Do you offer a free consultation?

Yes. I invite every prospective patient (or their parent) to a complimentary 15-minute video or phone call, so we can see whether we’re a good fit.

How do I book that call?

Fill in the contact-form button at the top of the page to request a time, or call +1-916-776-6089. I’ll follow up within one business day to confirm.

Where are you located?

My office is in Midtown Sacramento at 801 Alhambra Blvd, Suite 4. I also work with clients anywhere in California via secure telehealth.

What is psychodynamic psychotherapy?

Psychodynamic work explores the patterns—often outside conscious awareness—that shape how we think, feel, and relate. By bringing those patterns into focus, we create space for insight, relief, and lasting change.

What happens in the first session?

We’ll talk about what brings you in, your history, and your hopes for therapy. The meeting also lets you get a felt sense of how I work so you can decide whether to continue.

How long will therapy take?

Every person’s process is different. Some clients come for a few months to work on a specific issue; others choose open-ended depth work. We’ll revisit goals together as therapy unfolds.

Who do you work with?

• Adults and kids (10+) • Men exploring masculinity • Individuals, couples, and families • People navigating gender identity, transition, or LGBTQIA+ experiences • Anyone facing grief, anxiety, depression, or existential questions

Do you provide letters for gender-affirming care?

Yes. I can provide letters of support for HRT or surgery in line with WPATH guidelines.

What is psychedelic-integration therapy?

Integration work helps you make meaning of altered-state experiences—whether from sanctioned clinical use or personal exploration—so insights translate into daily life. While I don’t provide or refer for illegal substances, I support clients in integrating those experiences thoughtfully and ethically.

Individual therapy – $150 Couples therapy – $250 Sliding-scale spots are occasionally available—please ask.

Do you take insurance?

I’m an out-of-network provider. If you have a PPO plan, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement. I’ll supply monthly superbills you can submit to your insurer.

What if I need to cancel?

Cancellations with at least 48 hours’ notice incur no fee. Late cancellations or no-shows are billed at the full session rate. (No charge for same-day health-related cancellations.)

Is therapy confidential?

Yes. Everything we discuss stays between us, with a few safety-related legal exceptions that we’ll review in our first session.

Do you offer evening or weekend appointments?

Yes. I currently see patients only during evenings and weekends to support busy professionals and their kids. Let me know what you need, and I’ll do my best to accommodate.

What if I’m in crisis?

I’m not a 24-hour service. If you’re in immediate danger, call 988 (emotional support) or 911 (medical emergency), or go to the nearest emergency room. You can also text HOME to 741741 for free, confidential support from trained crisis counselors.

Actually, fighting is a healthy sign.

Aug 18

Written By Oliver Slate-Greene

In my last post, I wrote about what couples therapy is really for - not to pick sides or referee, but to help people reconnect when intimacy has gotten tangled or shut down. I spoke about the patterns that show up under stress, the power dynamics that keep partners stuck, and how I work within Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy (RLT) framework to build something more truthful, more accountable, more alive.

But there’s one piece I want to say more about.
Because it comes up constantly.
And it scares a lot of people.

Fighting.

FPeople often come to couples therapy worried they fight too much.

But fighting isn’t always a red flag.

Sometimes, it’s a sign that both of you are actually in the room.

Not checked out.
Not compliant.
Not quietly managing your way through resentment or fear.

Fighting, in its rawest form, says: I still care.
I still want to be met.
I still want to be known.

Now, not all fighting is generative of course.

There’s a difference between conflict that brings two people into deeper truth - and conflict that protects old defenses, escalates blame, or collapses connection.

But the presence of conflict alone?

It’s not pathology.

It’s often a sign of two whole people trying to navigate intimacy honestly.

In my work with couples, I don’t try to eliminate fighting.

I try to help partners fight well - with skill, accountability, and enough slowing-down to actually hear what’s underneath the surface tension.

We look at what each person is protecting.
Where the patterns come from.
How to bring more self into the room without losing each other.

Because when two full selves meet - when neither person is disappearing to keep the peace - conflict is inevitable.

The goal isn’t not: no rupture ever. The goal is repair.

To tell the truth.
To stay connected.
To stop abandoning yourself or the other person in moments of stress.

Fighting means something’s alive between you.

And with the right support, that aliveness can be shaped into something more spacious. More honest. More whole.

Oliver Slate-Greene

Actually, fighting is a healthy sign.

the real work of couples therapy

The True artist reveals mystic truths