of your sessions for the year. For example: I anticipate your treatment will require weekly 50- minute psychotherapy sessions throughout the next 12 months at [fee] per session for a total of [x weeks] taking into consideration vacations, holidays, emergencies and sick time. Please keep in mind that as it is unethical for California LMFT’s to diagnose people we have not met, the diagnosis section may be blank until we can properly meet for an intake process.

Office Policies

Here is a link to my Office Policies. Therapy works best with regular, consistent sessions. I offer once a week appointments for 50 minutes, as well as more frequent sessions (2-5 times per week), and psychoanalysis on the couch or telepsychoanalysis.

I do my best to offer a consistent, reliable meeting time for us at the same time and day each week. Therefore, if you cancel with less than 48 hours notice for any session, you will be charged your normal fee, unless we can reschedule within that same business week. 

In addition, my policy permits three (3) missed sessions per calendar year with 48 hours notice (or up to a week’s worth of sessions with notice, whichever number is greater) at no charge. If you miss more than three (3) sessions (or more than a week’s worth of sessions, whichever number is greater) per calendar year, you will still be charged your usual fee for any additional missed session, even if you cancel your session with 48 hours’ notice. This is in addition to any time I may take off from treatment (usually 4-5 weeks per year). 

Social Media Policies

Here is a link to my Social Media Policies. I protect the privacy of my patients. If you are, or are planning to become, my patient, I recommend you do not follow me on social media in order to protect your privacy. If you do try to interact with me on social media, I will not respond. Social media is a public forum. In addition, I do not solicit nor respond to reviews of my therapy work on online business pages from current or former patients/clients, as it is unethical to do so and potentially a breach of confidentiality.

Notice Of Privacy Practices & Confidentiality Limitations

Here is a link to my Notice of Privacy Practices. I use a web-based, online documentation that is protected by multiple layers of security. All of your treatment information is confidential with a few exceptions: Coordination of health care with other practitioners; there is reasonable suspicion of child or elder abuse; if you disclose you are going to harm another person (duty to warn); or if I suspect you are going to harm yourself. Children under 18 may have personal health information disclosed to parents/guardians if they are under 12, or if they are between 12 and 18 and their parents/guardians are paying for their treatment. NEW: AB1775 requires that I disclose to local authorities any downloading or accessing of child pornography reported by my patients. ADDITIONALLY:  Your mental health information may not be private or confidential in certain circumstances. For example, if you decide to use your insurance to reimburse you for our sessions, they have the right to request access to your records in order to assure appropriate treatment is being provided. Please read the laws around privacy here.

Teletherapy & Telehealth

As of March 2020, I conduct psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and consultation sessions both in person and using telephone, Zoom, and/or Simple Practice (a secure video platform). These systems are fully secure and HIPAA-compliant, and I conduct all sessions from a private home office, and I encourage you to find a private and quiet location for our sessions. My license allows me to practice in the state of California and work with anyone who resides in California. As of August 2023, I am licensed in the state of New York and can work with people residing there.

Verify My License

If you would like to verify my license, you may do so here. Please note that though I use Molly as my name, my legal first name is Margaret, which is how the BBS knows me, so you can search this link using "Margaret Merson". My California license number is MFC #52483 and my New York license number is #002146.

File A Complaint

If you believe there is a serious ethical or legal violation on my part or on the part of any therapist, including sexual conduct between therapist and patient, you may file a complaint here.

Medi-Cal Opt Out

I have chosen to opt-out of Medi-cal, which means I am not registered to, and therefore cannot, accept Medi-Cal in my practice.