FAQ · online across California
Online Therapy FAQ: Is Hypnosis Safe?
Lisa Lichtenstein, LMFT, CHT, NLP, offers online therapy to adults and couples throughout California who have questions about starting therapy, hypnotherapy, fees, privacy, or the consultation process. As a licensed LMFT, she explains how psychotherapy, hypnosis, and NLP may fit your goals in a private telehealth practice.
My full fee is $225 per session. I also have a sliding fee based on necessity and income, and the free 20-minute consultation is a place to ask about the practical details before beginning ongoing sessions.
Payment is due at the end of each session.
I am in-network with United Healthcare, Cigna, and Optum. I also submit Insurance Claims for insurance companies where I am out of network. During the consultation, I can confirm which plan details apply to you.
Bring your plan questions to the consultation so the practical details can be discussed directly.
I offer phone and video sessions only for adults and couples located in California. During the free consultation, I can talk through which format fits your needs and the practical details for beginning.
Sessions are held remotely, so you can choose a private place where you can speak freely.
My office hours are Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM. These are the hours for my California telehealth practice. Availability can change from week to week; bring a scheduling question to your free 20-minute consultation.
It depends on your objective or objectives. I can talk with you about what you want to address and help you consider whether the work is most likely to be a short-term or longer-term experience. The length can be revisited as your goals become clearer and as you notice what feels useful in therapy.
You do not have to decide the full course of therapy before you begin a conversation.
Therapy can support positive change when you want to take part in making positive steps. I will not promise a particular outcome. I can help you define an objective, understand what may be getting in the way, and consider which conversations or tools fit the work you are ready to do together.
Your willingness to participate matters, and the work can be shaped around the goals you bring into the room.
Therapy can bring emotions to the surface so unfelt emotions can be processed. I accompany you, and the pace of feeling emotions can be discussed and managed for more comfort. Emotions can be like physical wounds: with attention, care, time, and empathy, they tend to heal. You can talk about what feels manageable.
The process is something you can discuss together rather than something you have to push through without support.
The free 20-minute consultation is a first conversation about what brings you to therapy, what you hope to change, and what questions you have. I can explain my approach, talk through the practical fit, and help you decide whether a next conversation makes sense for your goals.
You do not need to arrive with perfect words or a finished plan.
I also submit Insurance Claims for insurance companies where I am out of network. During the consultation, I can confirm how your plan applies and discuss the practical details before you begin.
Your plan’s terms remain the source for coverage information.
I offer phone and video sessions. Video options in my current materials include Doxy, Zoom, and FaceTime. You need a private place, a device with a camera and microphone for video, and a reliable connection. The specific platform and joining instructions can be discussed when your appointment is arranged.
If you have a practical access question, bring it to the consultation so you can understand the setup before scheduling.
No. I provide telehealth to adults and couples who are located in California during sessions. If you are outside California, the consultation is not a promise that services can be provided there. You can still use the contact form to ask a practical question before deciding what to do next.
The practice is designed for adults and couples located anywhere in California.
The difference is that a licensed psychotherapist who uses hypnosis can place hypnosis within a broader psychotherapy conversation about emotions, relationships, patterns, and the roots of a concern. Hypnosis adds relaxed-state work with the unconscious mind, while NLP works with mind, language, and behavior. These tools can support rehearsal, habit change, and goal pursuit when they fit your needs.
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, certified hypnotherapist, and NLP practitioner. I can explain how these approaches may fit during a consultation.
I describe hypnotherapy as work done in a relaxed state of mind with the unconscious mind to produce positive change. The process is collaborative: you remain aware, able to respond, and involved in shaping the objective. I can explain relaxation, deepening, and rehearsal before you decide whether hypnosis fits.
You can ask questions about the process and choose whether it feels appropriate for your goals.
Yes. I work with adults as individuals and with couples. A consultation can help clarify whether you want to focus on personal patterns, a relationship concern, or both. I can talk with you about what brings you in and what kind of conversation feels like the most useful place to begin.
The work can start with the concern that feels most present to you now.
No. My current practice is for adults, including individuals and couples. If you are looking for support for a child or teenager, this practice is not the right age range. You can still ask a practical question through the contact page if you need help understanding the scope.
The practice serves adults across California through online therapy.
Payment is due at the end of each session. I accept credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, and checks.
You can ask about payment details during the free 20-minute consultation.
About the author
Lisa Lichtenstein, LMFT, CHT, NLP
I provide online psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and NLP for adults and couples located anywhere in California.
I am the author of two published books and completed six months of weekly TV segments on mental health during COVID.
Read about me