About Therapy

People come to therapy for many different reasons. Most people come to therapy hoping to experience improvement in their personal relationships and overall wellbeing. They may also come to therapy to address very specific concerns such as problematic sexual behavior, trauma related to past abuse experiences, or discovering a recent betrayal from their spouse/partner. Whatever brings you to therapy, it is important to know that therapy is a collaborative process between you and you therapist. In order to create a truly collaborative environment, your therapist will ask you to be honest, open, and actively involved in order to work on addressing the issues that bring you into therapy. At times, this collaborative work will be difficult and uncomfortable. Sometimes the benefits of therapy will be experienced rapidly and with ease, while other times the process may feel frustrating and extremely gradual. Therapy will take effort on your part.

Throughout the process your psychologist will check in with you about how you are feeling about the process of therapy and about your progress. It is vitally important that you are honest and open about your views of the therapeutic process. For many people, they often experience a worsening of symptoms when they start therapy. That is normal, but please share that with your therapist. As you work in therapy you may find yourself remembering and talking about uncomfortable or disturbing memories, events, thoughts, and behaviors that may lead you to feel strong or unpleasant feelings such as grief, anger, worry, sadness, anxiety, etc. As part of the therapeutic process, your therapist may encourage you to challenge some of your perceptions or assumptions and ask you to consider different ways of looking at, thinking about, or handling situations, thoughts, and emotions. Doing so may lead you to feel discomfort, anger, depressed, challenged, or disappointed. In doing the work of therapy, you may find that you want to make changes in your life that you were unaware of before you started therapy. Such changes may be in your best interest but might cause discomfort for others in your life. For example, if you decide to set boundaries around a loved one’s addiction they may not like your new boundaries and feel negative emotions towards your new boundaries.

The First Session

Many clients find it helpful to have a brief 10-15 minute phone call with the psychologist before deciding to schedule an appointment. This phone call can give you a sense of who the psychologist is and if you feel comfortable moving forward in setting up an appointment. Once you have decided to schedule an appointment, your psychologist will email you with instructions and a link for completing your paperwork via an online, HIPPA-compliant portal. The first session with a new psychologist is often more structured than regular ongoing therapy sessions. The first session is usually focused on your history, why you are coming into therapy, what your goals for therapy are, and a chance to ask questions about how the psychologist works. Subsequent sessions are semi-structure and are driven by the content the client brings into session. During the first two to three sessions, the psychologist and client work together to decide if she is the right professional to provide services to you in order to meet your treatment goals. If the psychologist determines that she is not the right fit, she will provide you with a list of referrals. It is important to note that therapy does not work for everyone and that there are no guarantees that psychotherapy will provide you with positive or desired results. Throughout the process, your psychologist will draw on a multitude of psychological approaches and interventions aimed at helping you with the problems that have brought you into therapy. These approaches will draw from her expertise and what she determines is best suited to your current needs. The approaches she may draw from include but are not limited to: attachment theory, psychodynamic therapies, psychoeducational resources, 12-step model, betrayal-trauma model, addiction recovery, mindfulness, family-systems, and emotionally-focused therapy.

Cancelation Policy

Things come up that sometimes may cause missed appointments. A minimum of 24-hour notice is required for rescheduling or canceling appointments. This allows your psychologist to book others who may be waiting for an opening. If you do not show for you scheduled appointment, and have not given at least 24-hour notice, you will be charged the full session fee for the missed appointment.

Fees

Individual Therapy: $235 per session (45 minutes)

Couples Therapy: $275 per session (55-60 minutes)

Group Therapy: $75 per group session (90 minutes)

Consultation: $275 per hour

Payment

Dr. Clinkenbeard does NOT accept insurance. Payment is due at time of services and can be paid via check, cash, or credit card. Payments need to be made out to Prepare to Change Child and Family Counseling. Dr. Clinkenbeard can provide a Superbill for those clients wanting to submit a claim on their own to their insurance provider. If you have questions about Superbills, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Note: Description of Therapy and First Session provided in consultation with StemPsychology.com and Dr. Amanda Cassil.