Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about what services Practice San Francisco offers ?

We’ve gathered answers to some common questions below.

If your question is not answered here please contact us.

About Practice San Francisco

  • Practice San Francisco is a family-focused mental health and wellness clinic with locations in San Francisco and Mill Valley. 

    We provide individual therapy, psychoeducational testing and assessments, coaching and programs for parents, school-based services and corporate programs, to support the mental health and well-being of children, teens, young adults, and parents and caregivers.

    Our mission is to help families navigate life’s challenges by fostering resilience through research-tested skills and strategies, along with community-based support.

  • Yes, Practice San Francisco’s team of multidisciplinary therapists includes highly trained Licensed Psychologists, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers, who can address and treat for a wide range of mental health issues with highly effective treatment modalities, offered either in person or online by telehealth.

  • Yes, Practice SF offers comprehensive psychological evaluations for children, teens, and young adults from the ages of 2 to 22. Our assessments provide a comprehensive sense of students’ cognitive, emotional, and learning profiles, including any areas of strength, relative weakness or growth.

    Schedule a call with our intake coordinator to learn more.

    Please note: some people call this type of assessment neuropsychological testing.

  • Yes, Practice SF has expertise with adoption, including foster care, foster adoptions, international adoptions, domestic adoptions, and the adoption trial (adopted persons, adoptive parents and birth families). 

    Learn more about Dina Greenwald and her expertise, and reach out to our team to learn more.

Registration & Scheduling

  • Appointments with Practice SF therapists are booked after an initial consultation call with one of our highly skilled intake coordinators.

    Book a consultation call

  • Your first call with the Practice SF intake team provides an opportunity for us to understand your needs and how we can support you. During the call we discuss your concerns and make sure that we know what you are looking for. We work with you to match you with the right therapist and/or services. 

    The initial consultation call also provides you with an opportunity to ask us questions and learn more about our approach.

  • Our admin team at Practice SF answers calls and emails from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. 

    Clinician hours vary based on clinician availability, but are typically 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. 

Services and Programs

  • Practice SF offers individual therapy for children, teens, and young adults, and adults, ages five and up who are experiencing challenges with anxiety, negative mood/self-esteem, and/or emotion regulation.

    Practice SF offers coaching, consultation, and therapy for parents of children of all ages who may be facing challenges with their child or teen or who are looking for support around managing their own anxiety or stress. 

    Practice SF offers school-based services tailored to fit your school’s goals and culture, with a focus on cultivating confident, connected, and capable students.

    Practice SF offers corporate programs and partnership on building a parent-and family-friendly work culture, wellness, employee support, and more.

  • We treat children, teens, young adults, and adults. Our areas of expertise include

    • Addiction/Substance use & recovery

    • ADHD/executive functioning

    • Adoption

    • Anxiety/depression

    • Attentional and behavioral challenges

    • Body image concerns

    • Cultural identity & South Asian/Desi mental health

    • Eating disorders & disordered eating

    • Emotion regulation

    • Family and intergenerational challenges

    • Identity

    • Learning disabilities

    • Life stress & transitions

    • OCD

    • Parenting challenges

    • Pre and Perinatal disorders

    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

    • Self-esteem & values alignment

    • Social skills

    • Trauma & complex trauma

    • Tech use/screen time

  • Practice San Francisco does not accept clients presenting with:

    • high conflict divorce/custody issues

    • Active self-harm behaviors

    • Oppositional defiant disorder

    • Severe antisocial behavior and/or law breaking

    • Psychotic disorders

    Additionally, we do not have a psychiatrist on staff and therefore cannot provide psychiatric medication management.

  • Yes, Practice SF offers group programs like its flagship Mighty Minds program and its Social Skills program during the summer as well as during the school year.

    You can see all available summer groups here.

    Additionally, special, on-demand group programs for children, tweens, or teens can also be offered during the school year, if we have sufficient demand.

    Please reach out to our director of group programs Molly McCobb for more information. 

Insurance, Payments, Refund Policy

  • No, Practice SF does not accept any insurance directly.

    Our clinical services and programs are eligible for reimbursement through PPO health insurance plans, FSA, or HSA.  

    The Practice San Francisco client EMR portal offers the documentation you need to submit for reimbursement, and can be accessed 24/7.

  • No, we do not currently offer payment plans for individual therapy, testing, or school-based services. 

    For group programs like Mighty Minds, you can choose to pay for the program in full at the time of registration, or pay a non-refundable deposit to hold your child's spot, and pay the balance in full the week prior to the first day of the program. 

    Please contact Molly McCobb, director of group programs for more information.

  • Yes, we offer a limited number of sliding scale fee spots. Our intake team can let you know if we currently have sliding fee availability.

    We provide sliding scale school-based services to non-profit organizations. Please contact the director of school services for more information.

    • At the time of registration, you can choose to pay for the program in full or pay a non-refundable deposit to hold your child's spot. The deposit amount varies by group.

    • If you opt to pay only the deposit at registration, the remaining balance will be billed to your card on file 10 business days before the start of the program. Please note that all payments, including the deposit, are non-refundable and non-transferable to future groups.

    • If you need to cancel within 10 or fewer business days before the first group session, you may be eligible for a transfer or refund only if we can fill your spot. Otherwise, the payment remains non-refundable and non-transferable.

    • Additionally, group fees are not prorated for any missed sessions, whether planned or unplanned. No refunds will be issued for absences due to the limited number of students and families participating in the group.

Groups Programs Mighty Minds and Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills

MIGHTY MINDS

  • Mighty Minds is a group program for kids in grades K to 5 that teaches mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral skills to help kids manage stress, anxiety, and big emotions. The Mighty Minds program is open to all children in K-5th grade whether they are already proactively building coping skills and resilience already, or if they are need extra help with managing anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation.

  • No, Mighty Minds is not the only group program we offer for K-5 students. We have a variety of other group programs tailored to meet the unique needs of children in this age range. We encourage you to explore all of our offerings on our website to find the program that best fits your child's needs. If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to reach out to us!

  • No, Mighty Minds is specifically designed for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. However, we offer other group programs tailored to different age groups, like Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills so we encourage you to explore our website to find a program that aligns with your child’s unique needs.

  • If you believe your child could benefit from learning about and developing skills in emotion regulation, cognitive awareness, impulse control, perspective taking, and adopting a growth mindset in order to improve their overall functioning, then our group is a great fit for them. Mighty Minds welcomes participants who are proactively building coping skills and resilience, as well as those who are already experiencing anxiety, stress, or difficulty with emotion regulation. Please note that all participants must be able to function cooperatively in a group setting.*

    *Mighty Minds is a coed group and inclusive, welcoming individuals of all genders to participate.

    Still not sure if Mighty Minds is a good fit? Click here to learn more.

  • Group programs, especially those focused on teaching emotional awareness and resilience while supporting children in group settings with peer interactions, can be incredibly helpful for children dealing with school-related anxiety or frustration.

  • We absolutely encourage you to talk with your child in advance about why you are signing them up for Mighty Minds. We created a Tip Sheet to support you in having this conversation with your kids.

  • Yes, group programs, especially those focused on teaching emotional awareness and resilience while supporting children in group settings with peer interactions, can be incredibly helpful for children dealing with school-related anxiety or frustration.

Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills for Success

  • Vibe & Thrive Social Skills for Success uses evidence-based strategies to help kids in grade 3 through Middle School navigate the complexities of modern friendships, to move from "just playing" to building supportive, healthy connections, and to empower participants to navigate social complexities with confidence. Using a blend of activities, interactive games, discussion and role-play, we give students the tools to navigate their social world with kindness and confidence, and help them understand the mechanics of friendship and the importance of healthy boundaries.

  • We offer this group for two groups of students; there is a Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills for Success group for 3rd-5th graders who are female, or identify as female or non binary, and there is a Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills for Success group for Middle Schoolers. If your child has already attended one or more of the Mighty Minds groups, Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills is a great next step. However, there is no prerequisite. Anyone from grade 3 through to middle school can join!

  • Mighty Minds focuses on emotion regulation, mindfulness, and coping strategies to help children manage their thoughts and feelings. The Vibe & Thrive: Social Skills group emphasizes building friendships, navigating social challenges, and improving communication. While Mighty Minds strengthens self-awareness and resilience, the Social Skills group is more focused on interpersonal relationships and social dynamics. Both programs address different but complementary areas of growth.

  • For 3rd-5th grade
    Our Vibe & Thrive group for girls and non-binary youth in 3rd - 5th grade focuses on how to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of elementary school. We teach skills on how to navigate new peer groups, decode social cues, and manage the big feelings that come up as our friendships begin to shift. We aim to foster trust and connection to help group members feel more successful in their social interactions at school and interpersonally. 

    For Middle School
    The onset of adolescence introduces a deeper understanding of relationship nuances which is where the Middle School social skills group picks up from the 3rd-5th grade group.  Older students possess a higher capacity to navigate social hierarchies, interpret social cues, and manage the growing tension between individual identity and peer conformity, but may also still struggle with communication, healthy boundaries, and social anxiety. The Vibe & Thrive for middle school group is designed to empower participants to navigate social complexities with confidence.

  • This group is a good fit if your child is in 3rd–5th grade, or middle school and could use support building and maintaining healthy friendships, navigating social challenges, or gaining confidence in social situations. Whether your child finds it tricky to connect with peers, wants to feel more at ease in group settings, or could benefit from tools for handling conflicts, this program provides practical strategies in a supportive environment.