FAQs About Counseling

No, I do not offer marriage or premarital counseling. However, I am very well connected in Hot Springs, so if there is a topic I cannot help you with, I will do my best to find someone who can!

I am not directly paneled with any insurance, but I am connected to some as an out-of-network provider. What that means is, if you have out-of-network benefits, you will pay me for therapy and then get reimbursed by your insurance provider. I am also connected with a few EAPs, including Empathia, Beacon, New Directions, ComPsych, Southwest EAP, and Arkansas EAP. Not being directly connected with insurance allows me a lot more time to spend (outside of your session) to research what will help you specifically, if I need to.

Christian Counseling is the integration of Christian principles and values into the therapeutic process. God’s Word has a lot to say about how our souls can heal. It is important to connect with what God says about how to live our lives in harmony with His best plan for us. When we go through struggles, it is important to remember His love for us. Christian Counseling gives the opportunity for me as your counselor to remind you that He can bring healing to your life.  

I recommend that you bring a notebook to therapy, to write down concepts you learn and techniques that you want to practice during the week. Then, during the week you can make notes about whether specific strategies worked, so we can review that and tweak it during the next session. During the first session we will clarify your goals for coming to therapy. I adjust to you, whether you need a gentle guide or a firm leader. At the beginning of sessions, I will ask you to quickly review how you week went, and to tell me what you want to work on specifically during that session. Feedback that you give me about how helpful (or not) I am being as your therapist is vital. When you tell me that you would rather focus on a different area, or that you need me to take a different approach, that helps me to tailor therapy specifically to you. As you progress and feel better, you will come for session less often, until you are at the point when you don’t need me anymore.

At the beginning, we will get a mental picture of what you want your life to be like when you end counseling with me. I will stick with you for as long as you need me, while we work toward you not needing me. We will space sessions out to every-other-week, then maybe once a month, as you adjust to handling life’s difficulties on your own. We discuss when to make your last appointment. After your last appointment, you can come back to me at any point in the future if you feel the need. If you are wanting to end therapy before you feel that all of your issues have been addressed, please bring this up to me. We will discuss what hasn’t worked, and I will refer you to another therapist who I think can help you in a more effective way.