What do you charge and how can I pay?

I charge $140 per sessions. Sessions are 50-55 minutes long, in person or virtually. I offer sliding scale options for clients that range between $50-$125 per session.

I take some commercial insurances: NC Aetna, NC Blue Cross, and United Healthcare (CA and NC). To see if I’m in network for you, I recommend calling your insurance or going to their website and searching providers (“Nik Ruthless”) to see if I come up!

I am often able to offer temporary reduced rates due to hardship. Please reach out to me if you are interested in services but worried about the financial aspect. I am happy to work with you to find a rate that works or find a provider who is within your insurance plan, if I don’t take it.

Payment is due at the time of service. If you have an outstanding balance due, you might not be able to schedule more sessions until that is resolved. I accept cash and all major credit cards.

What is your cancellation policy?

When possible, please let me know with at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. If you notify me with less than 24 hours notice, there will be a $25 cancellation fee. If you no-show for an appt, there will be a $50 no-show fee.

Do you see clients who are actively engaging in substance abuse?

You do not need to be sober to start counseling, but it can be hard to engage in a session if you are actively inebriated or high. I practice from a harm-reduction perspective, which involves meeting the client where they’re at instead of making rules about what kind of sobriety they need to achieve before they can get help. If you are seeking counseling to manage substance use, we can talk more about what this looks like.

Is this Christian counseling, or faith-based in any way?

No. I am a secular therapist, meaning my counseling is not influenced by any religious or spiritual beliefs.

My therapeutic approach always starts with examining the clients values and building their goals around that, so if my client is religious, that is something I’m very comfortable working with. In fact, it was an entire class in my master’s program (Spirituality in Counseling)!

Most of my work with spirituality in counseling with my clients has been around leaving religion and the challenges of deconstructing a religious upbringing, or religious trauma.

I’m worried about what’s going on my “medical record.”

I totally understand, and I am very transparent about what is and isn’t recorded in my records. If you’re using insurance, I can explain in detail what is being recorded with them as well. Please reach out with questions about this if you have specific concern.