Common questions

We talk about what is on your mind and who matters to you, and I explain how privacy and fees work. There is no pressure to go deep right away. The first-session page has more.

Individual sessions are 50 minutes. Couples and family sessions run about 80. How often we meet is something we decide together and revisit as we go, and you are never locked in.

Hearth is out of network, so we don't bill insurance directly, and we don't bill Medicare or Medicaid (Medi-Cal). Your plan may pay back part of the cost; the how fees work page explains how to ask.

A superbill is an itemized receipt we can send each month. You submit it to your plan to ask for reimbursement. It carries a diagnosis code, which your insurer will see, and reimbursement is not guaranteed.

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of the expected cost before care begins. If a bill comes to $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

We give you the fee in writing before you start. The how fees work page covers receipts, estimates and what to ask your plan.

Usually, yes. Therapy is generally an eligible expense, and you can pay with the card as you would at any provider. Your plan has the final say.

Yes, for people who are in California when we meet, where Dr. Hairston is licensed. The footer of every page names her license and the board that issues it.

Hearth isn't a crisis service, and this website and our voicemail aren't monitored around the clock. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 any time. In an emergency, call 911.

What you tell me stays between us, with a few exceptions the law sets, such as a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, or abuse of a child or dependent adult. I go through them in our first session.

I work with adults, and with couples and families made up of adults. I don't see minors. If you are looking for care for a teen, write to me and I'll help you find someone.

Please give 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. A late cancellation may be charged at the session fee, and we'll talk about it if something unavoidable came up.