Please note: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, our receptionists are not in the office in order to protect their health and wellbeing.

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Our team is also offering online video sessions.

Selecting the best Individual Psychotherapist, Relationship Coach, Couples Counselor or Sex Therapist to connect with is a tremendously important decision, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. We will help you find the right person to support you.

To help you decide if you would like to work with a counselor at California Relationship Centers (and North Berkeley Couples Therapy Center or other San Francisco Bay Area Branches), we will promptly connect you with a therapist or counselor to get you started and answer any questions you may have. 

Meanwhile, below we’ve included some of the answers to the most common questions we receive.

Do you accept insurance?

No, here at California Relationship Centers, LLC we currently do not accept insurance directly, but do offer services as Out of Network Providers. Don't worry, we can make this work for you! We are happy to to provide itemized medical receipts (called Super Bills) for your insurance company for partial or full reimbursement for your out-of-network therapy benefits. For more information on this, please read our insurance and fees page.

What is the cost per session?

Our fees at California Relationship Centers, LLC vary by clinician's expertise and experience.  We offer a diverse array of services and individuals to best meet your unique needs, so fees vary accordingly. To learn more, please check out our Insurance & Fees page.

How do I know if California Relationship Centers, LLC has the right couples counselor, individual psychotherapist, sex therapist or relationship coach for me?

Choosing a therapist or coach is a highly personal decision. Studies have shown that therapy is only as effective as the relationship between therapist and client. We understand how vital it is to connect with the best fitting therapist or coach for your unique circumstances, so  offer a complimentary 15-minute consult call with anyone who reaches out to us so we can learn more about your personal situation. We then set you up with the counselor who will be best equipped to help you meet your goals. So go ahead and book a complimentary consult session online, give us a call, or send us a message and we’ll help get you set up with someone who we think will be a fabulous match for you.

Does it Matter What Degrees or certifications my therapist or coach has?

Yes and no. Confusing, right? Let us explain:

It is important you ask yourself:

• “Can I see myself feeling safe and comfortable with this person?

• Do I feel like they 'get me'?”

• Do I feel understood and validated?

• "Do they have the experience and training to help with my particular needs?"

Relationship and fit matters- a lot.

Ultimately, it  doesn’t matter how many degrees a therapist or psychologist has under their belt,  if you don’t feel good about sitting in a room with that person; it is vital to the positive outcome of your therapy or coaching experience that you feel comfortable enough with your therapist to be vulnerable and open.

However, training, degrees and expertise do hold a great deal of importance as well.

A clinical psychologist for example (Doctor of Psychology) goes to school on average for over a decade with undergrad, master and doctorate, in addition to thousands of clinical hours (face time with clients). Then to become an expert in something such as trauma, or couples therapy or sex therapy, many more years and thousands of hours are required. You wouldn't see a general medical physician if you had a heart condition, right? You would see a highly specialized cardiologist. Our certified sex therapists, couples counselors, individual psychotherapists and even our relationship and sexual empowerment coaches have extensive specialized training. We will connect you with the right fit for your needs. This is also why our rates vary from clinician to clinician. 

What can I expect from my first session?

The first in-person meeting is what’s known as an intake session. It’s different from a traditional therapy session because this will be a time for our therapists or relationship coaches to learn more about your history, the reasons that brought you to seek support at this time and your hopes for the work together. You’ll also discuss what your goals are for your time together. If you are coming to couples or sex therapy with a partner, it will also provide an opportunity for you to hear each other’s perspectives and to co-create a mutually desired outcome for your relationship therapy or coaching (deepening emotional intimacy, improving and developing more effective communication skills, learning how to talk about and experience embodied sex etc).

It’s also an opportunity for you to get to know your therapist, to ask any questions you may have, and to see how it feels to work with your clinician. At the end of the session, you (and your partner if applicable) and your therapist can decide together if it feels right to move forward in scheduling another session and continuing your journey together.

In terms of time, your intake therapy or coaching session will be longer than the standard session as it takes more time to get into the issues that bring you to California Relationship Centers. Typically an initial session lasts 75-90 minutes. After that, sessions may range from 45-120 minutes (or longer for private intensives or assessments). It is pretty typical to expect a 45-60 minute session. Your couples counselor, sex therapist, individual psychotherapist or relationship coach will talk with you about what length would be most appropriate for your unique needs as well as their therapy style.

Where are you located and is there parking?

Given that California Relationship Centers (and our affiliate centers such as San Francisco Couples & Sex Therapy Center), has over 40 locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, the answer to this question depends on the therapist or coach you work with. In our initial free phone consultation, we will match you not only with a therapist you would best meet your therapeutic needs, but also we will do our best to meet your geographic needs.

We value your time and understand most folks live busy lives. We offer online and phone sessions, as well as in person sessions in San Francisco, the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Hayward etc.) and the North Bay (Napa Valley, Marin, San Rafael etc.) and South Bay.

If you are attending an in person session, we suggest you leave about 10-15 minutes to account for fluctuating parking availability and BART /public transit delays and traffic issues.

Is what I share confidential?

Of course we value your privacy and respect your experience. What you share in your sessions is completely confidential except in the case of certain issues of safety, which are mandated by the state of California to report. You and your therapist will discuss all of this and California Relationship Center's other office policies during your initial intake session. Unless you provide your therapist with written authorization to disclose information to another individual or agency, anything that you share with your provider is completely confidential. However, under California State Law, the following exceptions exist:

They are as below:

• Immediate threat of harm to self or other

• Suspicion or report of child or dependent elder abuse

• In the case of a court subpoena or disability claims

• Actions are necessary to collect payment, or

• An insurance company requests information for reimbursement of services

Therapy cost money. Is it worth it? Will it help?

Therapy is a financial and emotional commitment. It’s an investment in yourself, your relationship(s) and your ability to gain insight and skills to stop problematic communication and relational  patterns. Therapy helps you become more capable of practicing new, more effective ways of communicating and identifying feelings, thoughts and behaviors. This ability to understand yourself and your partner more effectively can profoundly and positively impact your current and future relationships, your emotional, sexual and physical health, your work, your creativity and even your finances. So, yes, we absolutely believe investing in your self and your relationship is worth it. All of our psychologists, MFTs, psychotherapists and coaches have been carefully selected as folks who have also done self-work through therapy and other means. We truly appreciate the importance of your explorative journey and are honored to work with you. 

I only want to come into therapy every other week. Is that something I can do?

We get this question a lot. We understand that you have a busy life and that the weekly financial and emotional commitment to therapy can feel big. While we can appreciate the urge to come to therapy every other week, here at California Relationship Centers, LLC we only see clients on a weekly basis at least for the first stage of therapy in order to build a solid foundation for the work you do. Otherwise, the session may be spent feeling like playing catch-up and giving an overview instead of continuing the flow of the process. Psychotherapy and coaching works best within the context of a trusting and supportive relationship and, in our experience, it takes weekly sessions to create a strong rapport and to create a new routine that allows for us to deepen the work, and for you (and your partner if in couples or partnered sex therapy) to replace negative patterns with positive and effective ways of relating.

We want you to experience the personal change you desire and in order to best facilitate that, we have found that the weekly continuity (at least at first) is necessary.

Working on an every other week basis simply doesn’t allow the healthy change to happen  as effectively. After the initial stage of therapy, you and your California Relationship Centers therapist can talk about what frequency of sessions might be most appropriate for you then.