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The library · 565 pages

Everything the state makes hard, written down in one place.

Grouped by the decision you are in the middle of, not by date. Every page is a tool, a dataset, or a decision — never a lecture, and never a lecture with a number missing.

If you only read one

How to find a therapist in California without losing two weeks to voicemail

Most people start in the wrong place — the insurer's directory — and lose two weeks to voicemail before anything happens. This is the order that works, with the scripts.

Reference3 min read1 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Deciding whether to start at all

What is actually happening, whether it warrants therapy, and who you would even be looking for.

Deciding

All 23 →
ADHD medication in California: the seven rules that decide whether it gets filledReference9 min10 sourcesBehavioural parent training for ADHD: what it changesReference8 min3 sourcesCalifornia mental health law, by situationReference15 min1 sourcesCBT, EMDR, psychodynamic — which type of therapy do I pick?Reference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026DBT: what it is, and what it isn'tReference13 min13 sourcesDiagnosed with ADHD as an adult: the first 90 days, in orderReference6 min5 sources

Start with what's happening

All 21 →
"I don't see the point anymore": a sorting tool for lost purpose and meaningReference7 min6 sourcesADHD in children: what the evidence saysReference18 min18 sourcesADHD in women diagnosed late: why it was missed, and what to bring to the evaluationReference6 min3 sourcesADHD, anxiety, depression or sleep? A sorting tool for adultsReference6 min4 sourcesAdult ADHD: diagnosis, treatment and the testing questionReference5 min4 sourcesUpdated September 2026After the fireReference5 min7 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Where you are

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Caring for someone who can't care for themselvesReference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026College students — you already paid for some of thisReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated September 2026Finding a therapist who gets it — LGBTQ+ CaliforniansReference2 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026First in your family to do thisReference2 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026For men who were taught not to need thisReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated September 2026Going through a divorceReference2 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Paying for it without getting caught out

Every route to a lower number, and the arithmetic insurers do not show you.

Money

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Low-cost therapy in Oakland: start with the door that can payReference4 min7 sourcesUpdated August 2026Sliding scale is real. Here's how to ask for it without feeling like you're haggling.Reference3 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026What an ADHD evaluation costs in California — compare two real quotesWorksheet7 min6 sourcesUpdated August 2026What an autism assessment costs in California — child, teen, and adultReference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026What neuropsychological testing costs in California — and how to get insurance to payReference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026What therapy costs in Los Angeles — and how to get the real numberReference2 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Insurance routes

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"I don't take insurance" doesn't mean you can't use yours. The superbill route.Reference3 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026Aetna covers therapy. The route — and the self-funded catch most members hit.Reference2 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026Anthem covers therapy. Here's the route through California's biggest network.Reference4 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026Blue Shield of California covers therapy. Here's the route.Reference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026Buying a Covered California plan? Here's how to pick one that's good for therapy.Reference4 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026Cigna covers therapy. Here's the route through Evernorth.Reference2 min2 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Testing & evaluations

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ADHD testing in California: when a clinical evaluation is enoughReference5 min4 sourcesUpdated August 2026Adult ADHD evaluation in Los AngelesReference7 min6 sourcesAdult ADHD evaluation in Orange CountyReference6 min6 sourcesAdult ADHD evaluation in SacramentoReference6 min5 sourcesAdult ADHD evaluation in San DiegoReference6 min5 sourcesAdult ADHD evaluation in San FranciscoReference7 min6 sources

Comparisons

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7 Cups review: free listeners, honestly assessedReference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026AI chatbots vs. therapy: the honest 2026 answerReference3 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026Alternatives to Psychology Today for finding a therapistReference3 min4 sourcesUpdated August 2026BetterHelp vs. a local California therapist: the honest mathReference2 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026Calm, Headspace, and the wellness apps vs. therapy: what each is forReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026Every way to find a therapist online, compared honestlyReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Doing it, once you have started

What the approaches actually are, and the small questions nobody wants to ask out loud.

Types of therapy

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ACT: what it actually is, and whether it's what you needReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026CBT: what it actually is, and whether it's what you needReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026Couples therapy: EFT vs. Gottman, and how to pick a couples therapistReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026DBT: what it actually is, and whether it's what you needReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026EMDR: what it actually is, and whether it's what you needReference2 min1 sourcesUpdated August 2026ERP: the OCD treatment that actually works — and how to spot the real thingReference2 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026

Quick answers

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ADHD coach or therapist—which kind of help fits the problem?Reference3 min3 sourcesUpdated August 2026Am I passing perfectionism to my kids?Reference4 min3 sourcesAre addiction treatment records more private than therapy records?Reference10 min20 sourcesUpdated September 2026Bipolar I or bipolar II?Reference12 min13 sourcesBPD or bipolar disorder?Reference18 min23 sourcesCan a child have bipolar disorder?Reference18 min18 sources

Where the rules are different

Deadlines, denials, records, minors, and the paperwork that makes a plan do what it promised.

Your rights

All 15 →
A work-caused mental health claim in CaliforniaReference12 min28 sourcesUpdated August 2026Ask for an ADHD accommodation at work in CaliforniaWorksheet8 min7 sourcesCalifornia rewrote how counties spend mental health money. It took effect six weeks ago.Reference14 min22 sourcesUpdated September 2026Getting help in a crisis without calling the policeReference11 min13 sourcesUpdated August 2026If your child has Medi-Cal, the rules are not the adult rulesReference11 min15 sourcesUpdated August 2026Nobody should have to bring their own interpreter to therapyReference11 min17 sourcesUpdated September 2026

Worksheets

All 17 →
Appeal a therapy denial from your health planWorksheet14 min10 sourcesCheck a DBT programme before you commit a year to itWorksheet9 min8 sourcesFile a DMHC complaint against your health planWorksheet9 min4 sourcesFile an SDI claim for mental health leaveWorksheet13 min7 sourcesIs this actually ERP? A worksheet before you book OCD therapyWorksheet5 min4 sourcesPlan a mental health leave in CaliforniaWorksheet8 min8 sources
How this library is written

The standard, published here rather than buried in an about page

Nothing is written to rank.

No keyword targets, no word-count minimums. Several pages here are deliberately short because the answer is short.

No claim without a source.

Every figure carries the document it came from, with the date it was checked. If a source cannot be found, the sentence loses the number rather than keeping a plausible one.

Where the evidence is thin, the page says so.

Unsettled law and mixed evidence are stated as unsettled and mixed, not resolved into a confident answer.

Nobody has reviewed these pages yet.

The design calls for a named California therapist as reviewer, with their state registration or licence number and the review date, on every guide. The collective is not open yet, so no such line appears — rather than a line naming nobody. Follow what is being built →