FAQ
Where is your office located?
The address to my Cool Springs office is:
1604 Westgate Circle, Suite 150
Brentwood, TN 37027
Look for the building with columns. The signage out front includes Therapy Space.
Is your office handicap-accessible?
Yes. There are several handicap parking places directly out front and an incline walkway. Plus, the building has an elevator and handicap-accessible bathrooms.
How do I find your office when I enter the building?
When you arrive at the office, you can park in front and come in that entrance. Take the stairs to the second floor or use the elevator. Suite 240 will be the office suite with the open double doors at the top of the stairs.
What are your hours?
Monday – Friday – 10am to 5:00pm
1st & 3rd Saturday – 10:00am – 2:00pm
How long are your counseling sessions?
My counseling sessions are 45-50 minutes. This is considered a full “clinical hour” and is standard across most practices in the USA.
My counseling sessions for EMDR are 90-minute sessions.
How much do you charge?
My counseling fee for services is $175 per clinical hour due at the time of service.
My group counseling fees depend on duration and the type of group offered.
How do I pay for services, and what forms of payment do you accept?
Counseling fees are paid at the time of service and can be paid via any of the following methods:
- Cash
- Check
- Debit Card
Credit Card (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, HSA Card)
Do you accept insurance? Why or why not?
No, I do not accept insurance for payment of counseling services. My primary reason for this is to allow my clients to enjoy counseling sessions with full confidentiality. Most insurance companies require clinicians to make and disclose a diagnosis before reimbursing.
With that knowledge, clients often choose not to file for coverage in order to prevent a diagnosis added to their medical record. Diagnoses remain on medical records permanently.
I really want to work with you. What if I can’t afford your fee?
Reduced fee/sliding scale is offered on a limited basis and is based on availability. You’re welcome to ask me about reduced fees and then inquire the availability of limited reduced fee slots if needed.
How do I set up an initial session?
Give me a call, and we can have a 20-minute phone consultation. You’ll learn more about me and my practice, and I can learn more about you and your counseling needs. If I determine we may be a good fit and I can help you, then we’ll set up an appointment for you to come see me.
Are there forms to complete?
Yes. When we set up the initial session, I will ask for your email, and I will email you my complete intake paperwork for you to complete and bring with you to your initial session.
What is your cancellation policy?
I require cancellation notices be given 24-hours prior to your scheduled appointment.
If an appointment is cancelled in less than 24-hours notice for non-emergency purposes, it will be considered a late cancellation and full payment for the late cancellation will be due.
Do you offer video or phone session?
I do offer TeleMental Health video session and do not offer therapy via telephone. My policy is to see clients in person for a minimum of three sessions prior to discussing the possibility of moving to TeleMental Health video sessions.
What age range do you work with?
Adults 18 and up.
Are you LGBTQIA friendly?
Yes. I am also a member of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
Do you work with women? Men? Couples?
I offer sessions for anyone identifying as any gender.
Do you work with people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions?
Of course! We can talk shop about faith, religion, Christianity, atheism, Buddhism, deism, whatever you like. I hold a nonjudgmental space for you to explore your inner world!
What kind of groups do you offer in your practice?
They are psychoeducational groups, and we have a curriculum that we work through and discuss.
Community is essential to the healing process. I offer safe, inclusive, small group environments.
Small groups provide connection and community in a safe space for participants to share their struggles without fear of being judged.
Group counseling serves as an adjunct to one-on-one therapy.
What do you actually do in sessions with clients?
Our initial visit together will include reviewing your intake paperwork and answering any questions you may have about the counseling process. The remainder of our time will be spent on hearing your story and your reasons for choosing counseling in this season of your life. We will also discuss your goals, your needs, and your hopes.
I consider counseling to be a collaborative process. Together we will make a tentative plan for our future sessions in working toward identifying obstacles that may be preventing you from reaching those relational understandings, goals, and circumstances you want in life.
Do clients receive homework assignments to work on between sessions?
No, not typically. I’ll offer suggestions and offer feedback for you to focus on.
What modalities do you use in your client work?
All of my care is trauma-informed and evidence-based. I attempt to integrate a variety of trauma informed and evidence-based techniques that align with the unique needs of my diverse clients.
What is your professional training and experience?
I’ve led recovery groups through the YMCA and received my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
I specialize in grief and loss and trauma with a unique client focus in cancer. I’ve had over 1,500 face-to-face client sessions working with clients touched by cancer and their caregivers. I also do end of life work and life transition.
I’m a National Certified Counselor which holds the highest standards and similar to being Board Certified as one would expect a physician to hold. I’m also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, Certified Grief Counseling Professional, Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider, and an EMDRIA Certified EMDR clinician.
What is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and has been proven effective for the treatment of trauma.
What else does a client need to know to make the most out of working with you?
A willingness to step into the process, a willingness to do the work, and a willingness to take responsibility for your own growth. It’s also important to remember this journey is about progress, not perfection.
What are the benefits and risks of counseling?
As you’re contemplating counseling, it’s important to know you may make significant changes in your life. People often modify their emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. You may also make changes in your marriage or significant relationships, such as with parents, friends, children, relatives etc.
You may change employment, begin to feel differently about yourself, and may change other aspects of your life. While I will assist you in effecting change, I cannot guarantee a specific outcome. Clients are ultimately responsible for their own growth.
Is your office cold or hot? Should I bring a sweater?
The majority of my clients prefer my office on the cool side. However, I do utilize weighted blankets in session and offer them as a comfort to my clients.
What is a weighted blanket?
Only the best thing ever invented! Weighted blankets provide the same effect as Deep Touch Pressure that triggers the release of serotonin and melatonin neurotransmitters.
Simply put… serotonin is responsible for regulating brain functions such as sleep, mood, and a general sense of overall well-being, whereas melatonin signals the body that it’s time to sleep.
Like a firm hug or swaddle, the all-over-weight helps decrease cortisol levels, signaling body and brain to be at ease.
Is your furniture comfortable?
Yes, I have a nice, long comfy couch for clients to sit on and accent pillows to give my room a pop of color. Sometimes, if I have an hour break between sessions, I’ll take a power nap on my couch and get snug as a bug under a weighted blanket.
What if I get thirsty during session?
Not a problem. I have beverages on site that include coffee, tea, and water and will offer you a choice before we begin session.
What if I get hungry?
You’re in luck! My office space is located near some amazing restaurants that include Amerigo, Cheddars, Longhorn, Sportsman Grill, and Shogun to name a few.
What brand of tissues do you use?
Kirkland Signature Facial Tissue.
Should I wear waterproof mascara?
Unlike the movie, A League of Their Own, where Tom Hanks professed, “There’s no crying in baseball,” there is crying in counseling. I honor tears – they are precious to me and to the healing process. Not all my clients cry in session, and that’s okay, too.
You said you worked in the entertainment industry. Were you famous?
You should know that I have a specific way I must be addressed when we first meet, and I only eat yellow M&M’s and drink sparkling apple cider during office hours. If that were true… I’d certainly need to increase my personal counseling sessions with my therapist!
I had my day in the sun, but unfortunately, no. I wasn’t “famous” by any stretch of the imagination by fame’s standards. However, some of you of a certain age and generation will have indeed been touched by my work.