The questions people actually ask.

The goal is change. I have spent 26 years bringing meaningful change to people's lives. Were that not the case, I would not still be practicing.

You are not paying for an hour of agreeable conversation. You are paying for the work of changing something you have not been able to change on your own.

I do not take insurance. I do provide the invoicing you need to file for out-of-network reimbursement.

What your plan pays back is between you and your plan. Call the number on your card and ask about out-of-network outpatient mental health benefits before you start.

Two rules of thumb. First, these issues did not get like this overnight. Second, you get out of it what you put in.

Anyone who gives you a session count before meeting you is guessing.

Be honest about why. There are two versions of that feeling and they are not the same.

One is that being pushed into growth is unpleasant. That is the work doing its job, and my job is to advocate for your growth even when it is not comfortable.

The other is that there is truly no rapport between us. That happens, it is not a character flaw on either side, and I will help you find someone who fits better.

Absolutely, and you will.

Be honest about your frustration with me and with the process. Saying it out loud in a session is often the most useful thing that happens that week.

The bond in this work is a deep one. There are ethical boundaries around it, and they exist for your protection.

Never take them personally. They are exactly what keeps this a safe place to say things you would not say anywhere else.

It is mostly about rapport and fit, not intake paperwork. We talk, and you leave knowing whether you want to come back.

Yes, within Indiana and Illinois only. Those are the states I am licensed in, and licensure follows where you are sitting during the session.

Cognitive behavioral therapy. In plain terms: something happens, a thought fires in under a second, your body follows, and then you act. Most people try to fight the feeling. The leverage is in the thought.

That means we work with specific moments from your week rather than talking in general terms, and you leave with something to pay attention to before the next hour.

No. Plenty of men start without telling anyone, and that is your call to make.

It does tend to come up eventually, because what changes at home gets noticed. When you want to have that conversation, we can work out what you are going to say.

That is common and it is not a problem. I ask questions for a living.

If you want something to bring, bring one specific moment from the last two weeks that went the way you do not want them to go. One Tuesday is worth more than a whole history.

I do not bill insurance, so there is no diagnosis submitted to a plan and no insurer holding a file on you. That is one of the reasons I work the way I do.

I keep clinical records, as any counselor must, and the limits on confidentiality are covered in writing at the start rather than left vague.

Both. Individual therapy and couples counseling.

Some people do both at different points. Starting individually when the concern is the marriage is more common than you would think, and it is a legitimate place to start.

The cancellation policy is 48 hours. It exists so the hour can go to someone else if you cannot use it.

It also exists because the week you least want to come is usually the week worth coming.