Akira Olsen

Dr. Akira gave me more anxiety than I experience without counseling.
I saw her for childhood trauma. Her counseling was all right although she did EMDR on me without explaining the potential side effects that made me feel much more debilitated than I have felt in years. After this experience I consulted with psychiatrists who said this is normal for EMDR. I felt uninformed by Dr. Akira in this situation.
More importantly her website contained misleading information about health insurance. I am in healthnet, and her website explicitly says she is in network with MHN & Healthnet. The first time I emailed her, I told her about my insurance with healthnet. She said «I am in network with MHN, do you want an appointment?» Since her website said MHN & Healthnet together, I said yes. 2 months (and 5 appointments) later she informed me that the claim did not go through. On further inquiry she mentioned that another client of hers was also on Healthnet and was not covered. She told me I had to pay out of pocket.
After much time spent calling my insurance, it turned out that my insurance could reimburse me. I asked Dr. Akira to send the bills to me. She said ok. 3 days later Dr. Akira wrote me that she was sorry that I was upset about my insurance. She also sent me her contract in the mail that explicitly states I will not sue her. I told Dr. Akira that I was covered but thought the situation was unprofessional and would like to discontinue treatment. She immediately wrote back and told me that health policies change all the time, and saying «I wasn’t aware of these changes on MHN/​Health Net until recently — I started working with you and another person with Health Net.»
I’ve connected with a few therapists since who give detailed information on the insurance process. Some tell me about the process of reimbursement, others recommend I directly call my insurance. Either way I feel they look out for my financial well being.
Given the lack of organization, clarity and professionalism I experienced with Dr. Akira, I would not recommend her. I believe that there are many therapists who look out for their client’s interests more.