Fees and Frequently Asked Questions

Working with Kylie Kellas, LMFT
$200 for 50 minute sessions
$300 for 80 minute sessions

Working with Mark Myran, AMFT
$120 for 50 minute sessions
$180 for 75 min sessions

With Kylie Kellas, LMFT
You can make appointments online, call (714) 584-9018, or email Kylie@CounselingWithKylie.com

With Mark Myran, AMFT
You can make appointments online, call (949) 229-1149, or email Mark@CounselingWithKylie.com

No. We love helping people improve their quality of life with therapy.  And we don’t want that progress to be dictated by a third party that has financial incentive to stop it. 

Insurance will generally only pay for therapy that is ‘medically necessary’, which means treating a specific diagnosis. If a person doesn’t have an official diagnosis they won’t pay. And you can be plenty miserable and not meet the criteria for a diagnosis. 

If a person does have a diagnosis and they improve so much that they no longer meet criteria for that diagnosis, they stop approving therapy. Even though continuing therapy would keep improving the quality of their life. 

In short, insurance will pay to help you get from ‘bad’ to ‘okay’ but not to get from ‘okay’ to ‘good’ or ‘great’. And don’t you want to get to a place where your life is great? 

We do.

We don’t want to have to stop because your life is ‘manageable’. 

We want to support you through making your life totally badass. Setting ambitious goals like having relationships that are deeply connected and fulfilling, having a work/life balance that is healthy and nourishing, or being able to actually relax at the end of the day. 

And then help you meet those goals.

Since insurance won’t let us do that with you, we don’t take it.

We are able to provide a ‘Superbill’ for you to submit to your PPO insurance. ‘Superbill’ is just a fancy name for a receipt for medical services.

You pay the fees upfront and we provide you with a superbill monthly. You are in charge of all interactions and reimbursements with your insurance. 

We take steps to protect everyone by running a hepa air filter, sanitizing frequently touched services, and having hand sanitizer and masks freely available for everyone to use.

In following the healthcare guidelines in California we no longer require masks.

If you or anyone you have been in close contact with has any symptoms of illness we ask that you notify your therapist before your session (by text is generally easiest). Together we can come up with a plan to mitigate risk including wearing a mask to the session, switching to a video session, or cancelling/rescheduling the session.

All video sessions are held through the secure video service ‘Telehealth by Simple Practice’. You can access it from phones or tablets with a free app, or on a regular browser for a computer. Each session has a unique link that will be emailed to you before the session or that you can access through your client portal. You just put the link into the app or your browser at our appointment time and it will connect us.  

• Use a phone, tablet, or computer; whatever you have handy and are comfortable using.
• Check to see that you have a decent internet connection; usually if a video on youtube plays you won’t have any problems with a video session.
• Set up your device in a stationary position; on a table, balanced on pillows, whatever you’ve got handy. It just helps to have your hands free as we sometimes guide clients through calming exercises that involve relaxing your body or using your hands.
• Use a headset or headphones that have a mic; anything that you can use to make a phone call dramatically improves issues with echoes.
• Be in a private space for the entire session; a room, car, garage or even closet are good choices. You want to avoid interruption or distractions so you can be fully present in session.
• If others are in your home, let them know you can’t be disturbed during your session. Some people literally tape a makeshift ‘Privacy Please’ sign on their door. If you have children try to schedule your sessions when someone else can watch them, or if that isn’t possible during nap-time, or screen time.
• If you’re worried about being overheard: put something that makes noise outside the door of the space you are in, it significantly muffles the sounds from within, so even though someone might be able to tell that you’re talking they likely won’t be able to hear what you’re saying. A fan, air filter, or humidifier on high, music playing, or a sound machine are all great choices.
• If you can’t find your link, are having internet issues, or something just isn’t working and it is time for our session call or text your therapist. We can troubleshoot, do a session by phone, or reschedule

Kylie here, I’ll be honest, before the pandemic I never regularly engaged in video or phone sessions unless someone had a child home sick or was having transportation issues. I thought that there was something about being in the same space that made the therapeutic connection more ‘real’. But I was mistaken.

It has been such a happy surprise to see that most are doing really well with video sessions. My clients tell me and I have been able to experience the amount of connection, depth, and progress that can be achieved through a video session. From people struggling with anxiety to people working on healing deep trauma. At this point I have clients that I have never met in person who are seeing the benefits of therapy in their lives.

Mark here, and I’ve had a similar experience.  I was completely bummed out to be restricted to video sessions, and was surprised to find out it’s effective and almost as good as being in person.

Call, email, or text your therapist that you cannot come with at least 24 hours notice and we can skip that appointment or reschedule.

If a session is missed or cancelled with less that 24 hours’ notice, the full feel for that session is due.

Yes, within 24 hours of booking your appointment your therapist will email you a link to my secure client portal where you can complete your forms online. 

Kylie here, your first appointment is a time for us to get to know each other and get comfortable. You are allowed to say as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Some people have been waiting for a time to let it all out and just open the verbal and emotional flood gates.  Great, I’m down! 

And some people need time to warm up. To the situation, to me, to their own thoughts and feelings. Great, I’m down! 

If it’s okay with you, I ask what is bringing you to therapy. Finding out and defining what isn’t working in your life can help both of us better understand what you would like to work towards. 

It might be something specific like, “I want to stop having panic attacks.” It could be something that feels vague like “I want to be happy.” That’s okay! We can explore what that means for you and find a path from where you are to where you want to be.

My goal is for us both to feel like we’re on the same team helping you towards your better life. 

One other thing- in literally the first 5 minutes of a first session it is standard practice for me to go over office policies, what confidentiality means in the context of therapy, and that I’m a mandated reporter. 

This stuff is all in your intake paperwork that you sign but it is best practice for me to go over it verbally with you in session. 

I’ll be honest, it can be kind of artificial and is not like any other part of therapy that we will do. But it’s important and quick. And we only have to do it the one time and it’s out of the way. Though if you ever have questions about it I am more than happy to discuss it.

Mark here, a first session with me is very similar to what Kylie described.  I’ll only add that I tend to ask a lot more questions in the first session than I will in subsequent sessions.

It depends on where you’re starting and where you’d like to end up. 

A person wanting to conquer their fear of public speaking is going to take a very different amount of time than a person who had an abusive childhood and wants to stop pushing other people away. 

In a phone consultation your therapist can generally give you a ballpark estimate of the length of treatment.

Over the course of our work together we will check in periodically to see how things are progressing towards your goals to keep us on track. Because the ultimate goal is to get your life as awesome as possible as quickly as possible. Not to stay in therapy forever. 

First, come to sessions on-time and sober.

Second, if something is on your mind and you’re wondering if you should bring it up, please say something! We make it common practice to ask how things are going for you in therapy, but we’re not mind readers. 

Even if it’s something about your therapist or the relationship you have together, you are explicitly invited to speak up. In fact, those areas are usually where some of the best therapy work starts.

Kylie here. Nope.

I may share that I think something would be helpful, but it’s completely up to you if you want to do it. If you are open to doing things between sessions, I will collaborate with you so that you are 100% comfortable with the arrangement.

So if you’re up for it homework could be meditating or journaling during the week as part of self-care, making plans with friends, making a healthy meal plan, or watching cute animal videos when you’re feeling down.

Seriously, cute animal videos are great. If something makes you think or say, “Awwww!” and you get that warm or happy feeling in your chest, your body is actually pumping out chemicals that improve your mood. So, it’s adorable and self-care. Yay, biology!

Mark here, nope…okay sometimes.  But same as Kylie said: never required, never expected, never any judgement for completing or not.

Kylie Kellas, LMFT  is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. She has a Master’s Degree in Counseling, completed 3,000 hours of supervised practice, and passed a wicked-hard test. She has been practicing psychotherapy for 8 years now, is trained in EMDR, and is currently in the two year process of becoming a Certified EMDR therapist.

Mark Myran, AMFT is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. They have a Master’s Degree in Counseling and are currently completing their 3000 hours of supervised therapy practice required to become a licensed therapist in California, under the supervision of Kylie Kellas, LMFT. They are trained in EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing. 

Kylie here, I love being outdoors and in nature, it melts away the stress and grounds me in the present. When the weather is nice I spend a lot of time in my yard, my vegetable garden, at parks, and on walks. 

My partner and I have a toddler and we spend a lot of time together as a family playing, making pillow forts, and hanging out with grandparents. There’s lots of music, chatting, food, being silly, and chasing after a surprisingly fast toddler. 

Mark here, I like to mountain bike and take in the beauty of our open spaces.  My guilty pleasure is watching reality shows with my wife about people trying to find love (or social media followers).

Kylie here, Yes. So much therapy. I truly believe in the power of therapy to improve the quality of your life, so I’ve walked the walk and talked the talk. Throughout my adult life I’ve been to about five years’ worth of weekly therapy.

Some things in my life have improved drastically; some things I’m still working on. I’ve been to good therapists, a bad therapist, and medium therapists. I’ve been in the client’s seat and felt stuck; I’ve avoided what I know needs to be worked on because I didn’t want to “go there.” I won’t begrudge you for doing the same.

Therapy gives people the tools, experiences, and realizations to be happier, more fulfilled versions of themselves. I’ve been on this journey, and I invite you to join it, too.

Mark here, yes, and I still see a therapist regularly.  When I started therapy, I felt broken, overwhelmed, and out of control.  I thought what I needed was somebody to help fix what was wrong with me.  Now, I find that therapy helps me experience life more fully.

Probably.

If you’ve read this far, you’re likely very interested in this whole therapy thing and want to learn as much as you can about it and this therapy practice. You’re maybe feeling hesitant about taking that next step. It’s the unknown. It’s uncomfortable. Not reaching out feels so much safer.

It’s okay. You can do this. You can make that first step toward living a better life.

Give me a call or make an appointment online.