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Counseling Frequency Asked Questions

How Do I Know if I Can Benefit from Counseling?

Certain feelings or behaviors may indicate that speaking with a counselor could be beneficial to you. Some situations that are likely to cause emotional distress include:

Difficulties with sleeping, eating, academic performance, concentration, and/or relationships with others
Feeling overwhelmed and unable to perform day to day activities
Constant worrying
Disturbances in sleep
Feelings of prolonged sadness and loss of interest in your usual activities
Feelings of depression, extreme fatigue and lethargy
Thoughts of suicide or wanting to hurt yourself in some way
Mood swings, increased irritability or angry outbursts
Violent or extremely disruptive behavior, such as threats to other people, feelings of hostility and anger, or homicidal thoughts
Engaging in arguments or assaults
Family issues
Feeling "stuck" or disassociated
Substance abuse and/or other addictions
Sexual abuse, assault or domestic violence
Difficulties related to illness or disability
Adjustment issues
Grief and loss about someone or something
Unwanted pregnancy
The need to talk to someone

How Can I Best Benefit from My Counseling Sessions?

Accepting certain responsibilities will make the counseling process more beneficial to you.

Think about your specific concerns and why you are seeking counseling.
Discuss openly the course of a treatment plan with your counselor.
Work towards establishing specific goals.
Attend your sessions as scheduled and arrive on time.
Consider what you would like to discuss before the session.
Be willing to explore behavioral changes outside of your sessions.
Complete your homework tasks if assigned.
Discuss and monitor your progress with your counselor.

What is Psychological Counseling?

Psychological counseling is a process that helps people at various stages of personal development who are seeking help to cope with and understand the personal issues in their lives that are causing them concern and affecting their quality of life.

The goal of counseling may be to:

Facilitate the process of growth and adaptation to life’s challenges.
Prevent further stress by drawing on the individual’s psychological resources.
Help you examine behaviors, thoughts and feelings that may be causing difficulty in your life and learn effective ways to deal with them.

Is Everything I Discuss in Psychological Counseling Confidential?

As a counseling client, your confidentiality is guaranteed within the boundaries of the client/counselor relationship. We have a legal obligation to protect your privacy. For more information, read our Confidentiality, Disclosure and Informed Consent statement.

Limitations to confidentiality will occur when:

There is clear and imminent danger to you or to others.
There is reason to believe that someone under the age of 18 was being abused.
Legal requirements demand that confidential information be disclosed. If this should occur, every attempt will be made to inform you before any confidential information is released.

I Have Never Been Involved in Counseling Before, What Should I Expect for My First Meeting?

This is a great question, especially since doing something you've never done before may cause some discomfort or bring up feelings of fear or insecurity. At The Japanese Lantern, we pride ourselves in creating a safe space to express and discuss any of your concerns.

Being nervous is not an uncommon feeling. Remember, your willingness to meet with a counselor suggests that you desire to confront whatever it is that is causing you distress. Take a moment to acknowledge and applaud that. That's a HUGE first step. So, now that you made the appointment, here are a couple more points to help you prepare.
Prior to your first session, you will be asked to complete intake paperwork. This is to ensure your best interest is at heart and to understand more of the presenting problems at hand. During the initial meeting, we will begin to build rapport together and discuss the circumstance(s) behind what brought you into counseling.
Finally, before the session draws to a close, the counselor may take a few minutes to summarize what you discussed and the two of you together will determine appropriate goals for therapy. Once those are explored and confirmed, you and your therapist will decide on the next appointment time.

What is Your Cancellation Policy?

To cancel a scheduled Neurofeedback and Counseling session, a minimum of 48 hours in advance of your session is required. If prior and timely notification is not given, you will be charged the full session fee for the missed session. A cancellation over 48 hours will be charged $65.

Do You Take Insurance?

No, I do not accept insurance at this time. If you would still like to work with your insurance, your insurance may provide some reimbursement. To help, I can provide a superbill upon request, or you can pay with HSA.

About Your Right to Receive a Good Faith Estimate of Expected Charges

Under the law, as a health care provider, I will give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

This estimate is called a "Good Faith Estimate" and explains how much your Neurofeedback and Counseling services will cost. Here are a few key things you should know about your Good Faith Estimate:

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
You may ensure that I give you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 3 business days before your Neurofeedback and Counseling services or item. You can also ask me for a Good Faith Estimate prior to scheduling.
If you receive a bill that is $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
It's recommended that you save a copy of your Good Faith Estimate for your records.

For further information, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.

Have Questions? We are all ears.

Get in touch so we can connect. Please allow up to 24 hours Monday-Friday for a response.