Service
I attend to detail and quality, and I generally work with a long-ranging view. I pay particular attention to lifespan development, biology and ecology (nature), mystery (self-acceptance), and the functional aspects of existence in both internal and external contexts (practice). My approach is essentially person-centered, nature-based and holistic. My intention is to promote your own personal sense of health and well-being, thus promoting the overall health and well-being of the our community. Though clients' goals for therapy are various, I aim to truthfully and carefully engage with you in the present to identify needs, open meaningful exchange, and humbly accompany and support your direction and healing. I hope to cultivate lasting learning with you and assist you in discovering new ways of understanding and embracing yourself and your native life. In our time together, your growth is my primary concern.
I work with individuals across the lifespan in psychotherapy, as we search for workability and sustainable health collectively and individually. I offer potential clients a complimentary, brief consultation for us to see how we might work together before beginning. Couples therapy is offered upon consultation only. Groups are periodically offered, so please inquire if interested.
I work with individuals across the lifespan in psychotherapy, as we search for workability and sustainable health collectively and individually. I offer potential clients a complimentary, brief consultation for us to see how we might work together before beginning. Couples therapy is offered upon consultation only. Groups are periodically offered, so please inquire if interested.
Though not much is known until we sit down with each other, here is some of what you can expect getting started: Initial paperwork usually takes 10 - 15 minutes to complete. The first session lasts an hour, and we typically explore a breadth of background information at some depth, get a picture of your most pressing concerns, and discuss logistics as needed. Subsequent sessions for individual psychotherapy last 50 minutes and usually occur weekly or semi-weekly; sometimes more and sometimes less depending on your wants and needs. If you use the online DocMeIn scheduling portal, once you make an appointment I'll receive an email notification of your request. If you plan on using your insurance coverage, find out what your mental health benefits are before scheduling your first appointment. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, I require a 24-hour notice. A cancellation fee is charged for missed appointments without proper notice (exceptions are made with discretion for emergencies).
What it can include:
- Resource lists, handouts, references, videos, etc. germane to your goals.
- Parent/guardian consultations in the case of therapy with child(ren) or adolescent(s) when appropriate.
- Referral information for other relevant professionals when appropriate.
- *Writing letters to related professionals germane to your needs (psychiatrists, teachers, doctors, etc.) providing information about the course of therapy when appropriate.
- *Brief phone conversations with related professionals on your behalf when appropriate.
- Occasional brief phone consultations between sessions during business hours when appropriate.
- E-mail contact between sessions to share information or check in.
Forms & Insurance InformationYou'll need to fill out some forms in order for us to get started. It usually takes about 10 or 15 minutes to go through and complete. Below, the "Welcome Packet" contains everything you'll need.
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Adults
Minors
Parents/Guardians will need to cosign these forms.
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I am in network with BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), Aetna and Humana insurance providers. If your insurance is with a different company, then we might be able to use your out-of-network benefits to cover some of the cost of therapy. It's important to contact your insurance provider and ask about your mental/behavioral health coverage.
Practicing under GA State license number LPC006910
Expires 9/30/2020
Practicing under GA State license number LPC006910
Expires 9/30/2020
5 things to know about starting psychotherapy...
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Got questions? Excellent. Here are a few frequently asked ones:
That being said, sometimes there is mental illness to identify and address. Regardless, people come to therapy bravely out of a decision to seek health and wholeness with another (therapist), which typically results in increased satisfaction, joy, peace, and purpose. Often human beings can lose touch with their sense of self, identity, and wholeness, or encounter painful and extreme experiences which wound a fundamental sense of trust and ability to connect. Therapy is often about relearning skills, restoring direction, reclaiming essence, and experiencing a safe relationship focused on rediscovering your Self as a healthy, joyful and whole person; and a whole person vitally existing in a collective. Anxiety, depression, addiction are often symptoms. Symptoms of what?
Unattended psychological wounds, chronic emotional pain, social suppression, and increasing environmental pressure appear to be pervasive among us humans worldwide. We are continuously shown evidence for how powerful that impact can be on us. Psychotherapy can help you cope with and reduce stress, reinvigorate worthiness, reignite creativity, make new meaning, rediscover purpose, cultivate healthy relationships, reconnect with love, restore peace, heal from trauma, and the list goes on. You get to decide what it will be for you. Among other things, psychotherapy is a process designed to help you discover your most satisfying and rewarding way of being in this world.
With broader strokes I can point to some of what the literature suggests about what makes psychotherapy effective. The simple answer is the relationship. A healthy relationship built on safety, communication, trust, and respect is one of the two strongest predictors of psychotherapy effectiveness. The mutual belief that psychotherapy will be helpful is the other. Advances in neuroscience and the development of interpersonal neurobiology show us that the brain physically changes in response to our environments and our relationships with each other, and its own firing patterns (neurons that fire together wire together); this is called neuroplasticity, and it teaches us that we can change our brains and alter the way we experience our lives, the World, and each other. These advances in neuropsychology reveal that healthy relationships literally change our brains and confirm their power to change life. We can have new interpersonal experiences that act as springboards for helping us get to new places in our lives. The therapeutic relationship can be one of these. With caring attention at the foundation, many therapists regardless of theoretical orientation or training honor the client-therapist relationship and work to establish a safe space in which psychological work can be done.
In my experience, coming weekly is fairly standard and seems to work best especially in the beginning as the process is getting started and gaining momentum. That would be four doses of psychotherapy per month, to put it a different way. Coming twice a month may allow for a less intensive experience, and twice a week can increase it.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in using medicine to treat symptoms of classified psychiatric disorders, and other mental healthcare needs. Many psychiatrists practice psychotherapy and hold a comprehensive view of healing. If you're interested in psychiatry, it is important to ask them about how they practice. |