Q: What are your fees and do you charge for your initial consultation?
A: I charge a one-time administration fee of $30 at our initial meeting, but the regular $150 session fee is waived for consultation.
Q: How will I know if you are the right counselor for me or my family?
A: Our first meeting will give you an opportunity to ask questions about me, my experience, and the type of therapy or counseling I provide.
Q: Do you diagnose mental illness or prescribe medicines?
A: We can talk about your concerns with either issue, but I will likely refer you to another clinician or psychiatrist if this is a high priority.
Q: You say you make house-calls, does this cost extra?
A: No, I do not charge extra coming to your home. We can discuss home sessions during your first office visit if this is something that will be helpful for you.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: I do not accept insurance for several very important reasons. The first is that insurance will only pay if a mental diagnosis is given. Secondly, the label/diagnosis given will follow you or your child for the rest of your/their life and will likely limit opportunities in the future. Another reason is that once your personal information is in the hands of insurance companies, your confidentiality is compromised. In cases of divorce, such information can work against you in custody agreements. Having said this, if you still want to utilize insurance to pay for you or your child’s care, you are free to submit your bill to them yourself for reimbursement. I am not on any insurance panels, but I am licensed and that is all most PPO insurance providers require for out of network providers.
Q: Do you accept credit or debit cards for payment?
A: Yes.
Q: Some therapists suggest a year or more of counseling will be needed before we will see results, what kind of a commitment do you ask from your clients?
A: I believe in brief therapy. My goal is to help you identify your problems, learn the skills you need to experience the relief you are seeking, and assist you in connecting with resources that will continue to support you. I do ask that clients commit to 4 sessions, although I will check-in with you at the end of every session for your level of comfort on continuing. After this initial assessment phase is completed we will decide together what will be appropriate for your situation on a week to week basis.
Q: How does family counseling work?
A: You and your family will learn how to solve problems and express thoughts and feelings in non-threatening ways. You may want to explore the roles within the family and look to identify behavior patterns in order to recognize strengths, weaknesses, and/or issues that contribute to conflict within the family. You will set goals that all members can achieve and learn positive ways to interact and overcome challenges.
Q: What is the likelihood that counseling will help?
A: I believe counseling is most successful if two things happen: 1- the client brings their whole authentic self into the session and, 2- the client is willing to use what they learn to support an authentic life outside of our sessions.
Q: What are the risks or benefits of counseling?
A: Counseling can be both beneficial and risky. Risky because counseling often involves acknowledging unpleasant aspects of your life, which may mean you experience uncomfortable feelings like disappointment, sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, counseling has also been shown to bring the benefits of transformative fulfillment, joy and insight. Successful counseling often leads to healthier relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.
Q: My partner/son/daughter says s/he doesn’t want to come to therapy because all you do is sit around and talk about problems… what should I say to them?
A: S/he is right… many therapists and counselors rely on “talk” therapy to help their clients, but there are many who also provide Behavior therapy, Cognitive therapy, Art therapy, Play therapy, Somatic therapy, and others.
I offer a range of therapies that help to heal/teach/encourage/support children and their families; working from a Transpersonal/Humanistic/Ecological approach.
Which means:
· I believe in treating/supporting the whole person.
· I work from a strength-based, solution-focused position.
· I recognize that every person is a cultural, psychological and spiritual being.
· I teach strategies and skills to promote healthy and authentic positive living.
· I always consider the developmental, cultural, social aspects that impact my clients.
· I support my clients in their creation of an environment in which their ideal potential can be realized.
· I believe that PLAY is healing and is a valuable introduction for the child into the world of learning and is healing for children of all ages.
· I believe in promoting a sense of wonder and gratitude for the world
· I promote sustainable living for a sustainable earth by supporting a deepening awareness of one’s emotional and social functioning.
· I seek to help people find balance, connection, and healing through their relationships with the natural world and with other people.
My approach is effective for dealing with many of life’s challenges, but it is also useful for people who are functioning reasonably well and yet feel like something is missing or they are stuck in a negative cycle.