Frequently Asked Questions

Once we make contact, a conversation of about 15 minutes will occur where I will ask a few questions to get to know you better and the reason you’re seeking a particular service from me. This will help us see if we’re a good match for one another and, ultimately, help me see if I can be of help to you. If that’s the case, then we will set up the first appointment. However, if either of us sees that perhaps another therapist may be better suited, I can help you navigate to connect with someone else.  

Absolutely. What is brought into the counseling space stays in the counseling space. This is not only because I respect your privacy and what you share but also because, as licensed professional counselors, we are legally and ethically bound to keep confidentiality. There are, however, breaches of confidentiality, which we will discuss more in our first session, but here is the gist:

• If there’s a life-threatening situation and you’re in immediate danger to yourself or someone else

• If there’s abuse that involves a child or vulnerable adult

• If I am ordered by a judge to disclose information

• If you provide me permission (called a Release of Information form) to share information with a 3rd party (e.g., family members, another healthcare provider, etc.)

Currently, all sessions are conducted virtually. I will send you a Telehealth checklist to help guide you through it and prepare you before the first session.

Yes. Due to my unique position in serving the East Coast while on the West Coast, there may be a good chance I can accommodate to fit your schedule. Regardless, the option for afternoon and evening appointments is available, but I will advise you to book sooner rather than later if you need those specific time slots as they tend to fill up quickly.

Our first session will last up to 90 minutes because I will need to review legal documents like policy and procedures, your rights, etc., to ensure you understand what it’ll be like having Pathway to Rediscovery Counseling Services as your mental wellness provider.

Afterward, we’ll dive into your reasons for seeking therapy, review your history (as much or as little as you’re ready to), and have a sense of direction (goals) you want to work towards. Ultimately, this session, which may take more than one, will help us understand whether we’re a good therapeutic match.

Subsequent sessions will typically last 50 minutes, and we’ll utilize that time to work towards your goals. These sessions are your sessions, meaning it is your time to bring what you need and want to work on into the space. I say that to say… there’s as much structure and flexibility as desired. Every session will be different because you are unique, and your experience will be your experience.

As for me, I won’t be the one to tell you what to do, how to think or feel. I will just be here to help you do that for yourself. I will do my best to bring my knowledge and skills to honor your unique self and help guide you where you want to go.

We are all unique, and the amount of sessions needed depends on various factors. Some people may choose more of a short-term approach to address their concerns, whereas someone else may choose a more long-term approach as there may be multiple concerns or new ones that come up.

Regardless, you get to decide, and you will know. That will be something we will discuss throughout our time together and when the time has come to end therapy.

I offer holistic therapy, meaning I integrate various approaches to best suit you and your needs, enabling you to tap into the answers and tools possessed within. Though there are quite a few tools in my counseling toolbox, there are two modalities I most often use (as I sprinkle in the others from time to time) that I have noted offer the most flexibility. The first one aligns more with traditional talk therapy, Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. It is a core to my therapeutic foundation and one approach most parallel to my usual practice, as it homes in on what is in your control, empowering you to make the choices most aligned with your preferred outcome.

However, I understand there may be better approaches than traditional talk therapy. Therefore, another approach I often provide as a choice to my clients is Brainspotting, which allows the client to process their presenting issue from another part of their brain, offering the client further flexibility in their healing process and granting the brain to heal itself. With this approach, you have the choice to share as much or as little as you want to as you notice the brain-body work together to resolve it. Because this modality connects with the unconscious parts of us, it produces rapid results in areas like trauma and sports performance.

If you are looking for a Christian, faith-based approach, I'm also happy to incorporate that.

I’m glad you asked this question because I want to ensure you’re an informed consumer.

One reason I don’t take insurance is so that you are in control of your care, including choosing your therapist, length of treatment, etc. Insurance companies can dictate how long they’ll cover sessions or require going through red tape to have sessions approved. Another reason is for increased privacy and confidentiality (except for limits of confidentiality); multiple hands are involved when insurance is billed.

Furthermore, if you use your insurance, your therapist is required to give you a mental health diagnosis, which can negatively affect you in the future, especially in communities of color. Not all reasons people go to therapy indicate a diagnosis, and because I don’t work from a medical model and offer more of a holistic therapeutic approach, providing a mental health diagnosis is not necessary.

Lastly, insurance will not allow for consulting with me on non-psychiatric issues that are important to you and aren’t billable by insurance, such as learning how to cope with life changes, gaining more effective communication techniques for your relationships, increasing personal insight, and developing healthy new skills. 

Ultimately, not taking insurance allows me to provide more individualized care to my clients.

(Some of the above verbiage adapted from The Private Practice Setup, 2023)

Not at all! Pathway to Rediscovery is open to serving anyone from any background. I did put an emphasis on those populations because, in the areas I’ve served, therapeutic spaces were limited for those who identify in these communities, and I want to make it known and clear for those seeking a space that honors them.

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