What to Expect
Initial Contact
To schedule an initial appointment, a phone call must be made in order to get counseling set up. This gives you a chance to share a little of what you are looking for, check to see if you insurance is taken, and for Ashley to give you some information about how things work in her practice. Some information will be taken from you to get things set up in the EHR (electronic healthcare record) software Ashley uses and a date and time for an initial session will be chosen. You will receive an email inviting you to the client portal to complete informed consent documents. These MUST be completed no later than 24 hours prior to your scheduled initial session.
The First Session
Initial sessions are 45 minutes to an hour with time for review of informed consent documents as well as practice policies and procedures. The remainder of the time is used to get to know you. For child clients, parents may opt to attend the first session without their child in order to talk freely about topics that may not be developmentally appropriate for young ears. You will have an opportunity to ask Ashley questions as well. All initial sessions are held via telehealth. For children and teen clients, a parent or guardian must be present for at least the first few minutes of the scheduled time.
Continued Counseling
If at the end of the initial session you and Ashley feel that she is a good fit for your/your child’s needs, then a follow-up session will be scheduled. Session frequency is something that you and Ashley will determine together. Sessions after the initial session are 45 minutes in length. It is possible to have a combination of types of sessions (for example, some individual sessions and some family sessions) or have only one type of session (all individual sessions or all family sessions). For child clients, time is provided at the end of sessions for checking in and reviewing any learned skills to be practiced in between sessions. Often, parents opt to participate in all sessions with young children. Doing this allows you to see different ways of interacting with your child that you can choose to try out at home. Parent sessions are also available for such topics as behavior plan development, addressing concerns, parenting strategies, or going over assessment results.
Session Format
Sessions typically begin with a check-in to see how things have been going and how learned skills, tools, and strategies are being used and helping. Session time is then spent engaged in activity which can include talking, learning and practicing coping skills, art, animal assisted interventions, or play. The exact session activity will be based on client need and goals. The last 5-10 minutes of session will be spent reviewing and determining what is going to be worked on in-between sessions. Scheduling of the next session will be done at this time.
Closing and Beyond
Counseling is not meant to go on forever and ever. There are times when counseling may last a long time and have many sessions. Other times, counseling will have a short duration. This all depends on the needs of the client and how they incorporate developed solutions and coping strategies into their lifestyle. Ending is determined collaboratively with session time spent on reviewing learned skills, identifying available supports, and remembering changes that have been made. Celebrating and honoring an end is important.
Sometimes people see a return of symptoms further down the road or experience something new. The wellness model of counseling teaches us that anyone can benefit from counseling. It is always okay to return to counseling for a tune up or to work on new goals or needs that have arisen. It is important to be able to fly solo, however, because you are the only person who is with you 24-7, 365 (or 366 in a leap year).
Groups and Workshops
Group participants meet for a certain amount of time, depending on the specific group format they are participating in. Groups are designed to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Workshops, similar to groups, are designed to present certain information to participants in a specified amount of time. If participants have additional questions or needs, they can contact Ashley for further assistance or for a referral to another provider as needed.
Methods of Payment
Insurances are accepted. Contact Ashley to determine if she is a contracted provider for your plan. Cash and check are preferred. Credit cards including debit cards and HSA/HRA cards are accepted. All payments are expected at time of service unless arrangements are made in advance.
Contact
Contact Ashley directly by phone at 774-487-2193 or by email at ashley@creativecounselingwithashley.com