You'll find your own way of speaking about who I am and the work we do together!
Contact me to find out for yourself what our work would look like.
I look forward to answering your specific questions.
What are the benefits of working with an out-of-network provider?
In brief, it allows you and your therapist to have greater flexibility and to make decisions about treatment that are fundamentally based on your needs and preferences along with your therapist's recommendations and clinical assessments rather than based on contractual limitations or obligations as negotiated with an insurance company.
What does that mean? Practically it can mean things like meeting two or three times in a week (for instance if you're in crisis or anticipating a trip out of town) without worrying about whether an insurance company only reimburses for one session a week. It can mean things like having as many sessions as we need rather than a limited number of sessions determined by diagnosis. In sum, private pay can allow us to together design a treatment that makes sense for you.
It is also important to note that it allows me as your therapist to spend more time with you and less time on billing. That means that more of my time, energy, and enthusiasm is spent face-to-face with you in our sessions and on preparing for our time together by reviewing your case and our plan for your treatment.
Moreover, some clients decide not to submit anything to insurance for reimbursement in order to protect their confidentiality. Some clients prefer that no third party be made aware of their decision to seek psychotherapy, and private pay is the only way to ensure that confidentiality. At times this decision is made due to a client's occupation, fears about being denied for health or life insurance in the future, or other such concerns. I can help you decide what decision fits best with your concerns and goals - either to submit to insurance for reimbursement or to decide not to.
What makes you distinct? Are you a Christian Counselor?
Great question! I address this question elsewhere on my website - please see here.
Someone recommended I get _____ therapy. Do you do that?
Sometimes someone in our lives might know us well enough to recommend a particular treatment for you, and likely it's something unfamiliar and in the form of an abbreviation. I draw upon a variety of "treatment modalites" that you may have heard of or may have had recommended. They include:
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What does therapy look like?
Everyone’s history and goals are unique, so therapy is different for each person. In general, in the beginning I get to know you and together we set goals and determine a structure for the treatment. Typically, we will meet once a week. While some problems improve after just a few visits, others will require much more time. Sometimes psychological testing may be helpful in providing additional information.
Sometimes medication or other medical treatment may be recommended in combination with our work together. Therapy works best when we have a relationship of trust and our work addresses your places of deepest motivation. Openness and authenticity, including about the relationship you have with me as your therapist, is an important part of the therapeutic process.
Every therapy session is strictly confidential and no information is given to anyone without the client's written permission except in specific limited cases, which are discussed in the first session. I’m happy to discuss any questions you have about this!
It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. It is difficult to make positive changes in your life if the engagement is limited to our sessions, which typically means about four hours a month. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, I may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process. This will help you meet your goals and do so in fewer sessions.
Do I need therapy?
Perhaps you're worried that your friends or family have been burdened by how you've leaned on them recently. Perhaps you've been successful in therapy in the past and would like to brush off the skills you learned there or use your new place of stability and insight to address further issues or concerns. Perhaps you feel effective, happy, and satisfied in some areas of your life but insecure, ineffective, or frustrated in others. Perhaps you've been on antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications and desire to couple those with talk therapy. Perhaps you've recently experienced a major life transition and want or need to process the impact on your mood, your identity, or your faith. Perhaps there's something you've wanted to address for a long time but have been afraid to say aloud or haven't had the hope before that you really could heal or transform that area of your life. Perhaps you're not sure exactly what you're looking for but you know you want something and are willing to use our time to explore what that is. Perhaps there's a decision you're getting ready to make that you want to process rather than make impulsively.
All of these (and many others!) are motivations that are common in people seeking therapy and are good matches with my skills and approach. Not sure? Please call me to discuss why you're considering therapy even if you haven't decided that now is the time or that I'm the right therapist for you so that we can discuss and discern together.
Therapy can provide encouragement, accountability, fresh perspective, and skills. Often people who come into therapy have tried other things on their own, and I will ask you about what you've found helpful and what has been less helpful. If making changes were easy, you would have done it already, and yet many people successfully accomplish their goals in therapy. Reaching out for help is not a failure on your part but a recognition and awareness that you may be more effective with the support of therapy. Let's find out if it's right for you.