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.

"Isn't that horse medicine?"

Aug 25

Written By Oliver Slate-Greene

There's a Treatment That Could Give You Your Life Back (But 5 Myths Are Keeping You From It)

Someone you know has stopped living.

Not dramatically. They're still breathing, working, showing up. But they haven't felt genuine joy in two years. They wash their hands until they bleed. They can't drive past certain intersections without having a panic attack.

They've tried everything their doctors suggested. Six different medications. Years of therapy. They've read every self-help book, tried meditation, changed their diet, exercised religiously.

And they don't know that there's a treatment sitting in clinics across America that could change everything.

Here's what's keeping them, and maybe you, from it.

Myth #1: "It's Just Getting High in a Doctor's Office"

The reality: At therapeutic doses, ketamine doesn't make you "high" - it temporarily disrupts the fear circuits that convince your brain everywhere is dangerous. For 45 minutes, your nervous system can remember what calm feels like.

Think of it this way: Mental illness creates neural superhighways to suffering. Ketamine temporarily dissolves those roads so your brain can build new ones leading somewhere else.

What this myth costs: People stay trapped in mental prisons, thinking effective treatment is just "legal drug use." They choose familiar suffering over unfamiliar healing because stigma feels safer than hope.

Myth #2: "If Nothing Else Worked, This Won't Either"

The reality: Treatment-resistant mental illness isn't actually resistant to all treatments. It's resistant to treatments that all work the same way.

Every SSRI targets the same neurotransmitter systems. Ketamine works on NMDA receptors and triggers rapid neural rewiring.

It's not another key for the same lock - it's a completely different door.

What this myth costs: Veterans continue having nightmares five years after discharge. People with OCD keep washing their hands 200 times a day. People with depression stay numb to everything that used to matter. Meanwhile, 70-80% of treatment-resistant patients respond to ketamine therapy.

Myth #3: "I Can't Afford to Get Better"

The reality: You can't afford to stay sick.

Mental illness costs more than treatment. Lost promotions because depression kills motivation. Cars you can't drive because of PTSD. Businesses you can't start because anxiety paralyzes decision-making. Relationships that end because you can't be present.

Ketamine therapy: $3,000-$7,000 for initial treatment protocol depending on your state and which route of administration.

Mental illness: ongoing, compounding, life-limiting costs that never stop.

What this myth costs: People choose slow-motion life destruction over a one-time investment that could end it.

They're not saving money - they're just suffering more affordably.

Myth #4: "The Effects Don't Last, So What's the Point?"

The reality: Ketamine creates lasting changes in brain structure and function. Each session builds new neural pathways that can persist for months. It's not a temporary high—it's brain training.

The dissociative feeling lasts 45 minutes. The therapeutic changes can last 3-6 months between maintenance sessions. Many patients reduce or eliminate other medications after successful ketamine treatment.

What this myth costs: People expect permanent fixes from medicine that works like physical therapy—building strength over time. They give up before completing protocols that could restore years of lost functioning.

Myth #5: "Real Medicine Is Covered by Insurance"

The reality: Insurance companies are businesses first, healthcare providers second. They cover what saves them money, not necessarily what transforms your life.

Many insurers now cover Spravato (nasal ketamine) for treatment-resistant depression. But they'll make you fail multiple treatments first, adding months or years to your suffering.

Meanwhile, IV ketamine - which treats depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD - sits in private clinics, dismissed as "boutique medicine" by people who've never needed it.

What this myth costs: People stay trapped waiting for insurance approval instead of accessing treatment that's available today. The most dangerous place for someone with severe mental illness to be: on a waiting list.

The Stakes

If you believe these myths, here's what you miss:

Not just symptom management. A chance to interrupt the neural patterns that stole your personality, your relationships, your dreams.

Veterans who sleep through the night.

Artists who see color again.

Students who stop checking locks obsessively before bed.

Mothers who can finally play with their kids without intrusive thoughts.

That's not just treatment. That's getting your life back.

Right now, someone is accepting a half-life because they don't know full healing is possible. They're managing symptoms instead of addressing root causes. They're surviving instead of thriving.

Don't let myths keep people from living.

If you're in crisis, call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you're considering ketamine therapy, find a qualified provider who can assess whether it's appropriate for your specific condition. This treatment requires medical supervision and works best as part of comprehensive care.

Oliver Slate-Greene