What people ask before they write

No. Many people book while they're still looking for the word, and some never settle on one. Jamal uses the words you use, and you can change them.

Open Shutter is out of network. We don't bill plans directly, and we don't bill Medicare or Medicaid. You pay at the end of each session, and Jamal can give you a monthly receipt to send to a plan that reimburses out-of-network care.

A superbill is an itemized receipt, with the dates and type of each session, that you can send to your plan. The plan may reimburse part of the cost. It carries a diagnosis code that the plan will see, and the plan decides whether it pays anything back.

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to a written estimate of your costs before you start. If a bill comes in $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract. Jamal can send yours before your first session.

Your fee depends on the length of the session. You'll have it in writing before you start, so there is no surprise at the end. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are open; ask how to request one. The fees page explains the rest.

Yes. Jamal takes HSA and FSA cards at the end of the session like any other card.

It lasts 50 minutes. Jamal asks what you'd like from the hour, explains how he works and the risks and benefits of therapy, and goes over privacy and its limits. At the end you decide whether to book another.

Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people start with one every week or two and change that as they go. Jamal doesn't set a number of sessions in advance; you and he talk about the pace as you go.

Jamal is a licensed professional counselor in Louisiana. He sees people in the office in New Orleans, and by video if you are physically in Louisiana during the session.

Call or text 988, any time, or call 911 in an emergency. Open Shutter isn't a crisis service, and messages sent through this website aren't read around the clock.

What you say in session stays between you and Jamal, with limits set by law: a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, or a report the law requires. He explains them at your first session. Jamal won't contact your family or workplace.

Please give 24 hours' notice to change or cancel a session. After that, the session fee may apply. If something unavoidable comes up, tell Jamal and he'll talk it through with you.

No. Open Shutter is for adults, 18 and over. Jamal can suggest colleagues who see teens if you ask.