FAQ

I am entirely online. There is no physical office. You can experience therapy from the comfort of your home. Currently, I am using Zoom, and I am branching out to other platforms.

One session is $200.

A six-week meditation class is also $200 for the class. Meditation drop-ins are free for my clients. For others, I ask $20 per session.

I take most major credit cards. Apart from that, I will accept Venmo, Zelle, checks, and money orders.

I do not take insurance.

Currently, I am available on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8 am – 5 pm (PT) and Fridays between 8 am – 4 pm (PT). If none of these times work for you, we can look for another time that works for both of us.

A session is about 50 minutes long.

The fastest way to set up an appointment is to call me at (650) 387-5293.

You can also reach me by emailing drbenedicte@gmail.com.

Life happens, and sometimes you cannot make it to a session. I ask clients to cancel at least 24 hours before the session. If you cancel closer to the session, you must pay for the missed session.

To start our therapy session, I will ask you to fill out an intake questionnaire, as well as a consent form.

Besides that, I will also email you two information pamphlets. The first document is a HIPAA document, which informs you of your rights as a consumer of health services and explains the obligations of your mental health practitioner. The second one is a notice to consumers, which informs you where to take complaints if they arise.

I work with children and teenagers 10 and up, young adults, and adults.

Most of my clients struggle with life in general and have difficulty making sense of life. They feel anxious or depressed. Their relationships are not working for some, or they would like to develop better friendships.

Some are struggling with a history of (childhood) trauma, abuse, or a hard time forgiving themselves or others. Others have been diagnosed with or suspected of having a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder.

Some of my clients are therapists themselves, who need support to do their job in a way that is healthy for themselves.

There are also those for whom the cause of their mental health issues is a feeling of disconnect from the source, the divine, or from spirit. For them, spiritual counseling can be a way to explore how to bring the sacred back into their life.

Some people seek my services because they are experiencing Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) and are unsure how to use it in a healthy way. Some are afraid they are going crazy; others just want to explore more of the possibilities offered by psychic abilities.

As a clinical psychologist as well as a psychic, I am in a unique position to assess which experiences are related to mental health and which to psychic abilities – and how to foster an integrated healing process.

I work with both men and women, primarily individuals. Sometimes, I see people as a couple who want to work on their communication.

In a session, we talk about what is going on in the client’s life at that moment and explore how their current life relates to other issues in their life. Difficulties at work or relationships can result from lack of sleep, communication issues, an underlying disability, or traumatic experiences.

We will discuss together what the right approach could be. Do we need to talk about sleep hygiene or role-play communication with a co-worker? Or perhaps we need to go toward deeper trauma work or build in calming, meditation, or relaxation strategies. We can dig deeper toward the most prominent underlying need by figuring out your needs.

Technically, you could describe me as an eclectic or multi-modal therapist: Eclectic therapy is a flexible and multifaceted approach that allows me to use the most effective methods available to address the client’s individual needs.

Most of the time, the modality I use is psychodynamic. This modality is an in-depth form of talk therapy based on the theories and principles of psychoanalysis. To do this, I review certain life factors with a person, including their feelings and emotions, thoughts, early life experiences, and beliefs.

Together with the client, we explore patterns and develop coping mechanisms that may be dysfunctional, such as avoidance, aggression toward self or others, dissociation, substance abuse, or controlling behaviors. By exploring this, we will search for healthier coping strategies and put those in place and practice.

However, when there is a need to become more mindful of daily actions, I will also bring in CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), a form of therapy based on the idea that the person has difficulties because of faulty thinking and behaviors. We then work on replacing those beliefs and behaviors with more functional ones.

Humanistic therapy looks at the whole person from the therapist’s view and individuals observing their behavior. The emphasis is on a person’s positive traits and behaviors and their instincts to find wisdom, growth, healing, and fulfillment within themselves.

Spirituality is one’s active connection with whatever Supreme Being (by that person’s definition) they embrace. In contrast, religion is the practice of life as required by a group or institution (according to the perceived requirements of a Supreme Being). Spiritual counseling provides a way to make that connection – uniting body and spirit – finding the sacred in your life.

There are also situations in which I bring in meditation and visualization exercises to help people gain insight and learn calming strategies. My spiritual beliefs have led me to believe that we all work toward self-healing and have the wisdom and learning we need inside.

As a rule, I do not assign homework between sessions. However, when a client is practicing a particular skill, I will ask this client to take notes on the times (s)he used this skill and report back to me as to what the effects were. For example, I may ask, “What has been the effect of using non-violent communication in discussion with your spouse?”

I have been a therapist of some sort over the past 25 years in one way or another. In 2016, I obtained my Psychology Doctorate from the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco. I wrote my dissertation on Possession, Exorcism, and Mental Health, showing an overlap in mental health and spiritual issues. I received my California license to practice in 2018.

Between 1997 and 2017, I also functioned as an ordained minister and meditation teacher in my churches, first at the Church of Divine Man in Berkeley and later in the Community Church for Spiritual Growth in San Jose. Furthermore, I worked as a therapeutic horse-riding instructor and horse trainer in Woodside, California.

Be prepared – to be honest with yourself and be open to change.

Whenever you speak to me, you may detect a bit of an accent. (People describe it as British with a twist). I was born in the Netherlands and came to the United States with my British husband. I lived in California, where I raised my children. They are now all grown up, having families of their own. I recently moved to New Mexico, where I bought a house with some land, allowing me to play with animals.

Apart from meditation and hanging out with all my animals, I love building with Legos. I have quite a collection. Whenever I am very stressed out, I will create something Lego. I started this when I was six and have been building with some breaks in between ever since.

A hot bath and a massage are the ultimate self-care for me. I also love quilting and going on adventures with my husband.

While I have been in therapy often in my life, at the moment, my animals are my therapists. Each has its strengths and teachings.

My cat Mouse teaches me that sometimes words are unnecessary. When I am anxious, she will sit on my chest and purr until I am calm again. My other cat Pipo will often make me laugh so hard. I cannot stress enough the therapeutic value of laughter.

Furthermore, when I adopted Pipo from the shelter, she came with a warning: Is VERY cuddly. And indeed, she is. You may see her come by during sessions, blocking most of my face, asking for cuddles, or crawling on my neck (with her claws, this is much more do-able in winter, when I wear thick sweaters).

My pig Bailey reminds me daily to be steadfast and hold my ground. She will sit her 400 pounds down for a slice of cucumber or apple, though. My other piggy, Itty Bitty, is not so itty bitty anymore. She seizes the day, and according to her, any moment can be a good petting (self-care) moment.

My horses, Milagro and Cisco, are excellent listeners. They give me my daily dose of horse therapy. They are shining examples that strength, grace, and subtle intimacy go very well together.

The three Alpacas, Coco, Latte, and Cream, are new and tell me that opening up is a gift, a grace. They have opened up a little bit; they will now take food from my hand.

Finally, the chickens are a constant source of amazement. This eclectic group of three hens and two roosters shows me daily the importance of communication, commitment, and care for each other. And they provide me with a stable source of eggs.