Psychotherapy at Gateway

We offer a number of different treatment options at Gateway. In addition to offering psychiatric services (medication management), we also offer the opportunity to engage with psychotherapy (traditional talk therapy) exclusively with our well-trained staff clinicians. This page will inform client’s who are looking to engage with psychotherapy without the addition of medication management.

Kelsey Schraufnagel, PsyD

Kelsey Schraufnagel, PsyD is a licensed psychologist (PSY27998). Dr. Schraufnagel earned her PsyD in clinical psychology at the California School for Professional Psychology in San Diego. She completed an APA accredited internship, with an emphasis on crisis assessment and intervention, at the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Wardenburg Health Center in the department of Psychological Health and Psychiatry.

Alana Kivowitz, LCSW, Therapist, Case Management

Alana Kivowitz, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker (#86427) who specializes in mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma and stress related concerns. She draws from a humanistic, strengths-based framework, and integrates a number of evidence-based practices into her work, including tools from dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and motivational interviewing. She received her B.A. in psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz, and earned her Master’s in Social Work, with a concentration in mental health, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Andrea Starn, LMFT, Therapist, Case Management

Andrea Starn, LMFT (#33056) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; an M.A. in Art History from the Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in Psychology from the New College of California; and certification in Chemical Dependency Studies from the California State University, East Bay. She has been licensed since 1995 providing comprehensive clinical care for issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder, relational difficulties, grief and loss, and major life transitions. Her clinical practice is collaborative and strength-based, drawing from cognitive-behavioral and narrative therapies; attachment theory; and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Chris Restivo, MFT, Therapist, Case Management

Chris Restivo, MFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (# 103275) who has focused the entirety of his career working with severe and persistent mental illness (e.g. psychosis, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use) through the use of EBPs (Evidence-Based Practices) blended with a humanistic approach. He received his B.A.in psychology from University of California, Berkeley, and his M.A. from California Institute of Integral Studies(CIIS).

If you are interested in working with us, or if you have any questions, please complete a short form by clicking on the “I am ready to get started” button located at the bottom of this page. We will follow up with you shortly! The Consultation Process We want to begin our work by getting to know you and allow you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. Please click the link below and we will be in touch with you shortly to schedule a time for a brief consultation. What Is the Next Step Please review the information in the documents in the section titled, “Forms and Policies.” Please let us know if you have any questions. We require signed copies of the Summary of Information for Patients, the Privacy Policy Statement/ Acknowledgement of Receipt, and the Credit Card Authorization forms in order to schedule your first visit. Once you have reviewed these forms, please complete the required forms, and fax them to us at (415) 551-0524.

Our philosophy of care is rooted in three distinct tenets:

1-Optimism and dedication. We utilize evidence-based therapies (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, motivational enhancement therapy, exposure and response prevention, and interpersonal and social rhythm therapy), that have been shown to help address anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar, and substance abuse, and aid people in creating rewarding changes in their lives–both in the short- and longer-term. We work with people to become aware of and shift their reactivity to unhelpful thoughts and challenging emotions to responding to these internal experiences in ways that are skillful, choiceful, and values-consistent. We are passionate and optimistic about this work and have seen–and experienced–the benefits of learning how to let values guide our lives, versus our moods, thoughts, or other painful experiences. Through these evidence based models, creativity, humor, and compassion, we work to support you in identifying and reaching goals that support you in living life you want to live. Reaching your therapy goals may take time and commitment– both yours and ours – but we are dedicated to this end and confident that the rewards will be worth it.

2-Competence and Professionalism. The Gateway Clinic and our clinicians hold competence and professionalism as paramount. We value staying up-to-date in the field by subscribing to leading journals and regularly attending training workshops and conferences. In addition, we have weekly Gateway treatment team and peer/ colleague consultations as well as on-going consultations with international experts in the field, including Terry Ketter, MD, Jacqueline Persons, PhD. Matthew MacKay, PhD, and James McCullough, PhD. We continuously assess and modify our treatment program as necessary to continue to provide effective, collaborative, and cutting-edge care.

3-A collaborative, integrated and holistic approach. We believe that an integrative, or holistic approach to treatment works best. Instead of believing that the things we know best are the only things that help, we strive to understand and embrace alternative forms of treatment. We value the collaboration with psychiatrists, as well as other health and wellness professionals including nutritionists, physicians, trainers, yoga instructors, acupuncturists, and spiritual counselors. We maintain a constantly expanding list of local experts and resources and make appropriate referrals to complement your treatment as necessary.

Unfortunately, we can’t accept insurance assignment in place of payment from our clients. In other words, you’ll need to pay us at the time of your visit and then seek reimbursement from your insurance company. We provide a “super bill” each month that many of our clients are able to submit to their insurance company and get reimbursement. We recommend that you contact your insurance company to discuss this possibility further. We understand that navigating insurance can be a challenge. We often refer clients to use GetBetter.co, which a great resource that helps patients to efficiently get reimbursed, as well as advocates for patients with their insurance companies. We ask that you pay with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express), and that you sign a form that authorizes us to bill on the date of each session. For the initial session, we ask that you pay in advance before we schedule the session.

Psychotherapy (45 minutes) CPT Code: 90834 Fee: $175.00

Based on our initial and on-going clinical assessment, we reserve the right to insist on a psychiatric consultation if it becomes clear that a client’s therapeutic needs would be better addressed with the conjoint assistance of a psychiatrist. This decision would be made in the context of a collaborative discussion between the client and the therapist. These forms need to be printed out, carefully reviewed, signed, and faxed back to us at (415) 551-0524.

• Summary of Information for Patients
• Credit Card Authorization – if you are paying for your care.
• Privacy Policy Statement and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Privacy Policy

If someone other than you is paying for your care, please have that person complete and fax the following two forms to us at (415) 551-0524.

• Third Party Payer Form
• Credit Card Authorization

We have spent a lot of time on this page reviewing administrative issues. This is not because we focus on the business side of our work; it is really so that once we begin treatment, we can focus on what is most important, providing the people we see with the best, most compassionate, most well informed, care we can. Peter Forster, MD Psychiatrist and Clinical Director, Gateway Psychiatric Services San Francisco, Los Altos, Pleasanton