DO YOU OFFER FREE CONSULTATIONS?
No, I am not offering free consultations. I understand the need to make sure you are a good fit with the counselor you choose. I have found that consultation sessions tend to delve into a client’s situation and issues and I don’t feel comfortable discussing private topics until we’ve had the opportunity to go over your rights with confidentiality/privacy. My hope is that my web site will aid you in making the best choice for care.
WHY SHOULDN’T I TRY TO JUST WORK THROUGH THIS ON MY OWN?
First off, good for you for even considering counseling. Even the small step of reaching out is hard but courageous! Understandably, pursuing counseling can be intimidating and uncomfortable if you are unfamiliar. Oftentimes we have many great support systems in place—family, friends, and a spiritual community. Those are all great outlets to share and express our feelings but sometimes you need additional help to move through to the other side of healing. Expressing hurts is an important step in the process to be sure but that alone won’t move you through healing. Counseling provides you opportunities to go deeper and confront past traumas using techniques and approaches that are evidence-based and known to provide relief.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A THERAPY SESSION?
This depends on your situation. First and foremost, my belief is that the alliance that you and I create together is an important aspect of therapy. Whether I am seeing you for couples counseling or individual therapy, I want our sessions to have structure. I do not want to engage in “talk therapy” in which you just talk and I listen. Instead, we will work through a structured process that includes creating goals and following a treatment plan. Ultimately, the goal is to identify the areas where change or help is needed, set realistic objectives, and to equip you with resources and strategies for both near-term and long-term success.
I strongly believe that a good counselor is always working themselves out of a job and our goals collectively should be to equip you to use resources and tools that will allow you to safely move on from counseling. This doesn’t mean I don’t see clients on an as-needed basis because that is common too!
DO I HAVE TO SHARE THINGS I DON’T WANT TO?
Certain topics or stories can be difficult to share, and that’s common and okay. You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to, or that makes you uncomfortable. It’s important to build a trusting relationship between therapist and client, but our sessions always progress at a pace that you feel ready for. Please also know that your confidentiality is protected if privacy is a concern you have (see question below).
ARE THERAPY SESSIONS CONFIDENTIAL?
Yes. Confidential information disclosed in private therapy sessions is legally protected. There are a few legal exceptions that we’ll over in our initial session, so you fully understand your right to privacy.
If you’d like to learn more about ethical standards and privileged communication exceptions, I am happy to provide additional information. We’ll go over these in our initial session.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
It varies by person, couple, and situation. Because therapy is tailored to a specific person and the goals and challenges that person is facing, there’s no pre-defined period of time for ongoing therapy sessions. This is something we will discuss together after I have done an intake on your situation. It’s not uncommon for therapy to span several sessions over a period of weeks or months. Individual sessions are 60 minutes in length.
SHOULD WE BE IN INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING OR COUPLES COUNSELING?
If your marriage is facing issues and you would both like to work together on the marriage, I am trained in Gottman Method Couples Therapy and would work with both of you together as a couple. After this work, if one of you would like to continue in individual sessions, I work with one of you, and we will fill out paperwork to transition to individual counseling (per American Counseling Association Code of Ethics A.6.d). It is not ethical for me to see you in marital counseling while also seeing you both individually (per American Counseling Association Code of Ethics A.8). I can also refer one or both of you to trusted colleagues. I’m happy to clarify this with you directly as it can be confusing!
DO YOU TAKE INSURANCE?
I currently accept Anthem BCBS, Aetna, Oxford, United Healthcare, Horizon Blue Cross, Cigna, Oscar Health, and Anthem Massachusetts insurances. If you want to see me out of network, I can provide you with an invoice summary of sessions that you can submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement. You should contact your insurance provider for questions and information.
WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?
Your appointment time has been reserved exclusively for you. If you need to cancel your appointment, please contact me at least 24 hours in advance of your session. Sessions in which you do not show or cancel with less than 24-hour notice will be charged at the full rate.
HOW DOES ONLINE VIDEO COUNSELING WORK?
I offer secure, HIPAA-compliant online video counseling for clients who live anywhere in the state of Colorado. I also offer online video counseling for clients who generally attend in-office sessions but have found themselves unable to do so due to crisis, weather issues, travel, or illness. Many like this option as it saves them from infringing too much on an already-busy schedule.
I ensure you have the right technology on your end to have a proper counseling session. There are some privacy limitations since I can’t thoroughly secure someone from walking into the session on your end as I could properly do in my own office. We would thoroughly discuss this beforehand.
Many clients have found online video counseling services to be supportive and helpful. Studies have shown that secure video chat counseling are as effective, and in many cases more beneficial than routine face-to-face counseling. Occasionally, clients experience days when more emotional support is needed outside of their regularly scheduled session and online video counseling allows for additional guidance, assistance, and encouragement. Session fees are the same as your regular, individual fee.
HOW DOES WALK-AND-TALK COUNSELING WORK?
I’m currently pausing Walk-and-Talk sessions due to the seasonal extremes during my hours of operation. The season for Walk-and-Talks works best in late summer/early fall.
DO I HAVE TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WALK-AND-TALK COUNSELING?
No! Some of our options include walking on a trail, around a neighborhood, or in a local park; or sitting on a bench or a rock. The focus in not on the physical exercise, but on the session itself. Please don’t expect to get a vigorous workout, as this is not the focus of our work together.
DO YOU OFFER CHRISTIAN COUNSELING?
I get this question because people see that I am doing my master’s work at Colorado Christian University. I do offer faith-based counseling but you do not need to be of any faith to have counseling at Mending Hearts Counseling. All you need is a desire to change your life and the readiness to show up and do the work. Although my training has been primarily in Christian settings, I have learned techniques, strategies and approaches that are mainstream to psychology and psychotherapy. I respect your values and where you are in life. Some clients prefer for faith to be an integral part of their therapy process; others prefer to leave spirituality at the door. The main way that my own personal faith will show up is through my commitment to see you as a wonderfully unique, imperfect [but treasured!], struggling [but resilient!], human being in need of love and belonging. Wherever you may be in your walk, there is space for you here!
ARE WE A GOOD FIT?
That is a question that only you can answer! Trust your intuition and ask a lot of questions. After a few initial sessions, if you feel like I “get” you where you are, that’s a good sign. If it feels like we’re not connecting, that’s alright—I won’t take it personally! Please let me know, and I will gladly point you towards someone else who may better serve you. Your journey toward health is most important to me.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to email me at info@mendingheartscounseling.com!
START THE HEALING
Don’t let another day go by! If you live in northern Colorado (Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Loveland), call to make an appointment today. I will return your call within 24 hours.