Frequently Asked Questions

  • Counseling can be hard, but we believe it's so worth it! We believe in "going deep" to help our clients identify and heal the source of their pain, not just offering quick fixes and feel good strategies that may only be helpful for a short time. We seek long term change by helping people learn how to be different in the world so growth can continue beyond the counseling office. Some sessions may feel heavy and slow while others may be full of laughter, connection, and new insights.  In counseling you can expect to feel challenged, heard, supported and ideally left with a sense of curiosity that leads to deeper self understanding.

  • There's no “right answer” to this question, everyone's reason to start counseling is going to be a little different. In general if you are experiencing distress that is having an impact on your life counseling could help! 

    This might look like distressing physical symptoms, thoughts, or emotions that just don’t seem to get better on their own. If something is bothering you and just won’t let up reach out, we’d love to see if we can help!

  • Yes! You don’t have to have a “major” problem to come to counseling. counseling is a great space to explore ways to grow personally, professionally, and relationally. Our counselors want to help you thrive in your life. 

    Coming to counseling when you are not in a state of crisis or urgency allows us to do deeper work oriented around healing and growth.

    Counseling can be a safe space to connect to better self awareness, and proactively care for your mental health and wellness.

  • Finding the right therapist can take time. Each therapist has their own unique approach and personality that will impact if they feel like the “right fit” for you. While it may be frustrating to “retell your story” to multiple therapists, we believe that it's so worth it to find the right connection!

    It's important to trust your gut when something in counseling feels off. We encouraged that barring any “red flags” you give it 2-3 sessions before deciding if a therapist is the “right one”. If after that it doesn’t feel like you are connecting it's probably best to talk with your therapist about what is feeling “off” in session. counseling can be a great space to practice healthy communication and problem solving in relationships. If it still doesn’t feel right it's probably time to see if you can find a better fit.

    The right therapist should help you feel comfortable opening up, and feel curious about your experiences and perspective. You should feel respected and supported in counseling. Now this doesn’t always mean you will like what your therapist says or agree with them. A healthy dose of challenge is usually needed to prompt growth, but this should always feel like it's coming from a space of compassion. 

    Ultimately we believe that you are the expert on you and your therapist is just here to help you along the journey. Trust yourself and keep searching for a therapeutic connection that will help you grow!

  • This is another tricky question that will look different for everyone. If counseling is “working” you might notice that you feel more supported and understood, not so alone in your experiences. It could also look like a lessening of distressing symptoms. Either symptoms feel like they are happening less often or less intensely than in the past. 

    Counseling might also be “working” if you find you have a better understanding of yourself and more compassion and curiosity for your emotions/thoughts/behaviors. You may notice changes in your thinking or how you approach communication. Things that used to bother you may feel less frustrating, challenging relationships in your life might feel easier to navigate. There are lots of ways to track and attend to your progress. You and your counselor will check in regularly on how you are doing in relation to your goals in counseling and they might have helpful insights or reflections on changes they have noticed along the way. 

  • Counseling is not a one size fits all service. How long your counseling lasts will depend on a lot of different factors. What you're coming in to work on, how often you attend sessions, how much intention you put into the work outside of the counseling session, underlying physical or medical concerns that may have an impact on your brain health all of these could impact how long you come to counseling. 

    Generally brain change is not a “fast fix”. On average nerve growth in the brain can take months to years to occur. This nerve (or change in neuron patterns) growth is what we are trying to prompt in counseling to shift thinking patterns, emotional responses, and relational dynamics. Just like you wouldn’t expect yourself to run a marathon after going on your first run it isn’t realistic to expect life long patterns to shift after a couple of counseling sessions. 

    While counseling may take some time that doesn’t mean you won’t notice improvements and changes along the way. 

    Talking with your therapist is a great way to get a better idea of what to expect around timeline and frequency of sessions. Your therapist will work with you to assess your goals and make recommendations on what amount of time may be best for you. 

  • Yes, we take insurance! Each counselor has different insurances they are in network with, these are listed in the insurance section on their individual webpage.

    We have counselors in network with the following insurance panels:

    • Kaiser

    • First Choice

    • Cigna

    • Aetna

    • Moda

    • Comp Psych

    • Premera

    • TriCare

    • Pacific Source

    • Lifewise

    • United

    • Providence

    Check out our counselors page for more information about the counselor you are interested in working with and what insurance panels they are in network with.

  • No worries! You can still see a counselor that is not listed as “in-network” with your insurance. Each individual insurance plan is different but most commercial insurance plans have “out of network” benefits included in the plan.

     If you are interested in working with a therapist that is not listed as “in- network” with your insurance, reach out to them to ask about out-of-network benefits for your plan. 

    Prior to scheduling our billing department can run a benefits check for you and provide information available about out of network benefits and an estimate of cost for the session. 

    All of our counselors also accept clients choosing not to use insurance. If you would like to know more about ‘cash pay’ options please reach out to our counselors to ask about cash pay pricing and next steps to scheduling!