Q: Do you take insurance?

ABC Therapy does not accept insurance. For therapy, you can receive a receipt for treatment upon request and file a claim with your insurance company. Coaching is not reimbursable through most insurance companies. 
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Q: What is the cost per session?

Each session costs $150.00   
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Q: How long does a session typically last?

Sessions typically last 50 minutes. 
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Q: What is the intake process like?

The intake lasts approximately 2-3 sessions and provides an opportunity for the therapist to learn about you, what is troubling you, and to establish treatment goals. It is also the time for the therapist to make sure she is the best fit for you. 
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Q: What is therapy like?

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word, “therapy?” Usually people say they imagine someone laying on a coach while a therapist sits in a chair and analyzes the hidden messages in their dreams. This type of therapy has been seen on many different sitcomes like Frasier, and even though this was a style of therapy many years ago and continues to be practiced by some, a lot has changed since good ole Freud started psychoanalysis. You can expect to see a couch in my office, but also expect to be able to kick off your shoes and approach sessions as a time for YOU to be understood, heard, and accepted.

Therapy looks and feels different with each person. I tailor each session to meet the specific needs of each client. This is not a cookie cutter approach! I use cognitive behavioral and mindfulness based interventions as foundations to each session, but I apply each intervention purposefully. I use humor in sessions and encourage clients to be their authentic self during our time together. A client can expect to have a safe space to discover his/her self and heal. I will ask the client to commit to challenging him/herself, and if one chooses to do this, I will help guide the client through making the necessary changes in his/her life to see results.
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Q: What if it doesn’t work?

Just like most things in life, there are risks in therapy. Although it is an effective mode of treatment for a variety of problems, positive results cannot be guaranteed. In order for therapy to be successful, you will be expected to do work between sessions, which may include assigned homework or consultation with other treatment providers. Additionally, because you will be discussing some unpleasant aspects of your life, it is important to recognize that you will likely experience some intense feelings. Not only is this normal, it is beneficial. If at any time I believe that therapy is not beneficial or other forms of treatment are required, I will make a recommendation. If at anytime, you do not believe therapy is beneficial, please discuss this with me in session.
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Q: What is confidentiality? 

Confidentiality is what makes the Counselor-Client relationship so special. For the most part, whatever the Client says in session, cannot be shared by the Counselor! Any information that the Counselor has about the Client, including the Client’s identity, the Client’s personal information, notes of what takes place during sessions, and all related materials are considered protected health information (PHI). This means that there are laws that protect the way this information is used and disclosed. For the most part PHI is kept strictly confidential between Counselor and Client, but there are times where that confidentiality may be limited. 
Duty to Protect/Warn: If the Client talks about abuse to a child (which includes physical harm, sexual activity or contact of any kind, and/or neglect) by law the Counselor is required to report this information. If the Client talks about physical and/or sexual abuse in connection with the Client’s legal spouse, an elderly person, or a person who is mentally ill to the point of being unable to defend themselves, by law this information must be reported by the Counselor. If the Client makes a threat to commit a violent or harmful act against a specific person (including against the Client him/herself) the Counselor is required to warn law enforcement and to take reasonable action to protect that threatened person.

Legal Situations :The Client’s protected information may also be disclosed without the consent of the Client in certain legal situations: A court may issue an order or a subpoena for the Client’s records or related testimony from the Counselor. Because of this risk, before the Client takes legal action, they should carefully consider with his/her legal counsel about the possibility of the Counselor and his/her records being subpoenaed and how that might influence those legal proceedings. If the Client lodges a complaint against the Counselor, the Client’s protected information may be disclosed to the applicable governing body in order for the Counselor to defend himself.

Supervision & Collaboration : As required by the rules of mental health counselor licensing, the Supervisor has access to the Counselor’s professional records and may receive other disclosures of the Client’s protected information from the Counselor. The Supervisor is bound by all the same confidentiality requirements that bind the Counselor (except for this one). Basically the Supervisor is there to make sure that the Counselor is working in a safe, professional, and legal manner in regards to the Client. There may also be times where it will be helpful for the Counselor to discuss the Client’s case with other mental health professionals to gain feedback and insight. In such cases no records will be shared and no protected information beyond the general details of the case will be discussed.
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In all these cases the Counselor will work to resolve each situation without disclosing any protected information when possible, and when it is not possible, the Counselor will work to expose as little of the Client’s protected information as is strictly necessary.
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Q:  What about medication vs. psychotherapy?

Psychiatry and Counseling are two separate fields. A psychiatrist prescribes medication while a counselor provides different forms of talk therapy. Medication is said to target "chemical imbalances" in the brain, but there is no convincing research to date that supports that medication is the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders or depression. In fact, most data shows that antidepressants drugs such as SSRI's rarely improve an individual's symptoms more than a placebo. In addition, the research indicates that CBT is the most effective treatment for both short and long term treatment of anxiety and depression (From "When Panic Attacks," Burns, 2006).  Now, medication can be necessary for certain disorders such as bipolar or schizophrenia, even severe cases of depression/anxiety, but medication in conjunction with CBT has proven to be the most effective. Cognitive therapy teaches you how to interpret the world differently to create new neural connections without medication. It has been empirically proven that emotional distress can be alleviated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at a rate that is more effective than medication alone. In conjunction, both methods of treatment can lead to effective results. Working with your medical doctor can help determine what is best for you.