FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about the Counseling Process
Going to counseling, either for the first time or to reinitiate after a break, might feel overwhelming and anxiety-provoking — you are not alone. Here are some FAQs to give you a sense of what to expect in the first session and during the counseling process.
Therapy can help you learn new tools for coping in healthy ways and explore where in your life you might be stuck. It can also help you fulfill your needs, enrich your strengths, and connect with yourself and others in meaningful ways.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) are forms of licensure for behavioral health professionals. Choosing a Licensed Counselor ensures that your counselor is competent, ethical, and professional, and has fulfilled all of the requirements mandated by the State to practice.
“Feminist therapy is an integrative approach to psychotherapy that focuses on gender and the particular challenges and stressors that women face as a result of bias, stereotyping, oppression, discrimination, and other factors that threaten their mental health. The therapeutic relationship, based on an authentic connection and equality between the therapist and the client, helps empower clients to understand the social factors that contribute to their issues, discover and claim their unique identity, and build on personal strengths to better their own lives and those of others” (psychologytoday.com).
Humanism is about recognizing the inherent good in people and helping an individual to self-actualize in a way that makes sense for them. Feminism recognizes that not everyone has an equal opportunity to self-actualize. Sexism, racism, and other forms of oppression make the playing field far from level. Feminism points out the historic inequality that has existed between those in the privileged and those in the marginalized groups. As a feminist therapist, I value the experiences of women as well as those who do not identify within the gender binary.
You will need to be physically located in Washington State and Connecticut State during the appointment. You will need a computer or phone with audio and video capabilities and access to internet connection. You should also have access to a confidential space during your sessions.
A therapy session lasts 55 minutes. The session can proceed in many different ways, but in general it will begin with a quick check-in of how you are feeling that day and any pertinent events that have been going on recently. I may then do a quick mindfulness body scan with my clients, inviting you to be present in your body and notice any tension, emotion, or blockage that might be showing up for you.
We then utilize the remainder of the session to process, to check in on goals we discussed the previous week, to discuss strategies for coping with any upcoming life events or challenges, to process past experiences that you would like to heal from, and/or set intentions for the next week. My main hope is to focus on what’s working for you and to empower and enrich that. The direction of the session comes from whatever you are needing at that time and how you can most effectively get those needs met.
Yes. Your sessions are never recorded. Your confidentiality is protected by Law and the only instances that I would need to break confidentiality is if I was concerned about your safety (i.e., you told me you had a plan to harm yourself or someone else) or if you reported child or elder abuse to me. This is something we will go over more thoroughly in the first session as I take confidentiality very seriously, want our time together to be built on trust, and want you to feel safe exploring anything you need to.
My fee is $150 per 55-minute individual session. Unless we make prior arrangements, payment is due at the time of service. If you have questions about this, please ask me.
Each person comes to counseling with their own unique experiences, personal story, and resources. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly how long it may take for you to feel that you have made enough progress to “go out on your own”. Some only need a few sessions to ‘tune up’ your internal resources and feel better; others may benefit from several months or even a few years of counseling.
In general, I tell people to try to commit to at least ten sessions, as this can be how long it takes to form the therapeutic relationship, set goals, and begin to see some change. This is a topic we will continue to check in on during our sessions whilst tracking your progress towards your goals. When you’re feeling more equipped with tools, you can space out your sessions and see how it feels to practice them outside of therapy and in your daily life.
I prefer not accept insurance plans. This is for several reasons, including that I feel that using insurance may present some risks to you. Most importantly, I value your confidentiality and working with insurance companies means giving them protected information about our sessions and your mental health. Some insurance companies limit the amount of sessions you can have, which very often does not coincide with the amount of sessions truly needed or wanted. I want your mental health to be in your hands and want you to have the flexibility and room to get to an emotionally healthy place without our sessions being dictated by others. Insurance companies require me to give every client a mental health diagnosis of a mental illness, and I just don’t view people as “illnesses.” Furthermore, these diagnoses can sometimes present difficulties down the road as they stay on your health record forever. If you have any questions or concerns, please call me and we can discuss a plan that will work for you to get the treatment that you need.
I also understand that some clients rely on their insurance to get them the care they need. Hence, I do work with a few insurance plans. Your benefits are based upon a contract made between you and your health insurance company. If you have any questions regarding your healthcare benefits, please contact your insurance directly. In the event your insurance company does not pay for any amounts due for your care, you agree to be responsible for that amount and that you will pay that amount. You are responsible for all costs for attempting to collect any debts owed on your account including attorney fees, interests, and late fees.
It’s very important that you and I feel we are a good fit to work together. I offer a complimentary video or phone consultation, usually about 15-20 minutes long. This will offer us a chance to get to know each other, for you to briefly tell me what you’re looking to work on, and for us to discuss what the counseling process will look like. If after this time you would like to schedule again, we will set up an intake session, which is a 50 – 75 minute session where I will learn much more detailed information about your story, your goals, and who you are as a person. We would then typically meet once a week until you feel ready to space out your sessions.
As I hold your appointment time just for you, I ask that you give me at least 24-hour notice if you need to cancel or change a counseling session. This is because I spend time prepping for our sessions and hold that time for you specifically. If you do not give me 24-hour notice, I will need to charge you the regular fee for your session.