Frequently Asked Questions

I offer therapy for Christians that is evidence-based clinical mental health counseling infused with Christian spirituality and the wisdom of the Church when desired by my clients. As a Christian licensed professional counselor, I proudly offer therapy that holistically addresses mental, relational, and spiritual concerns using extensive experience and training in these areas.

I do not offer “spiritual direction,” “biblical counseling,” or “pastoral counseling,” which often place more emphasis on advanced theological training, spiritual exercises, and spiritual advice and less emphasis on mental health counseling; however, I encourage my clients to seek such alternative spiritual support when it is helpful to them and their situation, even sometimes pursuing it while also in therapy!

I specialize in working with Christians who are over the age of 18, including young adults, adults, and older adults. I typically work with individual Christians, except in the case of couples seeking therapy together for grief, infertility, or the loss of a pregnancy or child.

I work with Christians of all types, including Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, non-denominational Christians, and others. And although I specialize in providing therapy to Christians, you do not need to be Christian in order to work with me if we both believe I am a good fit for your needs! If you are not Christian, I am happy to provide secular evidence-based counseling for your unique situation that respects your specific spiritual background.

I do not offer general marital or couples counseling, family therapy, or child therapy, but I am happy to offer referrals for these types of therapy!

I help Christians with a number of different specific issues related to anxiety (fear, restlessness, stress), depression (feeling down, hopeless, tired), spirituality, trauma and difficult experiences, relationship challenges, dysfunctional family dynamics, OCD (intrusive thoughts or fears and repetitive behaviors), scrupulosity (persistent fears related to faith), men’s issues, grief, infertility & pregnancy loss, being single not by choice, and more. Contact me to discuss whether I’m a good fit for your specific needs!

I offer a spiritual approach to therapy by combining evidence-based clinical mental health counseling with Christian spirituality and the wisdom of the Church when desired by my clients. As a Christian licensed professional counselor, I proudly offer therapy that holistically addresses mental, relational, and spiritual concerns using extensive experience and training in these areas.

Additionally, I offer a high quality, personalized approach to therapy so I may better accompany you every step of the way. I intentionally have a smaller caseload, so that I may give you faster response times to communications, more thoughtful and attentive assistance, and accessible, direct communication with me between sessions. I value your investment in therapy and strive to give you the best experience possible!

The first session together will start with a casual conversation of getting to know each other better. I will ask a variety of questions about you and welcome any questions you have about me or my clinical work! We will also make sure your paperwork is complete, discuss your main reason for therapy in greater detail, explore your goals for counseling, and review some practical details of therapy such as your right to privacy and attendance policies.

This will likely go into later sessions, but I also like to thoroughly review your clinical history report (medical history, family history, etc.).

Therapy sessions with me are relaxed and conversational and always centered on you and your personal needs.  No need for formality here- you can be yourself and I will be my authentic-therapist-self as we walk together through the ups and downs of your journey.  Some sessions are heavy, but there are other times when you need a laugh and we joke about how dumb the Ohio or Florida weather is again this year.  My therapy sessions are collaborative and I welcome your feedback and questions. I show genuine care and respect for you in session to help you feel comfortable as we work together to achieve your goal of experiencing relief. 

I like to start sessions with updates since your last session- how was your work trip? Is your mom doing better after her surgery?  Then we will talk about what is on your mind: your past or recent experiences, the impact your challenging situation currently has on your life, other difficulties or joys in your life, etc. We will spend much time in session giving you space to express and feel your emotions. We also may learn more about yourself, your experience, and coping ideas, maybe even trying a coping exercise in session.  All this is done with a warm and empathetic client-led approach. Finally, we will wrap up our conversation by confirming our next appointment and, if faith is important to you, closing with a personalized prayer offered by me just for you. 

Sessions are typically 45-50 minutes long each.

Therapy may be a good fit for you if you are ready to not suffer alone anymore and want someone to validate your pain and walk on your journey with you. You may be afraid of the future and uncomfortable with your feelings, but you’re ready to face the discomfort of talking about them in order to get the help and relief you deserve. You are willing to self-reflect and have an open mind to what you may learn in session about yourself, your experience, and coping with your struggle. You’re ready to do what it takes in session and in your daily life to restore peace and fulfillment in your life. Therapy is a big investment of time, money, and energy, but you are ready to commit to the process.

How long you need to be in therapy depends on your particular journey and individual needs. Many of my clients benefit from ongoing counseling every 1-2 weeks for several months, a year, or more. You will know when to decrease or discontinue sessions when you begin to feel sufficient relief and are ready to face future challenges with less support from me, something I will help you determine. Ultimately, I want a timeline that works best for you, and I will tailor the counseling process to fit your unique needs. There is no “right” answer for everyone on this, but there is a good answer for you, and I’ll help you find it!

Thank you for your love and care for your loved one! People suffering need a village of supportive people to help them cope! Thanks for being one of them!

If you think I could be a good fit for your loved one, I would recommend that you share my website and a little information about me with your loved one— validating their pain, noting you think they deserve support during this tough time, and encouraging them to check out my website and request a free consultation if they are open to therapy and agree with you that I am a good fit for them. Ultimately, it needs to be the potential new client who contacts me about starting counseling. I want to respect their wishes and privacy, including whether they want to pursue counseling or not. For that reason, although I appreciate the care behind loved ones contacting me and asking if I can reach out to the person struggling first, I can’t contact that person unless they reach out to me directly and indicate they want to talk to me.

In addition to sharing my information with them, perhaps share other support resources, like Springs in the Desert for infertility support, Red Bird Ministries for baby and child loss, and the National Catholic Singles Conference for singles! And pray for them, that they will have an abundance of support and grace available to them, that they will seek support resources that will be a good fit for their needs, and that they will cope as well as they can and find peace and relief.

My current standard appointment availability is on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 8am and 4pm, but I may be able to accommodate additional weekday appointment times on a case-by-case basis; if interested, please inquire. I do not offer weekend availability. Session availability will depend on my availability and existing recurring and one-time appointments with other clients, as well as your scheduling flexibility. I am happy to work with you if you have a preferred time of day that works best for your schedule!

I am happy to offer the convenience and flexibility of online therapy, allowing you to join session from wherever you are in the states of Ohio or Florida! This includes people who may live in a neighboring state but are able to travel into Ohio or Florida for your virtual appointments! (example: you live in Covington KY and can drive into Cincinnati and do your sessions from there).

Join session from home, schedule appointments during your workday, or whatever is convenient for you! You will need to be in a private and quiet space with a good internet connection and if in your car, parked in a stationary location. In order to do online sessions, you will need to complete a telehealth consent form in advance.

Our video sessions occur inside the Blessed Are They Counseling online portal also used for paperwork and scheduling; you will be invited to set up an account after I have scheduled your first appointment. You should find a link to the portal in your automated email appointment reminders, but here is the link if needed: https://www.therapyportal.com/p/blessedarethey/

At this time, I do not offer in-person counseling services, but I am happy to offer the convenience and flexibility of online therapy that allows you to join session from wherever you are in Ohio or Florida, whether near or far!

Unfortunately, state licensure laws and rules often prohibit me from providing online therapy to people in other states since I don’t carry a license from those states/territories. If your state where you are located has such rules, I won’t be able to work with you but would be happy to help you find referrals for licensed therapists in your area.

Exception: if you live really close to the border of Ohio or Florida (example Covington KY) and could travel into OH or FL to do your virtual appointments from someplace like your car or a friend’s house, that works! You simply need to be in Ohio or Florida at the time of your appointments to work with me!

My current counseling rates are $200 for each 50-minute session for individuals and $250 for each 50-minute couples session. I accept standard credit and debit cards for payment, as well those lovely tax-advantaged HSA and FSA cards!

I strive to offer the highest quality care with exceptional communication between sessions and thoughtful assistance to give you the best value for your financial investment. No waiting for a week or more to hear back from your therapist when you reach out to me!

Therapy is a significant investment of time, money, and energy. It is an investment in yourself, your wellness, and your future. Know that if you are ready to take this important step for yourself because I am a good fit for your needs, I am committed to similarly investing in you and our time together.

At this time, I do not accept payment via health insurance for my therapy services. Unfortunately, insurance billing is not sustainable for my business and personal needs. Out of pocket payment, however, supports a sustainable business model and enables me to provide a higher quality service to you. Out-of-pocket payment also improves client privacy by eliminating insurance involvement in your treatment (including invasive insurance audits of client health records), increasing treatment flexibility (no treatment limitations set by insurance), and eliminating insurance payment issues and unexpected client bills caused by denied or reversed insurance claims.

Although I do not accept insurance, you can use those lovely tax-advantaged HSA and FSA cards to pay for sessions!

I strive to provide the highest quality experience of therapy possible! Working on an out-of-pocket basis allows me to maintain a smaller caseload, meaning better quality service in and out of session and easier access to me when you reach out and need assistance! I hope you have an excellent experience of therapy with me!

When possible, I ask for at least 48-hour notice via your portal account’s secure messaging feature, email, or phone when you need to cancel an appointment.  This gives me time to receive your notice, to offer the opening to any other client in need of it, and to most efficiently fill my schedule. Any cancellation within 48 hours of an appointment and any no-show is subject to the missed appointment fee, which is your normal full session rate. The notable exception to the fee is for true client emergencies. The missed appointment fee applies to, but is not limited to, absences due to technology errors, childcare, illness, or weather. 

If you are running late to a session, contact me ASAP via secure messaging in the portal or by calling 380-222-2836 to see if a session is still possible based on your estimated arrival time. If you are not able to arrive within 20 minutes after your session start time, your session will be canceled, and you will be charged the missed appointment fee. If you arrive late to a session or need to leave early, you are still responsible to pay your full session rate.

Contact me to schedule a free consultation and I will reply to make it happen! During that 30-minute conversation, I will ask you to briefly describe what brings you to counseling and your goals for our work together. I will answer any questions or concerns that you may have about starting therapy, to make sure you are confident I am a good fit for you!  If we both agree that I am a good fit for your needs, I will then ask for some additional basic information about you, confirm some logistical details, and confirm my current availability for scheduling.  Finally, if we’re both ready, we will schedule your first appointment, and I will send you some instructions and the needed paperwork to complete before that appointment. Off we go!