FAQ

Where is your office?

Where isn’t my office? My practice runs almost exclusively through a telehealth platform, meaning that so long as you have sufficient privacy, a solid Internet connection, are physically located in Virginia or New Jersey, and are not currently operating a motor vehicle, my office is wherever you want to be!

But really, where is your office?

Upon request, I can offer in-person sessions from Hopewell, New Jersey (~25 minutes from Princeton, NJ). Please note that this office space is located within the campus of a church. While our sessions have no functional connection to the building, I recognize that this location may not be ideal for those with religious trauma.

What are your hours?

My availability usually runs Monday – Friday, 9 am – 3 pm, but I can often offer additional appointment slots into the afternoon and early evening on certain days. These extra slots vary from one academic semester to the next based on my household’s scheduling changes, and I try to give all impacted clients as much advance notice as possible. I do my best to keep my availability up-to-date, so you can always refer to my client portal calendar.

How long are the sessions?

Individual sessions are typically 55 minutes long. We can conduct EMDR sessions in 55-minute appointments, but I prefer to set aside 90 minutes when possible for most EMDR work.

Family therapy sessions are generally also 55 minutes, but we can discuss this ahead of time based on the goals you want to pursue. We can conduct intake assessments throughout two standard sessions or one 90-minute intake session. My base rates for individual vs. family therapy sessions remain the same and are prorated based on the time needed for a given appointment.

Do you take insurance?

I am currently in network with Aetna (in New Jersey) and Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey.

If I am not in network with your plan, we still may be able to make therapy more affordable for you! I have partnered with Mentaya to help my clients save money on therapy. Use this tool below to see if you qualify for reimbursement for my services.

How do I set up an initial appointment?

Look no further, my friend! You can schedule your free initial consultation directly through my calendar. If that feels like a bit more of a commitment than you woke up this morning ready to make, you are also welcome to call or text my work number (201) 252-7012, email chelseachall@jubileepsychotherapyservices.com, or submit an inquiry through the contact page of this website.

What is your cancellation policy?

When you need to reschedule or cancel, I appreciate as much notice as possible, but I would like to have at least 24 hours’ notice before our scheduled appointment. For appointments missed or canceled the day of, I charge a $30 fee. I’m happy to waive that if we can reschedule within the same week without too much trouble.

With what age range do you work?

Most of my clients are women in college or working in their chosen fields. Still, I have extensive experience working with adolescents and families and maintain a few slots for insightful teens depending on the individual.

Do you work with families?

While I enjoy working with families, I typically only do so these days in the context of eating disorder treatment or with my adolescent clients.

Do your clients receive assignments to work on between sessions?

Yes! And no. I tailor my approach to therapy to my client’s individual preferences, needs, and personalities. So, while I like to end sessions with a juicy prompt for you to chew on in your journal, I also work with plenty of folks who do not benefit from the added pressure of a suggestion like this.

If you appreciate some between-appointment structure, I love to end sessions with an art therapy directive that will marry all the ideas you have worked through during the hour and then talk over whatever you come up with the next time we meet.

What modalities do you use in your client work?

We’ll use CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) as our foundation and integrate elements of other evidence-based modalities according to your needs. Many of my clients benefit from the practical skills of DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and the gentle mindset shifting of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).

In addition to this CBT-based “talk therapy” approach, I am very excited to work with interested clients through a modality called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). It can be intense, but so can the results! Learn more on my EMDR page.

What is your professional training and experience?

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Virginia and New Jersey. To become independently licensed in these states, I completed over 100 hours of clinical consultation with seasoned and specially qualified supervisors in my field and over 3000 hours directly interacting with clients. The theoretical orientation of my master’s program focused heavily on Cognitive-Behavioral Theory, which continues to influence my approach to therapy strongly.

Before launching Jubilee, I worked with adult and adolescent clients (and their families) suffering from eating disorders in intensive outpatient and residential eating disorder treatment settings. These years of hands-on experience gave me the confidence to know when to offer psychoeducation, when and how to apply Exposure Relapse Prevention (ERP) interventions, how to gauge the right balance of somatic (body-based) vs. cognitive (insight-based) style interventions to most benefit my clients, and more.

My years of close collaboration with the excellent Registered Dietitians on my teams also gave me a solid working knowledge of eating disorder recovery nutritional fundamentals. This familiarity does NOT mean that I can fill the role of an ED-informed Registered Dietitian on a client’s treatment team, but rather that I can comfortably discuss the importance and rationale behind common dietary interventions with clients and families.

I have trained in multiple evidence-based treatments for trauma, including Trauma-Informed CBT and EMDR. In addition to disordered eating, I have experience providing therapy for trauma, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, general mental health, and significant life transitions.

What else must a client know to make the most out of working with you?

Beyond specific modalities, we’ll use your unique spiritual paradigm and the principles of body liberation as lenses through which we approach our work together. This approach is part of my commitment to fully honoring your agency at every point of the treatment process. While my skills and training will lead me to make various suggestions for how you might reach your goals, therapy should be a collaborative experience.

Chelsea, why are you so worked up about diet culture?

I’ll be honest. I have a beef with the idea that the body someone woke up in today doesn’t deserve to exist and that that person doesn’t deserve dignity and joy until or unless they change their body.

It is deeply insulting that we have paid our money to the industry perpetuating this message. It is a humiliation that the industry duped us out of our creative energy, passion, and precious time to erase ourselves. But it is downright infuriating that this rat race has also distracted us from our collective calling to work toward justice and equity.

What is "body liberation," anyway?

“Body liberation” may be understood as the recognition that your body (and the personhood it contains) is inherently and inviolably worthy of dignity and respect as it is precisely, even in the face of the systemic oppression of those bodies based on any number of intersecting marginalized identities.

Body liberation is a concept arising from fat activism. It was born from the work of black women discounted from the mainstream (thin, cis, white) feminist conversation during the civil rights movement.

(This is my best attempt at capturing a very nuanced concept. Many more intelligent folks have done this work since well before I was born, so I encourage you to be broad and intentional in your research. Reach out if you want to learn more, and I am happy to point you toward some places to start!)

What does body liberation have to do with therapy?

In my clinical approach, I use this concept to frame conversations with clients related to body image, self-worth, and lived experiences of oppression. Body liberation allows you to reclaim your dignity whether you ever “love” how you look. It can allow you to feel empowered about your body choices regardless of whether you ever feel safe enough to let go of the pursuit of privilege or proximity to privilege. Being empowered means experiencing body liberation is an ongoing project without a single endpoint applicable to everyone.

I am uncomfortable in my body and want to lose weight. Can we still work together?

Yes – 100%. Even asking that question tells me that you are in the right place. Your journey toward body liberation will not be linear and won’t look exactly like anyone else’s. While I know what I feel called to release for my body liberation journey, do I hold those exact expectations for you? Frankly, it depends. Let’s get uncomfortable, and let’s work toward making some magic.

What’s important at the start of our work is figuring out where you are right now, where you would rather be, and how we will help you get there. We’ll repeat the process milestone by milestone for as long as you wish to make changes.

Do you want to move from a place of self-hate to a place of neutrality? From shame to compassion? Guilt to peace? I want to foster your vision for a healed relationship with your body.