About
Jill Sumiyasu Therapy
Jill Sumiyasu, AMFT, APCC
As a Pepperdine University-trained psychotherapist, I see therapy as a spontaneous, flexible process tailored to the individual. My approach prioritizes a balance between practical interventions and thoughtful, focused exploration of historical issues (such as family history and trauma) and contextual issues (examining the intersection of love, work, social life, and larger social and political systems with emotional struggles). I focus both on how to make concrete changes to provide immediate relief while also getting to the root of issues to foster long-lasting change. While individuals come to me for therapy because something meaningful in their lives is not working, I prioritize finding and supporting their strengths, which I believe is essential to working in ways that are truly collaborative and deeply and lastingly successful. Ultimately, I believe that effective therapy begins with a strong relationship—a collaborative partnership where the therapist and patient work together to understand and accept the patient’s inner reality while also co-creating a new reality rooted in a new relationship.
I started my clinical experience providing therapy at the Maple Counseling Center and Fuller Psychological and Family Services around depression, anxiety, acute stress and complex trauma, and navigating racial, ethnic, class, and LGBTQ identities. I am also an EMDR trained therapist.
With a former career in management and Masters degrees in International Management and Organizational Leadership, I understand life transitions and the power of the stories we tell about ourselves and the stories other people—both in our lives and in the larger sociopolitical context—tell about us. In therapy, helping patients find and tell their stories in ways that work for them, including integrating the painful parts into their larger narrative, is a deeply healing act that helps make sense of who patients are and what they’ve experienced.
In my practice I see the ways our culture places value on certain emotions over others, dictating what is and is not acceptable. Learning from the world around us (and often from people in our lives) that some emotions are intolerable is what makes them intolerable and keeps us isolated. In contrast, I see emotions as not only valid, but as rational and serving a direct purpose. Emotions provide information about what we need and what’s happening inside and around us. In therapy, we can forge a new way of relating to our emotions so that they can work for us and toward recovery, healing, and feeling better on a day-to-day basis.
pronouns: she/her/hers
Fees
Session Fees
My standard fees for individual and couples psychotherapy are:
45-minute individual or couples session: $185
60-minute couples session: $225
Fees are collected via credit card payment at the time of each session.
Good Faith Estimate: Most clients will attend one psychotherapy visit per week, but the frequency of psychotherapy visits that are appropriate in your case may be more or less than once per week, depending upon your needs. For individual therapy, assuming that you have once a week sessions at the standard fee, the estimate for your treatment will 52 sessions per year, at $185 per session, for a total of $9,620 over the course of a year. For couples therapy, assuming that you have once a week sessions at the standard fee, the estimate for your treatment will 52 sessions per year, at $225 per session, for a total of $11,700 over the course of a year.
Sliding Scale
I am able to offer a sliding scale fee structure to those who need it. I reserve a limited number of spaces in my practice for reduced fee sessions to accommodate those who are in need of help and are experiencing financial hardship.
If you are interested in entering psychotherapy but feel the cost is prohibitive, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am happy to discuss a flexible fee with you or, if my sliding scale availability is full, refer you to another competent professional who can accommodate a reduced rate.
Insurance
I am considered an ‘out-of-network provider’. This means I am not contracted with any insurance companies; however, session fees may be covered in-full or in-part by your heath insurance or employee benefit plans.
This process involves me providing you with receipts (called ‘super bills’) for our appointments. You can then submit these super bills to your insurer for reimbursement. Check with your insurer to verify that your health plan covers ‘out-of-network’ behavioral health services.