You may have many questions about the therapy services August Counseling can provide and how therapy sessions will go. Here are a few frequently asked questions to help put your mind at ease. If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
How many sessions will I need?
I offer short term (3-10 sessions) and long term therapy (11+ sessions). The number of sessions depends on your unique situation, needs, budget and goals. We will make a plan together in the first appointment so you know what to expect, but the plan is always changeable according to your needs. We will continue talking about the work we are doing together, how it is helping you or ways I can help even more as therapy continues. These discussions include how long you want keep working together. Some people start by wanting short term therapy and end up staying long term. Others are surprised by how quickly they feel better and end sooner than they thought.
Why do people come to August Counseling?
There is a variety of reasons why people come to August Integrative Therapy. Some turn to to therapy to relieve emotional pain, fear or anxiety. Others are working with their physician to taper off anti-depressants, and choose to have the added support of a therapist. Others want help changing a behavior while still others come for the support to grieve and heal fully from a loss or tragedy. People also choose therapy learn how to cope better with major stressors or change, as well as a way to grow themselves, develop confidence, or deal with a challenging relationship. I have the training to address any of these areas with compassion and skill.
Because I believe that when people have experienced a trauma, such as sexual assault or abuse, early family dysfunction, a violence, an unexpected or traumatic loss or a traumatic accident, they should receive specialized care. That is why I have focused my continual training on grief and trauma therapy. I have found that much of this training can be adapted to address other needs my clients bring to me including addressing general anxiety, coping with physical pain or managing daily stress. What would you like to go better in your life? Let me know what is causing you stress and I will let you know how I can help.
My child is a student at one of the Winona area colleges. Can I be billed for their counseling even though we live elsewhere? Can I get updates on how counseling is going?
When your child is away at college, this is not only a time full of change and anxiety for them, but also you! It is a time that people often reach out for the help and support of a counselor because the pressures of college life can be intense, and the adaptation to living away from parents is a huge change. Additionally, they are experiencing huge brain changes and social challenges in their late teens and early 20s. I am so glad you are helping your child find support during this challenging time. Often, during these college years, disordered eating, substance abuse and anxiety are common issues and absolutely need the attention of a mental health professional.
For this reason, August Integrative Therapy offers reduced rates for college students when needed, and can easily set up a payment plan in which the parent/guardian is invoiced. Please have your child let me know how they would prefer to pay (some students would rather find and pay for their own service), and we will complete some paperwork so that August Counseling can invoice the parent.
Being away from your child and knowing they are struggling must be agonizing. I absolutely understand how you want to have more information about the counseling process and your child’s progress. However, the counseling process is a private one and in order for your child to feel fully supported by me, the information he or she shares is kept confidential. With that said, your son or daughter and I will talk about ways we can help you, the parent, have some information and ease your mind. This will be different for each client, but some ways we may include you in the process are:
- Phone calls by the student in my office to let you know they are attending sessions with me
- A signed release of confidential information so that I can send you the dates of service they attended
- A signed release of confidential information giving me permission to share the ways I am supporting your child
In the last case, their private information is still kept confidential, but I will provide you more information on the kind of work we are doing together. I also regularly gather information and work collaboratively with my client’s other supports. For example, I can work with your child’s therapist in their hometown, their medical provider in Winona or elsewhere, or the university’s wellness services personnel if appropriate.