About Our Clinic

Below, you’ll find some general questions about our clinic.

We’re located at 667 Lighthouse Ave, Ste 201 and 202 , Pacific Grove, CA 93950.

We’re open at the following times:

Monday – 8 am – 6 pm
Tuesday — 8 am – 6 pm
Wednesday — 8 am – 6 pm
Thursday — 8 am – 6 pm
Friday — 8 am – 6 pm
Saturday – closed
Sunday — closed

Yes, there is free street parking on Lighthouse Avenue, Park Street, and 19th Street.

Yes, the #1 bus route stops right outside our clinic.

Speech-Language Therapy

Below, you’ll find our frequently asked questions about speech-language therapy services.

Speech therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on communication and swallowing. It’s considered the preferred intervention for a wide variety of disorders related to communication and swallowing.

In California, speech therapists are a licensed profession. In order to qualify for a license to practice speech therapy, we must hold at least a master’s degree or equivalent in speech therapy. We also have ongoing training requirements to maintain our CCC (certificate of clinical competence).

Speech therapists can help with a number of different communication and swallowing differences and disorders.

Some of the more common ones include:

  • ADHD
  • Aerodigestive disorders
  • ALS
  • Aphasia
  • Apraxia of speech (acquired)
  • Apraxia of speech (childhood)
  • Autism
  • Autism (nonspeaking)
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Cleft lip and cleft palate
  • Cluttering disorder
  • Developmental delays
  • Down syndrome
  • Dysarthria
  • Dysphagia (adult)
  • Dysphagia (child)
  • Executive function deficits
  • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
  • Fragile X syndrome
  • Hearing loss
  • Language disorders (expressive and receptive)
  • Learning disabilities
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Resonance disorders
  • Selective mutism
  • Social pragmatic communication disorder
  • Speech sound disorders
  • Stroke Recovery
  • Stuttering
  • Tracheostomies
  • Traumatic brain injury recovery
  • Voice disorders
  • Voice feminization training for transgender women
  • Voice masculinization training for transgender men
  • Written language disorders

Each of these has its own symptoms and diagnostic criteria. But if you suspect you or a loved one has one of the above, speech therapy can help.

In most cases, yes. Your insurance may require additional documentation as well. Consult your plan for more details.

Our speech therapy sessions are tailored to each individual’s goals and preferences. For children, sessions often focus on play-based therapy interventions. This includes playing with toys and games to reading stories to practicing lists of sounds, words, or vocal exercises. Adult speech therapy focuses on practicing exercises and providing advice and education. Sessions are dynamic and flexible, meaning that they can look similar or completely different week to week, depending on the patient’s needs.

Each speech therapy session is 30 minutes.

The number of sessions you’ll need depends on your unique needs, strengths, diagnostic history, and more.

But you can expect to achieve goals at different paces, depending on motivation, attendance, and external factors that may include temperament, sensory regulation, fatigue, etc.

Our therapists aim to provide activities and exercises that can be practiced at home in order to achieve more steady progress toward goals. While we use effective, evidence-based treatment strategies during our sessions, our time with each patient is limited and there is no substitute for regular practice in home and natural environments.

The answer is that it depends on several factors.

In certain scenarios, you can begin speech therapy before your child’s first birthday. That’s especially true if your child is autistic or has hearing loss, since these are often noticeable at a very young age.

However, if you’re concerned about your child’s speech or language development, that’s enough to make an appointment.

Occupational Therapy

Below are some of our frequently asked questions about occupational therapy services.

Occupational therapy is a service that helps people carry out activities of daily living. This may involve working on gross or fine motor skills, finding ways to address sensory needs, or identifying tools and equipment needed to enhance participation in everyday routines.

Occupational therapists in California must hold at least a master’s degree or equivalent in occupational therapy. Typically, this is at least a 2‑year program.

Additionally, occupational therapists are required to complete continuing education units (CEUs) to keep their certification up to date.

Occupational therapists help people to better complete the activities they need in their daily lives . As a result, they can help with a wide variety of concerns.

This includes things like:

  • Sensory processing difficulties
  • Autism
  • ADHD
  • Executive function deficits
  • Birth injuries
  • Learning disabilities
  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
  • Orthopedic injuries
  • Post-surgical recovery
  • Motor skills developmental delays
  • Handwriting difficulties
  • Balance and coordination
  • And more

Online Therapy

Below are some of our frequently asked questions about online therapy services.

Online therapy is therapy delivered virtually. It’s very similar to in-person speech therapy or occupational therapy. The main difference is that it’s done through a video conferencing app online.

It works similarly to traditional in-person therapy. You schedule an appointment. Then, when it’s time for your appointment, you’ll log in through our video conferencing software.

From there, your appointment will proceed as usual.

Yes. Research shows that online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy in most cases.

In some cases, online therapy can even be more effective. That’s especially true for people who have unique mobility needs or who have severe anxiety.

Yes. At Monterey Bay Therapy Services, we use HIPAA-compliant software. This means there’s an extra layer of security. That helps to keep your online therapy sessions safe and private.

Insurance & Payment

Below are some of our frequently asked questions about insurance and payment.

Likely! We are in network with most plans of the following insurance companies:

  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Aspire & Aspire Medicare
  • Blue Cross & Blue Shield Trio HMO
  • Blue Shield
  • Central California Alliance for Health
  • Cigna
  • Coastal TPA
  • Healthnet
  • Medicare Part B Northern California
  • Physmetrics (Blue Shield LOB- check the back of your insurance card)
  • San Andreas Regional Center
  • San Francisco Health Plan
  • Triwest Healthcare Alliance

Yes, in most cases, we can bill an out-of-network plan.

Our administrative staff will confirm your benefits for speech or occupational therapy and reach out to you to share the information, including deductibles, coinsurances, copays, visit limitations, telemedicine coverage, and diagnosis coverage before the initial appointment to ensure clear communication and understanding of the process and any out-of-pocket costs associated with services.

Upon benefit verification, our office will confirm prior authorization requirements. We will work with you and your physician to ensure prior authorization is obtained promptly.

If you are uninsured, please call or email us for the most up-to-date pricing information. If your insurance plan has a visit limitation, our office will find out if it is a soft visit limit, meaning additional sessions can be pre-authorized, or if it is a hard limit. Once the limit has been met for the year, we can offer you private pay rates, and/or create a customized home program until your benefits reset.

Caregiver & Family Involvement

Below are some of our frequently asked questions about caregiver and family involvement.

Yes. In fact, we prefer it! Parents, family members, and other caregivers are a huge part of a patient’s ability to progress and succeed in speech therapy. Actively participating in therapy sessions allows caregivers to ask questions, gain skills, and practice strategies that can be used outside of the therapy environment to promote faster and more generalized progress. 
It’s great that you want to take an active role in your loved one’s therapy. Your loved one’s speech therapist or occupational therapist will take the time to help you understand the best way you can help. This may include changes at home, practicing exercises, and more. 
Yes, absolutely. We’re happy to collaborate with any of the above as needed. 

Accessibility & Inclusive Care

Below are some of our frequently asked questions about accessibility and inclusive care.

Yes, we have an elevator to our floor, and our treatment rooms accommodate wheelchairs easily. 
Yes. There are various locations in or out of the building to spend time if someone arrives early for their session. Those various locations have differing amounts of light and noise. Clients are also invited to wait in their cars, walk around the block, or visit the nearby park if they’re uncomfortable waiting in the building. Within sessions we pride ourselves on considering each individual’s sensory preferences. For example, treatment rooms have light fixture coverings that reduce overhead light. Clinicians adapt their speaking volume make toy selections to suit each client’s needs. Toys and devices may be used to support clients with diverse motor needs (e.g., swings, scooters, exercise balls). 

Yes, absolutely. We encourage the sharing of personal pronouns with our staff so that we may always honor clients’ identities.

We provide speech therapy and occupational therapy services in English and Spanish. Additionally, interpreters are readily available for most other languages, including local Indigenous languages.