Each provider is different. Our group is in-network with Premera and Lifewise. Marlon and Leah only are in-network for First Choice Health Network. If we are out-of-network with your insurance company, we may be able to submit a claim on your behalf. If your provider is out-of-network, upon payment you will receive a detailed receipt that you can use to file a claim with the insurance company or we can submit the claim for you.
First, check credentials and experience to ensure that the therapist has the necessary skills and relevant expertise. Talk with the therapist to evaluate whether you are a good match. Studies show it is actually the relationship between the therapist and the client that is the most important element of success rather than the type of therapy offered by the therapist.
Yes. Please complete the new client packet which includes a disclosure form required by the department of health, contact information, insurance information if applicable and sign a copy of our HIPAA form. These are available on the appointment page. Click here to see the forms.
Therapy can provide a safe place to express uncomfortable feelings with a neutral adult that is not involved in the emotions of the family. A child has a chance to process through these feelings and learn skills to master their reactions and responses to their feelings.
Adults can talk through their thoughts and feelings, but children have not yet developed those cognitive and emotional skills. Instead, children use play to explore or express what they are feeling inside. Our job is to create a safe space for the child where the child directs the play. It is during this play that the child has the opportunity to be in control over a situation that reflects one they probably have no control over in real life. By playing through their experiences they process their feelings. If it is helpful and relevant sometimes we can help parents take a glimpse into the child’s struggle as we describe their play experience.
Definitely. We generally recommend meeting alone with parents for the first session. When we do play therapy with younger children we encourage parents to stay in the therapy room until the child says that they are ready to be in there alone. Once a child is comfortable being alone, we’ll check in with parents for a few minutes at the beginning of each therapy hour. At other times we may have separate family therapy sessions
Our providers are Master level Psychotherapists. Leah is also a PCI Certified Parent Coach®. We specialize solely in therapy. You may find that some psychologists tend to do more testing than therapy, and psychiatrists are medical doctors whom you would see for medication and some also do therapy. Some families only feel that they need the services of a therapist, but others see all three: a therapist weekly, a psychologist for very thorough diagnosis, and then also a psychiatrist for medication management.
Insurance only pays for certain services to treat issues they deem “medically necessary”. Often there is coverage for an individual. Couples/marriage therapy is rarely covered.
Absolutely. There are many reasons why you might be seeking counseling that are individual issues. The tools, models and methods I use are effective at helping you find support and relief. I work with many individual clients on their relationship issues, but also on things such as anxiety, depression, guilt, anger, low self-esteem, stress, divorce, fears & phobias, goals and life transitions and more. If you are in a relationship and seeking support, we can also work together and lay the foundation for your work on finding happiness in a relationship.
Counseling is a great place to be able to sit down and talk with someone in an open and non-judgmental way. We can work together to get clear about the issue and uncover your underlying values and emotions. Then we can determine what you want and how you can go about seeking that change. In this way we can figure out what issues are yours and which ones are not.
Yes I can be supportive and helpful here, including ways of talking with your partner about the process in order to begin creating a safe and balanced place to work on the relationship. If you do choose to come in alone, we can work together on getting to your deeper thoughts, feelings and wants as well as create change in your relationship system through individual work.
Communicating is more than merely understanding what the other person is saying. This is why many couples who go through couples counseling, receive tools and talk out an issue or two do not find lasting change in their relationship. The real goal is to get to the place of believing as though your partner understands what you are feeling and what you value; of knowing that you matter to them and that they will be there for you in a heart-felt supportive way.
We all become victims of a negative cycle of interaction and communication. It doesn’t matter who starts a fight or what the topic is, the pattern will take over. One partner blames the other; the other turns defensive and often withdraws, which causes the other to poke and prod. The real question is this: are you really tired of your partner, or are you tired of the negative cycle that occurs whenever you try to talk about important subjects? Therapy can help you determine this as well as break the negative cycle and replace it with a positive one.
The first stage in EFT is de-escalation, or helping to lower the volatility in order to work at the deeper level necessary to create lasting change. Lowering the tension level in the relationship will certainly make it feel better, however research says most couples will relapse into their negative cycle if therapy ends here. Stage two in EFT begins to work with underlying emotions, needs and wants around the emotional bond in the relationship, including healing old hurts if necessary. It is in stage two where lasting change is built.
It is certainly hard to think and talk about and feel the emotions that flow beneath problems we have. Often times we feel ashamed of past events and choices and do not want to face them. This is even harder for a partner who worries about being blamed or having to defend their viewpoint. Finding a therapist that you are comfortable with and trust is an important part of finding relief. A good therapist creates a space that is not and does not feel blaming or judgmental and is balanced among the partners. Therapy offers a safe place for each to feel supported as issues are unpacked and relationships improved. Most people who can come in open the idea of therapy or counseling, find the process a much different experience than they imagined.
While there are no guarantees, EFT as a couple’s therapy model is proven to work. It is research based and empirically sound; one of two models validated as such by the American Psychological Association. The research says that of couples who go through EFT, 70-75% will move from a distressed relationship to a point of recovery. Over 90% of couples who participate in Emotionally Focused Therapy make significant improvements and continue to have strong and growing relationships even two years later. (Johnson, S., Hunsley, J., Greenberg, L. & Schindler, D. (1999). Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (A meta-analysis). Journal of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6,67-79.)