Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if therapy at Peace Begins Counseling is right for me?

Great question! Therapy is not a one size fits all, and finding a good match is essential to feeling supported, comfortable and empowered to make changes in order to reach your goals. My clients describe me as honest, insightful, caring and direct. I believe that during therapy, we are on a TEAM and work together to set goals that are reasonable, manageable and attainable in a time-sensitive manner. I am trained in and utilize evidence based modalities including brainspotting, exposure and response prevention, and a variety of cognitive behavioral techniques to help clients change thought and behavioral patterns that are simply not working! I offer a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation to see if working together feels like a good fit.

How long can I expect to be in therapy?

It depends! Sometimes therapy is short term, to address a specific goal or gain clarity in one aspect of life, and just a handful of sessions may be appropriate. Other times, therapy can last many months to years. It really depends on many factors and throughout our sessions, we will periodically check in to see how therapy feels and can assess the frequency of our sessions to make sure that it is working for you. Remember, therapy is YOUR time. It is about your needs and what feels right to you.

How often will we meet?

To start, meeting weekly or every other week is important to build rapport, develop a therapeutic relationship, discuss and begin to work on goals. I ask that all clients commit to meeting at least every other week initially. Therapy is a commitment and investment in your wellbeing, and therefore requires consistency. Over time, it is both common and appropriate for clients to meet less frequently as progress is made.

Am I welcome here?

Yes! All are welcome. Peace Begins Counseling welcomes all genders, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, religions, disabilities, etc. While I specialize in working with certain areas of mental health (see specialties section for details on these areas), I provide a non judgmental, open and curious mindset, and am open to learning, growing and welcome being challenged by my clients.

What will I be asked to do in between our sessions?

I believe that therapy is 10% what happens during session, and 90% what happens in between. This means that in order to see changes in your life, you have to do things differently than how you are doing them now. This could mean a mindset shift, adding new daily habits, practicing new ways of interacting with others, setting boundaries, and making time for self-care, etc. I often remind clients- “nothing changes if nothing changes!” So, while going to therapy in itself is a wonderful investment in your self-awareness and can benefit people in a variety of ways, what you do in between session truly matters, too!

What is the Good Faith Estimate and the No Surprises Act?

On January 1, 2022, congress enacted a “No Surprises Act”, which is a “new federal protections against surprise medical bills that take affect in 2022. Surprise medical bills arise when insured consumers inadvertently receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose”. Under the law, health care providers, including mental health providers, must give clients who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for their services. What does this mean for clients at Peace Begins Counseling?

If you are a self-pay client, and are not using your health insurance to pay for therapy sessions, you will be provided with a “Good Faith Estimate” detailing the cost per session, via Simple Practice, the HIPPA compliant platform that information is shared with you, confidentially.

For more information on the Good Faith Estimate and No Surprises Act, please click here