Frequently Asked Questions About Counseling
How do I know if I need counseling?
You may need counseling if you are experiencing emotional, spiritual, mental, or relational problems that are interfering with your work, relationships, or other aspects of daily functioning. You may need counseling if your attempts to resolve these issues on your own have not led to improvement. Needing counseling is not a sign of weakness or disease. Pain and difficulty are a part of life and seeking counseling is an incredibly brave step towards truly facing and dealing with problems and issues. It is also important not to wait until the situation or your life is completely desperate to seek counseling. The sooner you seek help the better the outcome.
What is the process of becoming a counseling client?
You may call or email me to set up a 15 minute phone consultation to make sure that I am the right provider for your needs. If we both agree it's a good fight then we will schedule an intake appointment. Upon scheduling, you will be emailed a link to complete all intake paperwork electronically before your first appointment. Once you submit the paperwork, it will be automatically uploaded to me and I will review the documents before our initial session. The initial session will consist of questions related to your intake paperwork, getting to know one another, and making a tentative plan for treatment.
How frequent are counseling sessions?
To ensure effective treatment, counseling sessions are scheduled weekly for most issues. As treatment progresses and improvement occurs, sessions will reduce in frequency.
How long will I need to attend counseling?
The average length of treatment is 6-12 months, but this varies greatly depending on the issues and the individual needs of each client. Length of treatment is also dependent on how hard you are willing to work inside and outside of sessions to grow and apply what you have learned.
Do I have to be a Christian to attend counseling with your practice?
You do not have to be a Christian to attend counseling with my practice. I have clinical experience in a community mental health setting and have counseled many people who do not share my spiritual beliefs. I will not preach to you or push my spiritual beliefs onto you. I will respect wherever you are spiritually. However, it is important for you to know that I will not use any counseling techniques or approaches with you that are contrary to my Christian faith and worldview. If you desire to know more about Christianity or Jesus Christ, I am more than willing to review with you the basic tenets of the faith.
Will counseling be confidential?
Yes. All client-counselor conversations are private and confidential. It is also confidential information that a person is meeting with a counselor. Professional association guidelines plus federal and state laws underscore the importance of confidentiality in counselor-client relationships and govern the release of records. Only in rare exceptions when the safety of a client or other is at risk can disclosure of confidential client-therapist information take place.
What do I do if this is an emergency?
If you have immediate concern that you may harm yourself or someone else, do not wait to schedule an appointment with my practice. Please call 911, go to your local emergency room, or call the Missouri Crisis Hotline at 1-888-279-8188. After you receive acute care, you may call me to schedule outpatient treatment.
