FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

To schedule an appointment directly with me, fill out one of my waiting lists, email me directly at therapy@DulcineaPitagora.com, or leave a message for me at 917-675-3446. If I don’t have an opening that works with your schedule, I am happy to give referrals to other therapists. To schedule an appointment with one of the therapists on my team, please contact them directly.

My office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons and evenings, and my team has a variety of office hours. We see clients remotely via HIPAA-compliant video platforms as well as in-person in our office in lower Manhattan (near the 6, J/Z, N/Q/R/W, and A/C/E subway lines at the Canal Street stations, and the 1/2 subway lines at the Franklin Street station).

Yes. We offer HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing sessions for those who can’t or prefer not to meet in-person. It’s also possible to meet remotely when you’re out of town, depending on the licensure regulations in your destination, which I can look into for you. I am also available for remote consultations for those who do not live near enough to meet in person.

Yes, I do set aside a certain number of appointments to see people on a sliding scale. At the moment, those appointments are overbooked, so I will likely not have an opening this. I don’t currently have any sliding scale openings, but one of the therapists I work with might. If you’d like to be added to my sliding scale waiting list to work with me or one of the other therapists in my practice, please fill out this form.

If you have the means to pay my full fee or any amount over my or one of my provider’s full fees, please fill out this form to subsidize appointments for those in our communities who are struggling financially and would benefit from working with a therapist who has our specializations and qualifications. You are welcome to indicate specifically where you’d like your fee surplus redirected; some examples would be to clients who identify as PGM/BIPOC, trans/GNC/non-binary, LGBQ, BDSM/kink, consensually non-monogamous, and current or former sex workers; therapists/healers of color; mutual aid funds serving trans people and/or people of color; and anti-racism activism organizations.

My insurance appointments are currently full, and it tends to be rare that there is an opening; to be put on the waiting list for a future opening, please fill out my sliding scale waiting list form. When I have insurance openings, I am under contract with Headway to be in-network with Aetna, Cigna, Oxford, United Healthcare, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield New York (formerly Empire), and Oscar Health. The therapists on my team are not in-network with any insurance carriers. If you have out-of-network coverage, we can provide you with a superbill (insurance receipt) that you may submit for out-of-network reimbursement, depending on your insurance plan’s allowances. My practice does not fill out insurance claim forms or interact directly with insurance companies. For referrals to other qualified providers who accept insurance, visit https://www.ManhattanAlternative.com/?fwp_availability=insurance.

I accept cash, check, credit cards, Zelle, Wise, Venmo (@DAP-LCSW-PLLC), and Squarecash/Cash App ($DulcineaPitagora). Fees can be paid in advance or within 24 hours of the session (unless other arrangements are made).

Appointments can be cancelled or rescheduled up to 48 hours in advance. Non-emergency cancellations within 48 hours require payment of the full session fee. Last minute cancellations can sometimes be rescheduled the same week, depending on availability, with no additional cancellation fee. Also, remote videoconferencing appointments may be available if you can’t make it to the office (for example, if you’re sick or traveling).

Most find regularly scheduled weekly appointments to be helpful. More or less frequent appointments can sometimes be arranged, though it’s usually best to attend a minimum of one session per week for the first month or so. Drop in appointments are also often available on an as needed basis.

This depends entirely on the individual’s needs and preference. For some people, short-term therapy from three to six months is adequate to address a less complicated problem or issue, while others find long-term therapy that lasts for a year or more to be most effective. Some people enjoy the consistent and neutral support of a therapist to be helpful on an ongoing basis, even when they have no specific problem to work on or issue to discuss.

Sex therapy is the same as psychotherapy in that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are explored and processed through talking. There are no physical or sexual interactions or demonstrations. Certified sex therapists are required to have the same foundational psychotherapy training as other therapists, as well as additional training related to relationships, sexual and gender identities, and sexual functioning.

Yes, I suggest taking a look at my team page for the therapists I supervise, and ManhattanAlternative.com, a network of therapeutic service providers who are sex-positive, affirmative, and have expertise related to issues that kink, poly, consensually non-monogamous, trans, gender non-conforming, and/or LGBQ-identified individuals face. Other places people look are NCSF’s Kink Aware Professionals Directory, Psychology Today, and FindATherapist.com.

I do! Click here for a list of books (and podcasts) I’ve compiled, many from my bookshelf, some recommended by colleagues. And click here for book lists I created at Bookshop.org.