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Shine and Shadow, LLC
Collective Liberation | Decolonizing Therapy | Healing Justice
What is "decolonizing therapy"?
In its development, traditional therapy was founded by affluent cis-het white men with privilege. This "eurocentric" (aka white-bodied) and "androcentric" (aka male-bodied) view displaced marginalized identities without power, including women/femmes/gender non-conforming, people of color, and folx with non-heterosexual orientations, to name a few. The term "decolonizing" in the context of therapy means that therapists and clients critically examine the context of social, political, and cultural influences and its impact on mental health and treatment, including experiences of oppression (at all levels), stigma, prejudice, and discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, ability status, etc.
Decolonizing therapy includes unpacking all the -isms, including rewiring and reprogramming colonial language and behaviors meant to oppress, that could be inherent within a power dynamic, especially between therapist and client. It means deconstructing and divesting from the mental health industrial complex and American essentialism. It's abolitionist in response to crisis that invites in safe supports through community care and investing in mutual aid. Decolonizing therapy means honoring the process of healing by slowing down, being present, allowing emotions and somatic sensations, embodying authenticity and integrity, and resourcing through connection with spirit, the elements, to nature, creativity and community, and much more.
Grounded with intersectional feminism, the therapists at Shine and Shadow, LLC, value empowering our clients to define health, wellness, and treatment according to their own spirited nature and their own culture. We are an anti-oppressive practice in the sense that we center healing justice and collective liberation from oppressive forces. We aim to practice anti-capitalism, such as offering sliding-scale fees and pro-bono (aka at-no-cost) services on a case-by-case basis.
What is a "Superbill"?
With insurance plans that offer out-of-network benefits, a superbill is a document that we provide clients that shows an itemized list of the dates of service and the receipts of payment for insurance reimbursement. This means that a client who has insurance plan with out-of-network benefits can still see a therapist at Shine and Shadow, even if this practice is not in-network or paneled with the client's insurance carrier. The client would pay for the full-rate of a session and then submit the Superbill to their insurance carrier, along with any other paperwork needed by their insurance carrier, to eventually receive reimbursement for the service.
How do I pay my bill?
Existing clients receive a link to our client portal where they can store their debit card information to pay at the time of service. We do not support collection agencies; we follow the honor code and trust that clients will honor the payment arrangements they've committed to at the time of signing informed consent. We accept debit card, money orders, and HSA.
What is "Good Faith Estimate" and how does that affect clients?
For clients who either pay out-of-pocket or who do not have insurance to cover therapy, the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is part of a new law called the "No Surprise Act" that the federal government enacted in January of 2022 to ensure that clients understand the costs of their healthcare services ahead of time, thereby reducing the likelihood of being surprised by a massive bill from their provider. The GFE is unique for each client and contains an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. The estimate is valid for one year from the date of the GFE. Visit here to learn more about your rights.
What are the fees for a late-cancelation or missing an appointment?
Please email your provider at least 24-hours before canceling:
notices made prior to this window are rescheduled with no penalty. Cancellations made after this window but prior to the start of a session incur a $100 late-cancellation fee, or at the sliding-scale rate. No-shows or cancellations made after the start of session incur the full fee of a session at $200. Insurance does not cover this as no service was rendered. Thank you for your understanding of this policy.
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What's the plan for in-person sessions?
We are committed to community safety while we're still in the pandemic, and as such, both therapists are only offering virtual sessions through the HIPAA-compliant software, Zoom, unless otherwise arranged.
How long is the waitlist?
Right now both therapists have a couple-months long waitlist. To be added to our waitlist, please email admin@shineandshadow.org. Once an opening is made available, the therapist you've requested will email you for next steps. We offer space on a first-come-first-served basis. We thank you for your patience.
What will you do in the event a client is a danger to themselves or others?
Both therapists operate from an abolitionist framework, which means that contacting authorities like the police is an absolute last resort. Ideally, clients and therapists would work together to co-create a customized safety and wellness plan that includes a list of names and resources to reach out to for community care.
Under what circumstances will a therapist refer to another provider?
This is a case-by-case basis and usually has to do with either the goodness-of-fit between the therapist and the client, or there is a change in the client's life (either they moved out-of-state or no longer have insurance), or there's limitations of our scope of practice including the client being in need of different services than what we provide such as a higher level or more specific care. In these cases, the therapist will work with the client directly to support them in locating another provider and will offer a limited number of support sessions to move through the transition.
What specific steps do you take to protect client privacy?
We only use online platforms that are HIPAA-compliant, which means, they're designed to protect private health information. Our platforms are password protected. We also encourage clients to utilize our client portal for any correspondence related to their care, including billing and sharing references, as we cannot guarantee confidentiality by using gmail. Any physical files are double locked in a file cabinet located inside a locked room. Only the therapists have access to the physical files, however, clients also have the right to access their file upon request.
Frequently Asked Questions
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