Frequently Asked Questions
Therapy with Naomi in California
Humbly Elevated is a boutique somatic, sex and relationship therapy practice that provides care for people in-person in Hermosa Beach and across the sunny state of California.
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Billing & Insurance
Q: What are your Therapy / Session Fees?
Individual therapy: $275 for 50 minutes
Relationship Therapy: $325 for 55 minutes
Consultation: For Associates and Interns $150, For Licensed Professionals $250
Groups: Group fees will be dependent on the type of group, please check the group page here for more details
Q: Do you take insurance?
I do not take insurance of any kind.
I am not in-network with any insurance companies. Using insurance requires a diagnosis and dictates not only the kind of therapy we can do together, but how long our relationship should last. I believe that there is more to mental health than symptom reduction. I also trust us, you and I, to make decisions about what approach and timeline works best for you.
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If you carry a PPO insurance plan with out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement from your provider. To facilitate this, I issue monthly superbills that you can submit directly to your insurer for processing. Prior to booking your initial session, I recommend contacting your insurance carrier to confirm your specific out-of-network mental health coverage, deductible requirements, and reimbursement rates.
Q: Do you offer sliding-scale fees?
I reserve a handful of sliding-scale spots for individuals or couples needing financial flexibility. This is a reduced rate based on your income or financial situation. They are determined on a case-by-case basis. These are on a first come first serve.
If you are in need of financial support, please let us know in your submission form. If there are no available sliding-scale spots open, you can be added to a waitlist, or we'll offer you referrals to our most trusted colleagues.
Q: What are my payment options?
Sessions can be paid by all major debit and credit cards. Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) are often accepted, depending on your provider. A credit or debit card is required to be kept on file and will be charged at the time of service. All payments are processed securely through IvyPay, an end-to-end encrypted, HIPAA compliant payment provider.
Q: Do you offer Good Faith Estimates?
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost.
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Under the federal No Surprises Act, healthcare providers are required to provide clients who are not utilizing insurance with an estimate of the anticipated costs for medical services, including psychotherapy services. You are entitled to request a Good Faith Estimate for the complete expected expenses of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy, either before scheduling a service or at any point during your treatment. If you receive a bill that exceeds your Good Faith Estimate by at least $400, you have the option to contest the bill. It's important to retain a copy or a photo of your Good Faith Estimate. For inquiries or more details regarding your right to a Good Faith Estimate and how to challenge a bill, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.
General Questions
What is our first appointment like?
Your first appointment is entirely about you, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it—some people dive right in, while others need a little more time to warm up. Because your comfort is everything, our main focus will simply be on getting to know each other and helping you feel safe and comfortable. We'll casually chat about what brings you in, review your intake info and personal history, and start mapping out some goals and treatment options. There’s zero pressure here; we go at whatever pace feels best for you.
What is your cancellation policy?
To provide the best care for everyone, we have a 24-hr cancellation policy. To account for life's unpredictability, we offer one “Sh*t Happens” card per year. After that, late cancellations or no-shows will be charged the full session fee. Yikes! Let's avoid that awkwardness by keeping or canceling appointments in time.
When will I start to feel better?
Each person, relationship, and situation is completely unique, and every system moves at its own distinct pace. Because of that, there is no one-size-fits-all timeline for this work.
Many clients begin to feel a sense of relief within just the first few sessions simply because they are no longer carrying heavy, complex issues all by themselves.
My promise to you is that we will work as efficiently as possible while always respecting the organic pace of your nervous system, as pushing too fast can actually set you back. My ultimate goal is to help you feel resourced, stabilized, and self-regulated so that you do not need to rely on therapy forever. We are doing profound, transformative work together, but you are also building a practical toolkit to take with you long after our sessions come to a natural end.
How long will therapy take?
You guessed it - It depends. The length of the therapy process varies based on what you are working through, your goals, and how quickly or slowly your brain and body respond to change. Healing is a long-term commitment. Some people benefit from short-term therapy (a year or less), but many of my clients have complex histories of trauma that take longer to untangle.
How often will we meet?
Therapy works best with intentional, committed effort. To build momentum, I encourage clients to meet with me weekly for at least the first three to six months. This initial commitment allows us to lay a strong foundation for our therapeutic relationship and creates a solid, safe base for real progress to flourish. While weekly sessions are ideal for establishing this rhythm, I also know we don't live in a perfect world. Time and money are real, limited resources. If weekly sessions don't align with your current capacity, I also offer bi-weekly options so you can still access the deep support you deserve at a pace that works for your life.
What kind of clients are not a good fit?
I do not work with clients who are in crisis or who need a higher level of care. This includes individuals with recent hospitalization, those currently enrolled in IOP/PHP, or those living in transitional/halfway housing. I also do not work with clients whose needs fall outside my scope, including severe mental illness - schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, psychotic disorders, and personality disorders - borderline, narcissistic, antisocial.
therapy Questions
What is somatic therapy?
I offer both Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). These are both bottom up approaches to healing, meaning the focus relies more on the 5 senses of the body rather than focusing solely on thoughts and cognition. This allows for deeper understanding and integration of trauma resolution.
somatic experiencing
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented therapy designed to resolve trauma and chronic stress. Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, it works by focusing on physical sensations rather than just thoughts or memories. The goal is to release the pent-up "fight, flight, or freeze" energy trapped in the nervous system.
Rather than forcing patients to retell or relive traumatic events, Somatic Experiencing operates from the "bottom-up"—meaning it focuses on the body's physiological responses before moving to cognitive processing. Trauma memories are often fragmented in the body, and SE helps individuals process these sensations to help the nervous system return to a regulated, healthy state.
Read this blog for more info on Somatic Experiencing →
emdr
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured psychotherapy that helps people heal from trauma and distressing life events. It works by using "bilateral stimulation"—like guided side-to-side eye movements or tapping—while you recall a traumatic memory, which helps the brain properly process and store the memory.
Instead of focusing heavily on talking through an event, EMDR targets how the memory is physically and neurologically stored in your brain. The repetitive eye movements (or other rhythmic stimuli) are thought to mimic the brain's natural memory processing during REM sleep, allowing you to desensitize to the negative feelings and update old, harmful beliefs about yourself.
Read this blog for more information on EMDR →
What is Sex Therapy like?
It’s completely normal to feel a little nervous or expect it to be awkward, but sex therapy is simply a specialized, deeply respectful form of talk and somatic therapy. First and foremost: clothes stay on, and there is absolutely no touching or physical contact of any kind in our sessions.
Think of it as a warm, confidential, and completely judgment-free space to talk openly about things you might normally keep hidden. Together, we’ll look at the intersection of your thoughts, emotions, relationship dynamics, and the physiology of your nervous system. We will explore your history, unpack any shame or anxiety holding you back, and give you practical, somatic (body-based) tools to understand your responses. You might also get fun, no-pressure "homework” to try at home in the comfort of your own privacy. Our goal is to shift you out of discomfort and into a place of deep safety, confidence, and vibrant pleasure.
Is online therapy effective?
Yes, absolutely! Research shows that online therapy can be just as powerful and effective as sitting in the same room together. Plus, every single modality I use—including somatic and body-based work—can be beautifully adapted for a virtual screen.
While online therapy offers incredible convenience and flexibility, its success really comes down to creating a safe container for yourself. All you need on your end is a private, quiet space where you feel comfortable opening up, and a reliable internet connection. Our sessions take place over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform, and a link will be sent to you automatically as soon as we book your spot.
I've done therapy before, how are you different?
This is one of my favorite questions. I often tell people that I am usually someone’s "fourth therapist." I work with so many clients who have been in traditional talk therapy for years—they can talk about their trauma up and down, and they understand it intellectually inside and out. Yet, they find that the exact same reactive patterns and unhelpful coping strategies still completely take over during conflict, stress, or familiar triggers.
What makes my approach different is that we don't just stay in your head. By bringing in somatic therapy, we work directly with the physiology of your body and your nervous system to untangle where that past hurt is physically stuck. I bring a deeply collaborative, non-judgmental stance to our sessions and pull from a rich blend of diverse modalities and disciplines tailored to your exact needs. If you are tired of just understanding your patterns and are finally ready to actually shift how they feel in your body, this is the space for you.
Ready to radically get unstuck?
If you are ready to work together, please fill out the contact form to set up initial free 15-20 minute consultation. We’ll start with a right-fit call and then move into your unique therapy journey from there.