Mary Gwaltney, Ph.D. Licensed Educational Psychologist

Assessment, Counseling & Consultation in Sacramento Area

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Counseling Services Overview

“What you avoid controls you. While avoidance feels like relief in the short term, every time you dodge discomfort, you strengthen fear, shame, procrastination and resentment.”

I am a licensed psychotherapist who is authorized by the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners to provide psychological counseling to individuals, groups, and families. By establishing shared goals with my clients, we work together to develop the skills necessary to make wise decisions, manage emotions, create deeper connections with friends and family, and build resilience in a way that will allow them to function better in school and other settings.  I strive to create an environment that allows youth to take positive risks to discover who they are, what they want for their future, and build regulation and executive skills to know that they can manage what life throws at them! My specialties are in anxiety management, social thinking, and developing executive functioning.

Counseling in my practice is offered on a short-term basis (generally around 8 to 12 months) to youth and sometimes adults, if my skills and training meet your needs. I specialize in psychoeducation to understand the nature and impact of a given diagnosis, counseling to teach emotional regulation and anxiety management tools, executive function support/ procrastination avoidance, and to provide social thinking or perspective-taking interventions to improve peer relations and cope with the demands of relationships in school. While I am careful to stay within my scope and experience, my individual counseling philosophy is rooted in cognitive-behavioral theory, which is a directive and didactic form of treatment. Sessions often include “homework” or skill-building assignments to complete between sessions.  I am not on any insurance panels, but I can provide you with the forms and codes necessary for reimbursement if you have arrangements to access out-of-network mental health services. My hourly rate for counseling services is $175.00.

Under federal law, healthcare providers are required to give patients who don’t have insurance or are not using insurance to obtain healthcare services a Good Faith Estimate of the total expected cost of services.   You will receive a Good Faith Estimate or total estimated cost in writing before your counseling service begins. You can also ask me for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule the service.  You have the right to appeal charges that exceed the estimated cost by more than $400.  If you have questions about Good Faith Estimates, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

If you have a pretax medical spending account, I am happy to provide you with the necessary receipts.

To determine if you or your child would benefit from counseling, please send me an email: mary@learningandbrain.net

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