FAQ

 

“Why go to a therapist?”

Giving yourself permission to go to a therapist is a commitment towards self-care. It can be a stabilizing and growing experience. Within a safe and trusting therapeutic alliance, you will experience a feeling of being understood, supported, accepted, and protected.

Therapy is a “tool” towards health and wellness. Working with a therapeutic professional, you can address and resolve interpersonal issues, build healthier, more satisfying relationships, manage a crisis, or reach long sought after goals.

Experience the rewards of taking care of yourself, feeling seen and heard, and having a person who sincerely cares about your worries, troubles, hurts, goals, and dreams while helping you think, feel, and act in your own best interest.

 

“How can I make the most of my therapeutic experience?”

You are the driving force in therapy.  Bring your strengths, life experiences, knowledge, creativity, intuition and talents to this process. Take an active role during and between sessions and therapy will work. You are the change agent. Make the most of your time in the presence of your therapist who provides a safe container in which you can explore, express, and transform your fears, frightening experiences, and problems into strengths.

Here are a couple of suggestions to make it more successful:

• Spend time thinking about what you want, what your needs are, what problem or issue you want to address, your goals for change and what you would need to change to reach your goal.
• Be curious about who you are without judging yourself
• Notice themes and patterns in your life
• Be honest and take responsibility
• write, paint, draw in a journal to track your progress
• Practice what you learned in session, know that it will take time to build new habits
• Reach out to family members or friends who are safe and trusting to support you during this process
• Be patient with your progress and celebrate small victories
• Trust yourself
• Be kind to yourself- do something nice for yourself each day

 

“What are your sessions like?”

My sessions can have a variety of formats. Depending on your needs, we will determine how sessions progress. Often we will be involved in a meaningful and productive conversation.  I tend to lean towards Person-Center Care which means I recognize and trust your potential, providing you with empathy and unconditional positive regard to help facilitate your changes.  Whenever possible, I follow your lead. However, I do provide support, guidance and structure to help you uncover personal solutions to your problems. You will have the choice to bring up whatever is on your mind that needs addressing or I will help guide the session to keep you focused on your health and wellness goals. At times, a more experiential modality such as art, movement, writing, poetry, mindfulness, or sand tray therapy will be offered, bringing a deeper awareness to the surface. I will share patterns or themes that arise, reflect your strengths, make helpful suggestions, and celebrate your progress.

I may provide psycho-education on various health and wellness issues or guide you towards readings and videos that shed light on your situation. If you are willing, I can provide engaging exercises and activities to work on outside of sessions to help speed up your progress and recovery.

During sessions, you may feel vulnerable and feelings can arise. Know that I will provide a safe and accepting environment for you to express sadness, anger, fear, confusion, shame, happiness or any other emotion that may arise. Experiencing, accepting, expressing, and then releasing emotions can bring relief and a clarity to your situation. By the end of the session, you may feel lighter, clearer, stronger, and empowered to use what you learned in session to go forward in your life.

“Is my confidentiality completely protected?”

By law I am bound to protect your confidentiality. However, there are a few times when  I am mandated to report information in order to protect you or someone else. This includes abuse of a child or vulnerable adult or a threat to self or another person.

Also a word of caution about insurance. If you want to use your insurance to pay for therapy, it will be necessary for me to provide the information required by your insurance company which will include a diagnosis. On rare occasions, insurance companies request treatment summaries which may include symptoms, functionality, goals, and progress.  If this is the case, I will discuss what I will disclose to your insurer. At all times, I will protect your personal and confidential information.

“Do you take my insurance?”

I may take your insurance and then we will make sure you are covered, whether you have a deductible or co-payment and how many sessions you are allowed.

If I don’t take your insurance but your insurance covers out-of -network providers, you will received a receipt of services to submit for reimbursement. This Super bill will contain information your insurance company needs to reimburse you for your out-of-pocket payment during services rendered.

However, if you decide you want to see me and I don’t take your insurance,  here are a few reasons to consider doing self-pay. I do provide a sliding scale.

• Therapy is about a good fit. Research demonstrates that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is the number one factor in positive outcomes. If you think my approach and personality are what you are looking for, then maybe it is worth investing in yourself. (Think about how often you spend money to avoid negative feelings.)
• You have more confidentiality without an insurance company. You will not have a diagnoses on your records, unless you want and need a diagnosis to facilitate your recovery.
• You determine how long you need treatment- some insurance companies limit the number of sessions.
• You may be more invested in your recovery if you have “some skin in the game”. Research shows that people who self-pay are more motivated to make changes.
• The value of health and wellness is priceless!!

“How do I get started?”

Go to my contact page and call, email, text, or use the provided field to contact me.