Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get started?
I offer a free 20 minute consultation via phone or Zoom to allow us a chance to chat and see if we are a good fit for each other. In this call, I will ask you what you are hoping to get out of therapy or what you want to be different in your life. You will also have a chance to ask me any questions you may have. There is no charge for the consultation.
Do you work with men or non-binary clients?
Yes! Although my career has focused on women’s issues (and yes, this includes trans women and femmes), I have worked with both men and nonbinary/GNC clients long-term and enjoy this work as well. I am affirming of all gender expressions and identities. Additionally, my training in graduate school focused on gender and mental health broadly, including gender diversity and masculinity. I chose my practice name to reflect my area of specialization, and, realize the language isn’t inclusive and I apologize for any harm this may cause.
What states are you licensed in?
I am licensed in the states of California (25870), Illinois (071010844), New York (023838), and Washington (61317450). I can work with clients who are residents of these states only.
Please note that all my business documents and licenses are under my legal name, Linda Magua. I will continue to go by Dr. Linda Baggett professionally as this is the name that my professional accomplishments are under and the name that clients know me by.
What is the cost?
Therapy is an investment of time, energy, and of course, money. The fee is $310 per 50-minute therapy session. Longer or shorter sessions are prorated accordingly. Sessions can be scheduled weekly or every other week depending on your needs.
Any sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged the full fee, unless it can be rescheduled in the same week.
I reserve your therapy time just for you and last minute cancellations do not allow me enough time to schedule someone else in that slot. Additionally, limiting the number of clients that I see on a weekly basis allows me to show up as my best therapist self for my clients (i.e. not burned out because I’m seeing a ton of clients). It also gives me the time to do significant work between sessions for my clients such as preparing, gathering resources, reading, and learning.
Do you take insurance?
I am not in-network with any insurance providers. However, if your insurance includes coverage for out-of-network providers, you may be able to receive reimbursement for a percentage of the cost of sessions. This is done by submitting an invoice called a “superbill” that I will provide. In order to learn if you can submit a superbill and receive reimbursement, you will need to call your insurance company and ask them the following:
Are out-of-network providers covered?
Is telehealth included?
Does therapy have to be preauthorized in order for it to be reimbursed?
How much will be reimbursed (code for the therapy sessions is 90834-95 in case the insurance company asks)? This is important because this varies by individual plan.
Is there a deductible or other coinsurance I have to meet first?
Why don’t you take insurance?
This is a great question. There are several reasons.
Insurance companies will often only cover a certain number of sessions, certain issues, and sometimes certain treatment approaches. I want the client and me to be in control of care, not insurance companies.
Insurance companies require a mental health diagnosis and will not cover therapy if there isn’t one.
I am the best therapist I can be when I am able to spend my time pursuing training and education, preparing for your sessions, and practicing self-care. This allows me to show up to sessions ready and focused. I would not be able to do this if I was forced to see 2-3x as many clients due to the low pay insurance companies offer for therapy services.
As soon as healthcare is reformed to be less intrusive to client care and less burdensome and better paying for clinicians, I will absolutely take insurance. In the meantime, I offer limited sliding scale slots and will also be starting therapy groups in the future in order to make therapy more accessible. I will also do my best to refer you to an in-network provider if that is what you need to be able to access care.
How does therapy typically go?
Our first few sessions together will be the two of us getting to know each other. I will ask you a bunch of questions to get to know your various identities, where you are struggling, where your strengths are, who the players in your life are, and what you want to change. From there, we will shift into goal setting, when we choose together where we want to start and prioritize your goals. We will also make a plan for how to achieve those goals. The plan could include learning coping skills or interpersonal skills like boundary setting, exploration to understand yourself better, disentangling the past from the present, problem solving, increasing behaviors you want to increase, and the list goes on.
The next phase is really the meat and potatoes of therapy—getting down to business and acting on our plan. Depending on the goals and the plan, this may take just a few weeks or it could take a few years. It really depends on what you want to achieve. We will regularly revisit and update the plan, especially as you achieve goals and develop new ones. Once you are no longer actively working on goals and feel ready to spread your wings, we will process what it was like to be in therapy and say our goodbyes. You are always welcome to come back should you have a need down the road or think of a new goal. Throughout all the steps, I will be soliciting input from you, as we are a team. I am the expert on psychology, but you are the expert on you, and together we will partner to achieve your goals.
What is sex therapy exactly?
First off, sex therapy (and all therapy actually) NEVER involves any sexual interaction between therapist and client. But let me tell you a secret…sex therapy is exactly like regular therapy, it just focuses on concerns of a sexual nature. We will use the same strategies, just tailored toward your sexual goals. For example, if negative thoughts about your body or shame about past trauma are getting in the way of sex for you, we will tackle these thoughts and feelings. We may also try problem solving what is getting in the way and working on developing skills in mindfulness or communication—whatever we need to do.
In regular therapy you will be asked to work on things between sessions and sex therapy is the same. The things you practice may be of a sexual nature, but they are always something that is in alignment with your values and goals and that we decide together will be helpful. And trust me, I have heard it all. It is all normal. As long as what you’re doing is not hurting anyone (you included) and is consensual, I am in full support of you doing it.
Are there any sexual issues you don’t work with?
Yes. I do not work with clients who are pedophiles or perpetrating abusive behaviors. While these are incredibly important things to get help with for the safety of others, I do not have the proper training and, more importantly, I work with too many survivors of trauma to be an impartial, nonjudgmental therapist for someone with these issues.
I also do not work with “sexual addiction” as sexual behavior is not actually an addiction. Certainly any behavior, including sexual behavior, can feel compulsive and unhealthy, and I do help clients with this. “Sexual addiction,” however, is too often a label used to minimize and excuse serial infidelity (different from consensual non-monogamy), and I am not interested in perpetuating that viewpoint.
Are there any issues in general that you don’t work with?
Yes! Every therapist should answer this question with a “yes,” because no single provider has expertise in everything, and we are ethically bound to only treat issues for which we are competent to treat. This includes:
Active significant eating disorders – If you have an active significant eating disorder that is putting you at risk, I will refer you to eating disorder specialists. This is also something that is best treated by a team of with both physicians and dietitians.
High levels of substance abuse – While many of my clients are working to reduce self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, if your substance abuse requires a higher level of care than what I can provide, I will refer you to a dedicated substance abuse treatment program.
I also do not have expertise in:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Psychotic symptoms (for example, delusions or seeing/hearing things)
Providing psychological testing.
I also do not provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which includes a full DBT treatment team and providing 24-7 phone coaching for clients. Any client who needs a full DBT program will be referred to DBT programs in the community.
Do you prescribe medication?
No, I do not. Only physicians (MDs) or advanced practice nurses (such as nurse practitioners) can prescribe medication. I am happy to refer you to prescribing providers if you are interested in exploring medication.
What is your view on medication?
While medication can’t make problems go away, it can be a powerful tool that can make it easier to tackle your problems together in therapy and improve your quality of life. I think of it as turning down the intensity of your symptoms to allow you to focus on what you need to, while you work toward additional long-term solutions.
There is a lot of unhelpful stigma about medication as well—I am happy to help you work through this if it is a barrier to exploring medication. If you are even 1% interested in whether medication can be helpful for you or not, I will always encourage you to have an evaluation with a prescribing provider to learn more. Evaluations can supply helpful information, and you are still free to say “no” if you decide medication is not for you.
I worry about the burden on you. Do you ever get tired of listening to clients and hearing about trauma?
The short answer is no. If I did, then I would be in the wrong field. While I genuinely care deeply about each client I see and, for example, feel sad if my client is discussing something sad, psychologists are trained to be able to separate what we do for work from our personal lives. We also double down on self-care so that we can be the safe space that our clients need. This is especially important for anyone in a helping profession. In other words, it is the therapist’s responsibility to deal with their own feelings and needs. Therapy is a space, perhaps the only space, where you get to focus completely on yourself and feel and discuss whatever you need. Please, do not worry about me, and rest assured I am handling myself.
Do you offer in-person sessions?
I do not, although please let me know if this is something you would like. I’m open to changing this in the future if there is a significant enough demand.
I love working remotely, as it allows me to practice better self-care, which helps me be a better therapist. Research also shows that telehealth is just as effective as in-person therapy, yet it is also more accessible and convenient, which allows clients to participate in therapy where they feel most comfortable.
Additionally, I see clients all over California, Illinois, New York, and Washington. If you become a client and are interested in in-person sessions in the future, please let me know.
How do I make a complaint about a therapist or therapy practice?
First off, I encourage anybody with a complaint about their therapy experience to first speak up to the therapist. Good therapists WANT you to and it can be a powerful way to practice speaking up for yourself and making repairs in relationships. Again, I can’t emphasize enough how much therapists want you to do this and how relevant it can be to your growth.
However, if you feel that a therapist or therapy practice has harmed a consumer of therapy (client) or violated the law, you absolutely have the right to complain. If you wish to complain about a group practice, you should file the complaint against the therapist who is the practice owner.
The Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Psychology receives and responds to questions and complaints regarding the practice of psychology (PhDs and PsyDs). If you have questions or complaints, you may contact the Board on the Internet at www.psychology.ca.gov, by emailing bopmail@dca.ca.gov, by calling 1-866-503-3221, or by writing to the following address: Board of Psychology, 1625 North Market Blvd, Suite N-215, Sacramento, CA 95834.
The Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Behavioral Sciences receives and responds to questions and complaints regarding the practice of psychotherapy by marriage and family therapists (LMFTs or AMFTs), clinical social workers (LCSWs or ACSWs), licensed educational psychologists, and licensed professional counselors (LPCs). If you have questions or complaints, you may contact the Board on the Internet at www.bbs.ca.gov, by emailing bbs.info@dca.ca.gov, by calling (916) 574-7830, or by writing to the following address: Board of Behavioral Sciences, 1625 North Market Blvd, Suite S-200, Sacramento, CA 95834.
To make a complaint about a provider or clinic in Illinois, submit a complaint through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
To make a complaint about a provider or clinic in New York, submit a complaint through the New York Office of Professions.
To make a complaint about a provider or clinic in Washington, submit a complaint through the Washington State Department of Health.
Every other state also has their own licensing boards for all types of therapists, each with their own complaint process