FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT DO CONSULTATIONS INCLUDE?
I offer free in person 30-minute consultations for the sake of you as a potential client to determine the nature of the support you need. In these consultations, I will ask general questions about what you are seeking counseling services for to better understand your goals and expectations. From there we determine whether or not we would be a good fit to work together. If I feel I can offer you adequate support and have room I will take you on as a client, if not I am able to refer other therapists to you who might be a better fit. These consults will be scheduled after first contact is made by you.
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WHAT IS A "GOOD FIT" BETWEEN CLIENT AND COUNSELOR?
As a client it is important you feel a sense of safety and are able to openly share with your counselor. As a licensed counselor I have a legal obligation to recommend you to other counselors if I determine I am not properly equipped in my practice to support the concerns you are encountering and feel that someone else would benefit you more.
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I DON'T HAVE A DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ETC. CAN I EVEN SEE A COUNSELOR?
Absolutely yes! Having a diagnosis of anxiety or depression is not a pre-requisite to being able to go to counseling. As I have stated before, I believe counseling can be for all persons... and this includes the "worried-well" who are those who by medical and mental health standards have no mental illness -but are for whatever reason experiencing situational or seasonal struggles due to generally external factors such as (grief/loss, major life transitions, motherhood struggles, family or marriage conflict, etc.).
I also accept clients who have no urgent and/or identified concern but wish to pursue growth as a person by pressing inwards and diving into greater understanding of themselves and patterns they hold.
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WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS AND EXPERIENCE?
I hold my Master of Arts in Counseling and am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Washington. I have been working in private practice for four years and also have two years of experience in working with persons with severe mental illness and persons in active mental health crises. These experiences, have greatly impacted my skills and development as a counselor.
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DO YOU TAKE INSURANCE?
I currently do not as I am working under supervision and accruing hours towards full licensure. However I do take sliding scale payments (please contact me for more information on these).
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*Some insurance companies are able to reimburse out-of-network providers, however sometimes they do not recognize a provider like myself with an associate license. I encourage those who are interested in reimbursement to contact their insurance provider to see if they can provide this.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF I GET YOUR VOICEMAIL?
If you get my voicemail please leave a message with your name, number and good time to call back I will do my best to respond to you within 2 business days (Mon - Fri). If you do not hear from me feel free to call again as I have likely somehow not received your call or voicemail.
*Please note over holiday seasons I might not respond within this time frame but will get back to you once I have returned to the office.
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DO YOU WORK WITH PERSONS WITH EATING DISORDERS?
I currently do not work with people who have diagnoses of any type of eating disorder and if I suspect clients of mine are experiencing an eating disorder I will refer them to a specialist who works in that area.
I do hold the belief that almost all persons encounter some sort of disordered patterns and views about their body and relationship with food and/or exercise. These are common struggles that likely everyone works through at some point. While these types of patterns and views of self are not as visibly harmful as severe as eating disorders, when left to themselves they can sometimes develop into more serious eating disorders.
As I hold that belief, I do work with people who struggle moderately with their relationship to food and exercise or hold negative body image issues that impact their perception of self or contribute to anxiety and/or depression. I utilize techniques and share resources with these persons to help them develop self-compassion, body positivity, body kindness in these areas and am familiar with Healthy At Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating practices. Again if I am concerned about a more serious eating disorder I offer referrals and encourage clients to seek support from an eating disorder specialist.
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I SEE YOU MENTIONED WORKING IN MINISTRY AND THAT YOU WENT TO A CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY - WHAT IF I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN THOUGH, CAN I WORK WITH YOU STILL?
Great question! I currently work with clients who identify as Christians and those who do not. So no, I do not only work with Christians. Although that is an area of expertise and interest, by no means do I expect my all clients to conform to a Christian perspective in the counseling setting or in their lives outside of counseling. My belief is that counseling is about meeting people where they are at and it would be unethical of me to impose beliefs and values onto clients. If clients do identify as a Christian or any other religion for that matter, then we work together to decide how and if they want to incorporate that into their therapy.
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WHO DO YOU WORK WITH?
I currently only work with women and those who identify as women, 18 years and older.