What To Expect

The goal of therapy is to help you feel better, not feel more stress, and I do my best to provide a welcoming environment in which to do this important emotional work. It all starts with you reaching out to me, via email or phone. We’ll schedule a 15-minute phone consultation, with no obligation or cost. If I’m the right fit for your needs, we’ll schedule your initial session as soon as possible, so we can start addressing your concerns. The initial session typically lasts 1 hour, though longer sessions are available. I’ll email you some paperwork for you to complete prior to your first session. The first couple of sessions are usually focused around identifying the life challenge you’re facing right now, determine your goals for therapy, and discussing the therapeutic approach. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy; through collaboration, we’ll find the approach that’s right for you.

Both in-person and telehealth options are available. We can meet in-person as long as both you and I are healthy, follow health guidelines, and are comfortable with it. To protect against infection with COVID-19 or other communicable illness, there is an agreement that we both will sign as our commitment to following safety protocols. Another option is to meet via telehealth, using a HIPAA-compliant video platform. This option provides the flexibility to meet virtually from anywhere in Ohio.

Life happens, and sometimes appointments need to be cancelled or rescheduled. When this happens, I ask that you provide at least 24-hours notice. For late cancellations or no-shows, a cancellation fee is in effect. This fee is waived if diagnosed with or exposed to someone with a communicable illness, such as COVID-19. Alternatively, an in-person session can be changed to a telehealth session to avoid having to cancel.

I do not bill insurance. I have chosen not to participate in insurance panels for these reasons:
 

• In order for insurance to reimburse for counseling, you need to be diagnosed with a mental disorder. Most of my clients are not mentally ill, just unhappy and unfulfilled in their lives and relationships. And some common struggles, such as relationship conflict and grief, are not reimbursable by insurance.

• For some people, a diagnosed mental disorder is unwelcome in their health record. At times, such a diagnosis may get in the way of being approved for security clearances or may sway judges in child-custody hearings. By not taking reimbursement from insurance companies, I am not forced to label my clients; I simply treat the problems they bring to me, without a diagnosis.

• Insurance companies would require me to submit treatment plans and progress updates frequently, often every 4-6 sessions. This is usually done over the phone, and confidential personal and clinical information is usually required. By sharing your information with a third party, such as an insurance company, your confidentiality is compromised.

• Because I don’t take money from insurance companies, your confidential information can be found in one and only one place: my secure files. I am the only one with access to your file, unless you authorize me to communicate with someone else about your records. (Except as required by law.)

I accept cash, credit/debit cards, or Health Savings Account (HSA) debit cards, payable at the time of service.