Frequently Asked Questions

Shine the Light, LLC, is private pay only. Unfortunately, insurance companies are making it increasingly difficult for private practices to provide quality care to our patients. In order for me to be the best therapist for you — not rushing to force a diagnosis upon you and being able to spend my time outside of therapy in training and recharging my own batteries instead of the headache of billing — I don’t work with insurance companies directly.

However, many insurance policies offer generous reimbursement rates for therapy. I am happy to provide receipts in order to assist in seeking reimbursement through your insurance provider. Please call your insurance provider to find out what your specific reimbursement policy is.

p.s.— I do accept HSA and FSA cards

The standard 50 minute individual sessions are $165. If you seek other services, contact me for pricing or visit the rates section on the website here.

Yes! I am located in the Helia Health building in Roland Park in Baltimore and love seeing people in person when possible. I am in my office on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

I use a HIPAA compliant version of Google Meet to conduct our telehealth sessions. It’s essentially like doing therapy through Zoom, but everything is secure so that no one else is privy to our conversation. For telehealth sessions, I ask that you are in a private space where you feel comfortable. You also have to physically be in the state of Maryland for licensing purposes.

Mostly, yes. Almost everything that is said stays between us. However, I am a mandated reporter, so there are certain things that I must disclose. These include reports of child neglect or abuse, suicidal ideation, and a duty to warn if someone is in danger. I will let you know if I need to break our confidentiality.

Fill out the contact page here, call me, or send me an email so we can have our free initial consultation! If we are a good fit, we will schedule our first appointment.

In therapy, the relationship between a therapist and client is crucial for change. I hope that I can be a good fit for you. Before booking an initial appointment, I require a free 15-minute phone consultation. This will help you to determine if I am a good fit for you and will help me to know if I will be a good therapist to help with your goals. To schedule, send me an email at:

alli@shinethelightcounseling.com

It’s mostly up to you! Our sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes. If you would like more or less time, contact me and we can figure something else out.

During the initial session, I will ask you more questions than normal so that I can learn about what brings you to therapy and about your goals. From there, it depends on what you would like to gain from therapy. If you prefer a more talk-based therapy, we will do that. If you like more activities, we can do that. I may provide some suggestions that may take you out of your comfort zone, but everything is optional and aimed to foster change. I like to incorporate different therapeutic modalities in order to best serve each person I work with.

Due to licensing purposes, the client must reside in the state of Maryland in order to receive services. Even though all services are conducted via telehealth, we both must be in Maryland so that we are compliant with Social Work licensing procedures.