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Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.50 minutesLicensed in CAFrancisca Hinojosa, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · CA Lic. # 000000Justice Hightower, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · CA Lic. # 000000
1 more license
  • Francisca Hinojosa, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · CA Lic. # 000000
  • Justice Hightower, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · CA Lic. # 000000
(510) 555-0102
A young woman talks with an older couple on a porch swing at dusk, porch lamps glowing behind them

Oakland, California

Therapy where you don't have to explain yourself

Canopy is a two-clinician practice in Uptown Oakland for queer and trans people of color. In person, or by video from anywhere in California.

Who it is for

What we will not ask you to explain

It is the first thing most people tell us they are tired of. Here is the whole list, and what we ask instead.

  • Your name or pronouns

    Tell us what to call you. We will not ask for the old name, another name or proof.

  • Why you are who you are

    There is no origin story to tell. You do not owe anyone an account of your gender or who you love.

  • Your family

    What they believe, what they did, whether they come around: only if you want to say.

  • Your culture

    We will not make you translate a word, a food, a saint or a joke so that we can follow.

  • Your body

    No questions about surgery, hormones or plans unless you bring them to us.

  • Your papers

    We do not ask for ID or a legal name to book, and we do not ask you to prove anything.

How it works

How it starts

  1. Step 1: Write or call

    Tell us the times that suit you and how to reach you. You do not need to say why.

  2. Step 2: A 15-minute call

    A call about fit. It is not therapy, an evaluation or an assessment, and you can end it at any point.

  3. Step 3: A first session

    Sixty minutes in person or by video. Your clinician explains how they work and listens.

  4. Step 4: Your pace

    You and your clinician decide how often, and for how long. We do not promise a number of sessions.

Your clinicians

Two clinicians, in Oakland and online

Their California licenses are listed at the foot of every page.

  • Francisca Hinojosa, therapist, in a burgundy cardigan seated on a linen sofa in a cozy room

    Francisca Hinojosa

    Founder and therapist, LMFT

    • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) · CA Lic. # 000000

    Sees queer and trans adults, couples and chosen families. Sessions in English or Spanish.

  • Justice Hightower, therapist, in a soft knit sweater seated on a linen sofa in a cozy room

    Justice Hightower

    Therapist, LCSW

    • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) · CA Lic. # 000000

    Sees adults one-on-one, including people who want a letter for gender-affirming care. Evening sessions.

Services

Three ways to work with us

Each is offered in person in Oakland or by video from anywhere in California.

  • A quiet counseling room with an armchair, a sofa and a coffee table by a window

    Individual therapy

    For one adult. Fifty-minute sessions, in person in Oakland or by video.

    See individual therapy
  • A group of friends gathered around a table in a sunny kitchen

    Relationships and chosen family

    For two or more people who love each other, however you are related. Eighty-minute sessions.

    See relationship sessions
  • Light glowing through sheer curtains in a dim room

    Letters for gender-affirming care

    If you need a letter for hormones, surgery or a name and gender marker change, here is how we handle it.

    Read the letters policy

Where we practice

In person, in Uptown Oakland

One office, and video for people anywhere in California.

Canopy

Address: 1925 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 4 Oakland, CA 94612Phone: (510) 555-0102
Hours: Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Friday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: Closed

Near the 19th Street BART station. In person or by video: tell us which when you write.

Get directions to the Canopy office

How fees work

The answers to what nearly everyone asks before a first session.

  • Insurance we work with

    Canopy is out of network with insurance plans, so you pay for each session yourself. We do not take Medicare or Medi-Cal. If you want a clinician who bills your plan, we will give you the names of Oakland colleagues who do.

    • Out of network with insurance plans

    • No Medicare or Medi-Cal

  • If you pay yourself

    You pay at the end of each session by card, including HSA and FSA cards. There is no contract and no payment in advance. The fee depends on the kind of session and how long it runs: 50 minutes for an individual session, 80 for a relationship session. Your fee is given in writing before you start. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are open each season; ask how to request one. We ask for 24 hours' notice to change an appointment.

  • Receipts for reimbursement

    Each month we give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and kind of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of out-of-network care. It carries a diagnosis code your insurer can see. Your plan decides whether it pays anything, so ask it before you start.

  • An estimate in advance

    If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

  • Checking your benefits

    We do not check benefits, because we do not bill your plan. If you want to know whether your plan reimburses, call it before the first session and ask about out-of-network mental health services.

Questions

What nearly everyone asks

Do you take my insurance?

We are out of network with every plan. You pay for each session yourself, and we give you an itemized receipt in case your plan reimburses. We do not take Medicare or Medi-Cal.

What is a Good Faith Estimate?

If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written estimate of your care before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.

What happens in the first session?

It lasts 60 minutes. Your clinician explains how they work, the limits of confidentiality and the possible risks and benefits of therapy, and then listens. You decide together whether to continue. Nobody asks you to explain who you are.

Do you write letters for hormones or surgery?

Yes, when you ask and when it fits the work we are doing together. Your clinician writes it, you read it first, and it goes only where you say. We cannot promise a prescriber, surgeon or agency will accept any letter. The details are on the letters page.

Are you licensed where I live?

Our licenses are from California. By video we see people who are in California during the session. If you are elsewhere, we will help you find someone licensed where you live.

What do I do in a crisis?

Call or text 988, any time. In an emergency, call 911. This site and our messages are not monitored around the clock.

Tell us how you would like to start

We reply within one business day, by the method and at the time you choose.

Hours
Monday – ThursdayToday
11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
FridayToday
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday and SundayToday
Closed

Please don't include medical details in this message. For anything urgent, call us.