FAQ

Where is your office?

My office is located in Oakland. I’ll give you the office details before our first appointment.

What days are you in practice?

I see clients Monday through Thursday.

How and when do I pay?

I accept payment via IvyPay, a HIPAA-compliant payment platform.

Before our first session, you will receive a text message from IvyPay asking you to input your credit card information, which will be stored. After the first session, IvyPay will charge you the day of our session.

Do you take insurance?

I don’t take insurance. I’m happy to provide a superbill, so you can seek out-of-network coverage. You can call your insurance company to find out how much you can expect to be reimbursed.

Some employers also offer an employee assistance program or an employee wellness program that can help cover some of the costs.

Do you offer a sliding scale?

Therapy can be extremely helpful to so many people; unfortunately, it’s often also cost-prohibitive. For that reason, I offer a portion of the slots in my practice on a sliding scale for demonstrated financial need. Contact me to find out more.

Finding a therapist can be challenging, I know. I’m always happy to talk to you and possibly help you find a lower fee referral. Please reach out, and we can go from there.

How do I schedule an appointment?

You can schedule a consultation via the contact form below or by contacting me at allison@allisonzamani.com or at (415) 255-2647 (this line does not receive text messages).

What is your cancellation policy?

I have a 48-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel within 48 hours, payment is due for the session.

Therapy can help you with so many things! To get the most out of it, you owe it to yourself to be committed. For that reason, I ask that you limit cancellations, and I’ll try to help you reschedule if we can.

Do you work with women? Men? Non-binary individuals? Couples?

Yep! I work with women, men, and individuals who don’t identify on the gender binary. I also work with couples. I’ve worked with couples in non-traditional relationship structures as well as individuals who identify as poly.

Do you work with LGBTQ clients?

I sure do! I identify as LGBTQ and frequently work with clients who also identify that way.

Do I need to be in therapy? What does it say about me if I’m in therapy?

You might not need to be in therapy, but you might really benefit from it.

Think about it as the opportunity to get to know yourself more. For many people, therapy is about a place to explore their thoughts and feelings and go from feeling okay to feeling much better.

People choose to seek therapy for many different reasons. Some come to work on a specific issue. Others may notice life trends or patterns from which they would like to break free.

The individuals in a couple may notice that they have come to an impasse in their relationship and would like assistance moving forward. And some people come simply because they would like a place to feel safe and to speak about whatever is on their mind.

Only you can say whether therapy is the right choice for you.

Taking part in therapy often helps people feel more accepting of themselves and more able to be authentic with others.

It never hurts to set up an appointment and see how it feels.

Remember: your therapist is there to support you.

How long does therapy take?

This one’s tough because it all depends on what you want to work on and what kind of change you hope to see in yourself.

Many people enjoy coming to therapy and may wish to continue the process for months or years. Others come with a more specific issue and may feel that a shorter time is appropriate.

Therapy changes over time; it’s always a great topic for reflection and discussion with your therapist.

There is no hard and fast rule – the important take-away is that you should feel comfortable talking about how the therapy is progressing with your therapist.

What should I talk about?

In therapy, you can talk about anything you want – or nothing at all. Whether you have a specific issue or not, you’re normal. There’s no wrong way to be in therapy.

The most important take-away of all? Therapy is just about being who you are.

If you feel happy one day and sad another, that’s fine. And if some days, you feel like you would rather be anywhere but in therapy, that’s ok, too.

It’s all part of the process.

Over time, you may find that you enjoy having a space where there is no pressure to be any one way or to talk about any one thing.

Who’s your favorite comedian?

John Mulaney, closely followed by Ali Wong. Comedy is one of my favorite forms of self-care.