You probably have questions. I hope I can answer many of them so you can get started with whatever you need. Most questions people want to read about pertain to starting counseling or therapy. But for any of the services I offer and discuss on this website, feel free to message or call me to discuss further questions and what is most important to you. Phone consultations are free.
Regarding Training and Supervision services:
How do I get started with you as a clinical supervisor?
I recommend an initial face-to-face meeting whenever possible at no charge. I understand you may want to meet with more than one potential supervisor. Depending on how comfortable you are with me as your supervisor at that 1st meeting, we may or may not have time to get into developing a contract and/or some structure to our working together. If not, we’ll decide together if we can complete that via phone and email or if another meeting is needed.
Do you work with interns, providing clients for me to see?
I no longer carry a caseload large enough to assure for being able to provide clients for interns to see for their counseling hours; and a solo home-based office is also not suited for students looking for internships. However, if I have a client I think could be helped by or okay with an intern sitting in on a session, that may be a possibility once in a while. In general, my supervisees should have their own clients elsewhere. I would welcome collaborating and/or liaising with your on-site supervisor for your clients.
Where do you offer your workshops and how do I register?
All the information about time and location should be on the announcement unless you are setting up the initial arrangement for me to put the workshop together. If you see something listed on the website and you don’t see a link that works for you to register, call or email me. If you’re trying to make a payment, you can also try the link under the “Contact” tab.
Will I get CEU’s?
I am in the process of becoming an approved supervisor to offer CEU’s from the National Board for Certified Counselors and will update these FAQ’s when that is finalized. Meanwhile, I may partner with other presenters to assure CEU’s are available. Also, for most clinicians, you can satisfy some of your continuing education requirements with relevant workshops and a certificate of attendance (which I will provide.)
Regarding Mental Health Assessment and Counseling services
How do I get started to make an appointment?
You can contact me a number of ways, but ideally, we will have a direct phone conversation before you come for your first appointment. I understand if you want to call and speak with a few potential counselors before making an appointment. When we talk on the phone first, we’ll discuss logistics- timing, location, and payment policies before I would want you to get into anything personal. But then, I would expect you to have some questions for me. Some questions I would recommend for choosing a counselor are:
- How long have you been a counselor?
- Do you have a particular theory of counseling you subscribe to?
- What’s your experience working with _________________?
- Are you more oriented to individuals or systems thinking when you see people?
- How do you handle urgent and or emergency calls?
For couples counseling, do we both need to come in the first time?
Ideally, yes. But there’s a lot we can do for me to get to know either one of you as an individual, if the timing works out better to start off that way. If one of you is reluctant to come in, I can help strategize if and when and how to get your partner to come in too.
Do you do mental health assessments to help with a custody evaluation or for divorce court if couples counseling doesn’t work?
My counseling work is aimed at supporting and empowering you to take charge of your own life and to do counseling, not to do court work. If an issue comes up for an existing client, I would discuss that on a case by case basis, but I do not take referrals for such evaluations.
Do you collaborate with other professionals?
I do believe in holistic and integrated care. So, if you are already seeing another professional for a service that may be related to your feelings, or I refer you to another professional, I would ask you to sign a release of information form for me to discuss mutual goals and concerns. Of course, that is your choice. Examples of other professionals may be other counselors, teachers, or medical doctors.
How much does it cost and why does it seem so expensive?
My fees are probably average and lower than some in the Washington Metropolitan region. You can read more about both the fees and using insurance under the link for “Rates and Insurance.” However, you should know that counseling fees cover a lot more than the single hour or 90-minute blocks of time you spend with a counselor. I do not charge for time I spend on the phone or on email, time I spend writing notes or researching suggestions or activities for counseling. In order for counselors to provide you quality service tailored to you, they have to make sure they don’t overwhelm themselves with too large a caseload that leaves no time for reflection, research, preparation, and administration. Additionally, counselors need to keep up with trends and research; and continually seek out ongoing education for themselves to stay current and maintain licensure.
How do I see or get a copy of my records?
I keep my notes to a minimum and they are hand-written, so it depends on your purpose for seeing them? Generally, if you are curious about what I keep in your record, I am happy to discuss your record in session or to review it with you in an appointment made for that purpose. If another provider would like a copy, it may take me some time to pull together a professional typed summary. How much time and how complicated the issues would determine whether or not there would be a charge. If you are asking for old records from being seen as part of couples or family counseling, I can only release information about you individually taken out of context or all parties need to sign off on the release of information.