Commonly Asked Questions​

1) What does the therapy process look like?

    Once you've had a phone consultation and decided to move forward, the next step is setting up an Initial Diagnostic session.  During this appointment we will focus on learning more about you, your experiences, and your perceptions in order to formulate what are the areas of change we are going to focus on. These areas of change are then made as specific as possible by creating a treatment plan.  A treatment plan focuses on goals to achieve change and specific steps to take in order to create this change.  A treatment plan is flexible, it is a guideline to help therapy stay focused and always being aware of what your goals are. 

​

2) What is the difference between a LIFE COACH, THERAPIST, COUNSELOR, PSYCHOLOGIST? 

   The terms therapist and counselor are the most used to describe those with degrees within the mental health field, with life coach and psychologist often getting thrown into the same basket.  It is important to know the difference when it comes to the professional degree the provider holds as this is indicative of years of education and a general or specialized focus, as well as what justifies how one promotes oneself as either a life coach, therapist, or psychologist. One thing to bear in mind, anyone who has a graduate level degree had to complete a formal four year college degree first and likely had to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to qualify for acceptance.

A quick break down of terms can help to clarify and assist you in finding the provider that best meets your education/experience preference. 

     Life Coach: These are professionals who partner with people to achieve personal and professional goals. They do not offer mental health services, such as individual therapy or any diagnostic services. Their focus is more on achieving specific goals focused on professional development and/or personal growth.  They may or may not have any higher or graduate level education and do not hold a professional license regulated by any board. 

     Master's Level Provider:  These are individuals who have some graduate school level education and are associated with the title THERAPIST and/or COUNSELOR. These programs are often 2 years in length and focus on clinical hands-on work.  Some Master's Level programs focus on training and then require a year of internship (unpaid clinical work) while others combine teaching and training simultaneously. They are required to hold a professional license that is monitored by a formal board (such as DORA in Colorado). They are not trained in formal psychological assessment. Licenses include, but are not limited to;  Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). 

    Doctorate Level Provider:  These are individuals with graduate school level education and are what qualifies someone to call themselves a PSYCHOLOGIST.  Most doctoral programs are 4 years with a full year of formal internship (with is done through a matching process similar to those obtaining degrees in medicine).  Most doctoral programs require participants to engage in unpaid clinical work simultaneous to the training portion and in addition to the formal 1-year internship. Some providers earn Master's Level degrees through their doctorate programs, while others have separate Master's and Doctoral degrees (this comes with 6 years of graduate education).  Doctorate level providers have formal education in psychological assessment and evaluation which can be applied to conducting formal assessments (such as cognitive functioning, mental health evaluations for legal proceedings, those requested for FMLA requests), as well as more finely tuned diagnostic evaluation.  These providers are also required to hold professional licenses that are monitored by a formal board. Degrees include; Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD; these are within mental health fields but more research based education) and Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD; this is more clinical hands-on in education).  These degrees come with an emphasized specialty focus.  

​

3) How often are therapy sessions?

    There is no set in stone answer to how often therapy happens. This is a case-by-case decision that includes multiple factors (time, availability, finances, readiness) and will be something we will decide together.  Typically when first beginning therapy, weekly meetings are most beneficial in order to help you feel stable as you're discussing tough things.  Once things feel more balanced, moving to every other week often makes sense.  And once people are feeling capable of standing on their own two feet, sessions may spread out to once a month or so just to ensure periodic "check-ups" are in place.  

​

4) What is Telehealth or Teletherapy?

   Telehealth or Teletherapy is a term used to refer to therapy sessions which take place virtually through a video platform (this is like the Zoom meetings some of us experienced during COVID lockdowns). These sessions allow you to stay in the comfort of your home/office/car and meet with me virtually.  I hold sessions through my home office which is secure and ensures both of our privacy.  Telehealth can be done through a mobile phone or computer.  When holding virtual sessions, my request is that you are located in a secure and private setting during the session so we may be genuine with each other with limited distractions. 

​​

5) What is behind the cost of self-pay?

    Cost is a huge factor in deciding to pursue individual therapy! Going through insurance can help lower the cost, but it also comes with an insurance system that "knows" your business and can limit the options of who you can choose from as your therapist.  I appreciate times are not easy and not everyone has expendable income they can put towards individual therapy. My rate is based on 1) my 22 years of education to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in counseling psychology and doctorate degree in clinical psychology and 2) my 22 years of experience and expertise within the field of mental health.  I know how hard it can be to ensure your income covers not only costs associated with just living life (ex: insurance, groceries, mortgage, other bills, kids, etc) while also having some left over to have some fun.   I honor the choice to cover the self-pay fees of individual therapy is not easy and I can only stive to ensure people will consider it "worth it" to have a therapist who honors that choice and is fully devoted to helping you achieve your goals quickly and effectively, as well as maintaining the tools needed to continue to navigate life independent from therapy. 

​

5) What if I discover we're not the most effective match?

    The reality is behavioral health providers are all taught basically the same information.  However, we are human too and we come in to therapy with our own personalities, beliefs, and experiences.  Sometimes these do not match up and create more havoc than benefit.  In therapy YOU are the leader.  It's YOUR goals we are working on and you need to ensure you are working with someone who can help you best achieve them. I encourage open and honest feedback and will ensure to assist you in finding your best fit, no matter what that looks like. 

​

6) I've started therapy, but I'm actually feeling worse...why?

    Imagine therapy is like releasing the water from a dam.  At first there is some relief as the water is finally flowing, however, for many they have not yet discovered the tools to handle the water flow and they can feel a bit overwhelmed until they learn the skills and have the tools necessary.  While it can feel a bit overwhelming, our work together is to teach you skills to handle that water being released. While it may feel a little unsteady at first, the tools will allow you to stand confidently in that water, even if its a bit higher than anticipated. 

​​