Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know

HOW DO I BOOK AN APPOINTMENT AND HOW DO I PAY FOR IT?

Click here to book an appointment! The software I use for booking requires you to enter a card when you book. At the appointment I can take the card you have on file, or I can instead take cash, a money-sending service like Cashapp or Venmo, or different credit card if one of those options is more preferable to you

WHAT IF I'M GOING TO BE LATE OR NEED TO CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?

Talk to me! Text/email me as soon as you can and let me know so we can reschedule. If you are 15 minutes late and I have not heard from you, I will assume you are not coming and you will be charged for the session. I like to be lenient about this policy with people who communicate with me, so please do so!

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? DO I NEED TO DISROBE?

It depends on what we're doing. If we're doing a bodywork session I will instruct you to "disrobe to your level of comfort" before leaving the room to wash my hands, meaning that I want you to be as disrobed as you're comfortable being underneath a blanket. For some people that might mean keeping your pants and jacket on, but know that the more clothing you wear the more I'm limited in what I can do for you as far as bodywork goes.

A note about bras: if you want work on your torso or shoulders and wish to wear a bra during the treatment, it is best to wear a sports bra or something that doesn't have an underwire

Somatic and cranio/reiki sessions happen clothed unless you'd prefer to be disrobed for them. For both you should wear something comfortable. For somatic sessions, it can be helpful if it's something you can easily move in if we want to process with movement a threat response that comes up during treatment. Active wear is always appropriate.

WHAT WILL WE WORK ON DURING MY SESSION?

That's entirely up to you. In a bodywork session we can work on your specific aches and pains, patterns of discomfort and restriction, joint mobility, headaches, old injuries, chronic pain from various sources including chronic pain conditions like Fibromyalgia.

In a somatic sessions we can instead work on the somato-emotional component: finding and resolving difficult feelings and painful memories where they live in the body, or treating the physical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress.

Craniosacral therapy and reiki sessions tend to be more about exploring energetic movements of the body and restoring balance in the nervous system through touch

DO YOU DO "REGULAR/SPA" MASSAGE

While I am licensed by the state of Oregon to safely and effectively do so, I don't offer those types of sessions. I have spent lots of time and money getting really good at being effective while being gentle and slow and integrating the emotional component of the body into my practice. I have not spent much time outside of massage school practicing flowy swedish strokes. If you want that type of massage, please go to a spa and get one, it is very easy to find that kind of treatment whereas I'm very highly specialized in something very different that they will not be able to give you. That type of work is perfectly valid and useful and helpful and if that's what you want you should absolutely be able to receive that, I'm simply not available to give that type of work because I'm focused on what I give, which is very different.

I HAVE A DIAGNOSIS THAT MAY BE PERTINENT TO THE SESSION. HOW SHOULD I COMMUNICATE THAT TO YOU?

There are sections for this on the intake form on my scheduling page. You can also share information with me at any point; I welcome anything that helps me plan your treatment.

I JUST FOUND OUT I'M PREGNANT, BUT I'M NOT SHARING THIS INFORMATION PUBLICLY. SHOULD I DISCLOSE IT TO YOU?

Yes! Information you share with me is protected by HIPAA laws and I won't disclose it to anyone. Please tell me if you're pregnant so I can use the proper care necessary to support both you and your unborn child. Some techniques are contraindicated during pregnancy, meaning they can be dangerous to use on a person who is pregnant, either for the person or for the fetus.

WHERE SHOULD I PARK?

Generally speaking parking is pretty easy. There are almost always spaces right in front of the office or on the street. If those are unavailable there's a safeway parking lot just across the street that always has some spaces.

I have impaired movement, does your office have stairs?

Yes, unfortunately it does and there are no accessibility accommodations in the building. If this will prevent you from booking an appointment, please reach out to me and ask about scheduling an appointment at your home or another location you can provide. Note that I need an 8x6 foot area to work in, and that there will be an additional $30 charge for transporting the table to you.

Is it okay for me to have someone with me at my appointment?

If having a witness there will empower you to feel more at ease I 100% encourage you to bring someone you feel safe around, there is seating both in the treatment room and just outside of it. If you are going to bring someone and they are going to be inside the treatment room with us during your session, please set the following boundaries with them before our appointment

- They need to refrain from talking to me during the treatment. I like talking to people and get distracted sometimes. If I'm listening or talking to another person I'll be less aware of what I'm doing. For me to give you the best session I can, I need to be fully focused on you and not on anyone else in the room. I will be happy to briefly exchange pleasantries with them before and after the session, but everyone involved should be aware that that happens on time you are paying for.

- They need to refrain from talking to you during treatment. Mindfulness can play a major role in recovery, and if you are distracted by them talking to you about something, reading a funny thing on their phone, reminding you that you need to feed the cat when you get home etc., you will not be able to be fully present in receiving treatment, which will reduce its effectiveness. I also may need to give you instructions or ask for feedback on how a technique feels, and I do not want to have to compete for your attention to do my job. This means you will also need to refrain talking to them during the treatment unless you have a specific need they can quietly satisfy, like if you want them to hold your hand or bring you water.

Please do not bring your child to the session unless you are having me work on them or they are of an age where they can sit quietly in the waiting area outside of the treatment room without causing distractions for the full duration of the session. If you are trying to manage your child during our session you will not be able to be present enough for the treatment to be effective; it's better to reschedule to a time when someone else can care for them.