Kristin F Jones, LMFT
When you came here today, what was your hope?
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call 323 422 2036
Is Psychotherapy Confidential?
All communications are kept in strict confidence between my client and me. Exceptions to this rule come if it is necessary for me to speak with another professional who is currently treating you, or who has previously treated you. Or, if I need to speak with someone who has a relationship to you, whom you and I feel may be beneficial to the therapeutic process. Before I make contact with anyone, you are given a written authorization to sign, which after obtaining your signature then allows me to discuss information about your treatment with the designated person.
Please refer to the Privacy and Policy Section for situations where I am legally and ethically bound to break confidentiality.
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How long does treatment last?
There is no standardized window of time that a person remains in therapy. With some clients, brief therapy which is a solution-focused modality is used, and sessions can run as quickly as four to six sessions (meeting weekly). With other clients who have more complicated or deeper-seated challenges, or for those who simply feel they would like more time to work out various avenues of their life, these therapies may continue until the client feels they no longer need services.
How often is treatment?
Kristin F Jones, LMFT offers weekly, bi-weekly and tri-weekly sessions, only.
ONCE A MONTH MEETINGS are not offered
Those wanting to meet once a month are directed to the next paragraph. Meeting infrequently, or sporadically is impractical for therapeutic progress.
If you are Unsure about Beginning Therapy, or if you know in advance that you cannot afford private practice therapy, my recommendation is to access more temporary or inexpensive avenues of processing and support for starters, such as:
Employee Assistance Programs, sliding scale counseling centers; local community resource centers, group meet-ups, community college and university resources; places of worship; (library) books, hiking, bird watching, meditation, yoga, singing, humming, dancing, writing, drawing, drumming; local sports clubs, or park visits.
Call 211 for more resources.
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Can I get a Letter to give to my employer for a Leave of Absence?
The short answer is no, not even if you and I have worked together for a long time.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (link)
Under the FMLA, only professionals with MD after their names can give a letter that supports (un)paid leave for a medical condition. Marriage and Family Therapists do not fall under this category, as it is out of our Scope of Practice. I recommend talking to your primary physician with whom you have developed a historical relationship with. This recommendation serves your on-going health and your mental health needs, as well. For those who utilize medication, your psychiatrist would be the MD to approach for this, as they would have a clear understanding of your bio-psycho-social pressures, and the reasons to support an unintended leave.
Can I use FMLA for Mental Health? (link)
The short answer is yes. However, FMLA is in place to protect your job and not a means to get paid time off PTO (link). It requires a diagnosis, and documentation from your physician or psychiatrist (meaning the contexts that have brought you to a destabilizing place), and the duration of time you two have worked together. Again, the letter would state your bio-psycho-social pressures to establish a holistic picture of you.
Caveat: Anytime you bring your mental health status into a legally binding negotiation (from taking paid/unpaid leave off of work to suing in a court case), it potentially opens up the entirety of your diagnostic picture. This establishes conditions, circumstances, and consequences with regard to your family, social life, occupation, money, health (including substance use and personal behaviors with anything from organizational practices to eating to video game usage to sex), and housing history; in addition, to legal problems, or other. Speak to an attorney for more information.
For more information, contact your Human Resources Department and be sure to read the Family and Medical Leave Act.
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Can I get a Letter for my dog stating that they are a Service Animal or my Therapy Dog?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) there are specific criteria that come with certifying animals. Included below, are links that designate these criteria in the ADA on Service Animals (SA)/Emotional Support Animals (ESA):
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Click Link to find out
Do I qualify for a Service Dog?
Click Link to find out
Fake Credentials, Beware! Service Dog and Emotional Support Animal Registrations Do Not Exist
Click Link to find out
ESA Letter, 2022 AB 468 link
For California residents, AB 468 requires those seeking an ESA letter for dogs to establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days prior to providing documentation, which will result in having two consultations before qualifying.
Emotional Support Animals
Unlike service dogs, ESAs do not have public access rights to restaurants, markets, or any place where food is sold or served (AB 468). "Anyone knowingly or fraudulently representing themselves as the owner, or trainer of any dog licensed, qualified, or identified as a guide, signal, or service dog is a misdemeanor violation of section 365.7 of the Penal Code."
Above, in the last link titled, "Fake Credentials" the information is about just that. This link will serve to assist you, so as not to get scammed by a company that "certifies," because they do not exist. There is no state or federal licensing body in this regard, and therefore registration cannot exist. Additionally, it lists specific states where you can be charged for attempting to create an impersonation of your pet as a service dog. These penalties range from fines to jail time to community service.
Clients who wish to obtain service dog status must satisfy legal requirements, such as, establishing a physical or neurological need; or a mental disability that would require the animal to be in immediate proximity to assist you (i.e., medication reminder, seizure; assistance with opening drawers, picking up items, or alerting you). These are the purposes of said animal status stated in the ADA.
Service Dogs are trained to assist people who have physical, neurological, or psychological disabilities who cannot perform everyday tasks for themselves.
Service Dog Training Programs
If you are interested in getting your pet assessed, first they must have the right temperament, as well as the ability to learn.
See links below for more details
National Training Program
Compass Key
California Training Program
K9 Companions
As to the idea of a 'therapy dog,' or emotional support animal (ESA) these animals must be with the owner at all times, and not left at home. This is what makes these animals therapeutic. By the same token, if you have a dog who struggles with separation anxiety or barks incessantly if you are not there- the law is not written for them or for purposes of you bringing them with you so as to assuage any damage to the home or with neighborly relations.
Please understand that you could be held for fraud by your HOA or landlord if you are attempting to 'certify' your pet without legally determined medical or psychological reasons, as stated in the ADA. And for this reason, without meeting ADA requirements, (specific dog training for specific purposes), I will not agree to assist any client or potential client who seeks a letter merely to get their pet into a lease agreement, or onto any form of transportation for the mere convenience of the pet parent.
If requirements are met I will assist you.
If not, my typical recommendation is for the client to choose to live in a place that will accept their pet and suggest that they pay the pet deposit, transparently, honestly, and fully. And if there is a need to travel, I recommend that you determine the needs of both you and your pet in a timely fashion. Family animals require the same degree of care, foreplanning, and respect that we give to ourselves. They should never be considered afterthoughts and they are not a thing we throw fraudulent vests on and pretend that they are anything other than a loving innocent companion.
Traveling Pets:
Pets that have no training and are brought into train transportation, into airports, onto airplanes, or are brought onto larger boats go into distress. The sounds, smells, and energies may cause undue duress in your pet (and if it’s a dog) they may likely bite, urinate, deficate, or vomit out of distress. Be responsible and do not put them through these harrowing experiences. Plan more time for your trip and drive when possible. We all know how difficult it is to travel from airplane cabin pressure discomfort to angry passengers. Your pet needs your protection and foresight.
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What is Kristin's availability for emergencies?
You may leave a message for me at any time on my confidential voicemail at 323 422 2036, I check it throughout the day. If you wish for me to return your call, please be sure to leave your name, phone number and time that you called, along with a brief message concerning the nature of your call. Non-urgent phone calls are returned during normal workdays (Monday through Friday) within 24 hours. If you have an urgent need to speak with me, please indicate so.
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What’s the use of therapy?
Have you ever attempted to join some type of group or association, or try to buy something online with a new vendor, where you have to read each box of information they want you to fill in, and as you go to click the NEXT button, it won’t let you go? That means you go back and look at your name, your addresses, your birth date, various phone numbers or emails, the credit card number, the expiration date, the CVV, the zip codes… and you find an oversight. So you correct that and hit the NEXT button and it still won’t let you go and it won’t reveal to you what you are missing. This causes you to go back up and look again and again, until eventually you have all the information that fits, and you go to hit the NEXT button with relative confidence, and voilà! You get to turn the page. Well that’s a simplistic way to describe the process of therapy. I’m sure Freud would roll over in his grave with that description, but hey, it is the 21st century.
Epilogue
Each one of us carries vast amounts of information and details about our lives. That doesn’t mean, however, that we always understand or convey it correctly to ourselves or others. We do indeed need to go back over specifics, at times, when we seemingly can't move forward.