Frequently Asked Questions

In-person & virtual therapy in San Francisco & the California area.

The Logistics

  • In downtown San Francisco in the historic James Flood Building located on Market Street right where the cable car turns around. The address is 870 Market Street, Suite 619.

    Muni and BART have stops directly outside the building on Market, and the Ellis-O’Farrell public parking garage is located across the street from the back entrance of the building on Ellis.

    I also see clients virtually- you just need to be located in the state of California for our appointment (so if you go to Lake Tahoe, make sure you're on the California side) (actually not joking, it’s the law.. sigh).

  • My fees are based on the average market rate for licensed therapists specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and ADHD in San Francisco.

    • Individual therapy sessions are $325 for 45 minutes.

    • Family Based Therapy (FBT) sessions are $375 for 45 minutes.

  • I am not an in network provider, but I do help clients use their out-of-network benefits

    What are out-of-network benefits? Here's a breakdown:

    ✨ Unlike in-network providers, who bill your insurance company directly, with out-of-network therapists, you pay for the session upfront and then submit a claim to your insurance for reimbursement (called a “superbill”).

    ✨ Insurance companies often reimburse a percentage of the therapist's fee, usually after you meet an out-of-network deductible. For example, after you meet a $1,000 deductible, your insurance may reimburse 50-80% of the session cost. A deductible is the amount you have to pay on your own before insurance benefits kick in (they use a lot of fancy words, I know).

    ✨ Out-of-network benefits give you flexibility to choose the right therapist for you, not just one in network.

    ✨ Most PPO plans have Out-of-network coverage. Check your coverage here: https://calculator.meetnirvana.com/

  • I offer individual therapy for ages 16 and up.

    I offer Family Based Therapy for eating disorders for ages 10 and up with their parents’ concurrent participation.

  • Sessions are 45 minutes long. If you need a shorter or longer session, we can prorate the time to fit your needs. Just let me know, and we’ll adjust the fee accordingly.

  • Typically, appointments are scheduled once a week for the first month. After that, some clients find they prefer meeting every other week, or every few weeks. We will talk it through and find the frequency that makes sense for you.

  • 24-Hour Notice: Please give me a heads-up at least 24 hours before your appointment if you need to cancel or reschedule. This helps me offer your spot to someone else.

    Late Cancellations: If you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice, there’s a fee of 100% of the missed sessions' cost.

    No-Shows: Missing an appointment without notice will result in a no-show fee of 100% of the session fee.

    Rescheduling: Need to change your appointment? Just give me at least 24 hours’ notice. I’ll try to fit you in, but it depends on my availability.

  • Megan Bruce, LCSW has opted out of Medicare under §1128, 1156, or 1892 of the Social Security Act. If you have Medicare coverage, you will need to complete the Opt-Out Private Contract. Signing this contract means you agree that you or your legal guardian will be solely responsible for the cost of treatment.

  • You can use my online booking system, email megan@meganbrucelcsw.com, or call/text 408-805-4385 to set up an appointment.

The Experience

  • The first session is a chance for us to get to know each other. We’ll chat about what you want to work on, your background, and what you hope to get out of therapy. It’s also a chance for you to ask me any questions and see if we click. The first session can feel vulnerable– some jitters are normal when connecting with a new person! I’ll do my best to help you feel comfortable 🙂

  • You don’t need to prepare anything! It can be helpful to come with any topics or questions you want to discuss. But this isn’t like school, so don’t stress. I love getting to know my new clients, so I will have plenty of questions I want to ask you.

  • This depends on your needs and what challenges brought you into therapy in the first place. For example:

    • Short-term therapy: Typically lasts 6-12 weeks. Used in the treatment of mild anxiety or stress about a specific situation. ADHD diagnosis can be done in just 2-4 sessions.

    • Moderate-term therapy: Typically lasts 3-6 months. Used to treat ongoing depression, anxiety, ADHD or relationship problems.

    • Long-term therapy: Over 6 months or longer. Used in the treatment of eating disorders, more severe depression, complex ADHD, anxiety, and trauma. Family Based Therapy (FBT) is usually 6 months to a year long.

    • Maintenance therapy: Ongoing. For clients who have recovered from their eating disorder, depression or anxiety, but who are wanting to deepen their recoveries, self awareness and prevent relapse.

  • In our sessions, we’ll focus on the problem you want my help with. We’ll set goals based on a positive outcome you want for yourself. We might try different exercises or talk through the areas you feel stuck.

  • I use a mix of different approaches. This includes insight oriented approaches and depth oriented approaches:

    • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a behavioral, insight oriented approach

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) blends insight and experiential techniques

    • Experiential Dynamic Therapy (EDT), including Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Therapy (AEDP) for depth-oriented dynamic processing

  • That’s okay! If you end up feeling like we’re not the right fit, please let me know. Too intimidating to say that directly? That’s okay too. Let me know you will be ending our services via email so I don’t worry something bad happened to you. But I would love to help you find the right therapist, so let me help? Seriously, it’s part of therapist training to not take this stuff personally.

The Miscelleneous

  • Oh heck yes! I work with all genders and am a gender non-binary & trans affirming therapist. I love the LGBTQ+ population!

  • I actively work to be anti-racist and welcome discussions about the impact of racism and discrimination in my clients lives.

    In our society white people and whiteness are favored. Racist thoughts and actions are the default setting. Whiteness is heavily privileged in psychotherapeutic training too. This means as a white therapist, I have a lot of unlearning to do. I’m committed to exploring the impact of my whiteness on my therapeutic work in order to better serve my clients of color. This is an ongoing part of my professional development.

    Racism is perpetuated by silence and denial. Let's talk about it.

  • Education:

    • University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) 2010: Bachelor's Degree in Community Studies with a focus on Sex, Gender & Sexuality; Minor in Psychology (Go Slugs!)

    • San José State University (SJSU) 2015: Master’s in Social Work with a focus on Health and Mental Health

    License:

    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): 2022 - Present

      • California License LCSW107498

    Clinical Experience:

    • Residential Treatment Therapist: Provided family and group therapy to clients requiring 24/7 medical monitoring as a result of an eating disorder.

    • Partial Hospitalization Program/ Intensive Outpatient Program Therapist (PHP/IOP): Provided individual, group and family therapy to clients requiring intensive day treatment for eating disorders and co-occurring disorders.

    Specialized Treatment Modalities:

    • Experiential Dynamic Therapies (EDT) Fundamentals (2026) Dr. Scott Shapiro, PhD

    • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Immersion (2025) Dr. Diana Fosha, PhD

    • Family Based Therapy (FBT- Maudsley Method) (2023) Stanford University

      • The gold standard for adolescent eating disorder treatment.

    • Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) (2020, 2021) Dr. Adele Lafrance

 Have a question I didn’t answer? Get in touch!