Frequently asked questions

Insurance companies will only pay for mental health therapy if the therapist diagnoses the client with a DSM 5 diagnosis. We strongly believe a diagnosis does NOT make someone crazy or even abnormal. We view a mental health diagnosis as a label given to a list of behaviors and reactions to life experiences, which allow for common language between healthcare professionals.

IMPORTANT - There are some professions, such as military or high security positions, who may not hire employees who have a current mental health diagnosis or a history of one. Before accepting any assessment or treatment that requires mental health diagnosing, seriously consider if it will prevent you or your children from future opportunities. Read more here

If you are paying out of pocket AND want to opt out of being diagnosed, please share this with your therapist at or before the first appointment.

For the first couple appointments, parents are always a part of the entire session.

After that, parents are at least included for half the appointment and then leave for the remainder to allow the child a free space to open up.

Prepare to be flexible to accomodate what is appropriate for your child.

We use Child-Centered Play Therapy as an evidence-based model to work with children, up to age 11.

IMPORTANT - We ask parents seeking therapy for children, to be cautious about how much personal and embarrassing information is shared in their presence, as this can limit their comfort to open up. Feel free to ask for adult-only appointments if necessary. We ask that the entire family play some part in treatment. If the family is split, we ask the parent seeking treatment to communicate with the other parent about treatment.

Be careful NOT to pressure your child to talk in therapy. It is an uncomfortable experience meeting and trusting a stranger, even a professional. Your therapist is trained to patiently build trust over time without rushing the process.

FAQ

Treatment Overview

New clients are welcomed into a warm and cozy environment to relax and unload their concerns. All initial paperwork is taken care of digitally before the first appointment, so you and your therapist are free to focus on building a trusting relationship.

Serious thought and effort are put into ensuring your privacy and safety.

Motivational Interviewing

Treatment begins with the assumption that you are trying the best you can, and given proper knowledge, skills and empowerment, you will make choices to better your life. It is a strengths-based approach with an attempt to honor each person's right to decide their path, with an effort to ensure your lifestyle is on target to reach your goals.

This approach uses reality-testing to explore alternatives while considering consequences to remaining the same vs changing.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Our treatment has a foundation in cognitive behavioral learning, recognizing our beliefs and perceptions of reality come from many sources. Whether our biology, the influence of caretakers and our environment, and a plethora of other contributors, we see all things working together for the results you are currently getting.

Perceptions are worked with in order to find freedom to see things from a variety of angles. This approach introduces flexible thinking and learning to question our assumptions to discover a healthier way to interact.

Brainspotting

We encourage everyone to take a deep look inside, using all our senses to be aware and notice thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Our eyes are the window to the soul, and we make use of that by using our eyes to find the places we feel the pain or pleasure the most, seeking to process the distress and reinforce the positive.

Using Internal Family Systems Therapy, we engage different inner personalities, perceptions and strongholds of emotion and beliefs. We learn to sit with our inner voices and create a dialogue which reflects our values of acceptance, gentleness, compassion and curiosity.

Through observing our different parts, we bring healing to their hurt and integration to our divided system, which allows for us to produce more consistent results in our lives.

EMDR

We put it all together with a full body, mind and spirit effort toward complete and permanent transformation. It is not enough to process the pain of the past without being prepared for the pain of the future. Honestly identifying and compassionately exploring the complexity of our inner system is core to knowing who we actually are and how to begin intentionally walking toward who we were designed to be in its healthiest form. This requires acceptance, patience, understanding, curiosity, and compassion to find that deep renewing of our mind.

Physical steps are a part of this path to healing as we are designed to move. Bilateral stimulation through tapping, eye movement, and walking are encouraged to activate the brain, increasing our capacity to tackle emotional and mental barriers. Memories can be restored, allowing for a fuller appreciation of one's life and the complex connections that define our meaning and purpose in living.

THERAPY INFO

FRIENDS OF WATOTO

How do I sign up for therapy?

What medical insurances are accepted?

If I do not have insurance, what are the self-pay rates?"

Will I get a diagnosis?

What should I bring for the first appointment?

As a parent bringing my child to therapy, what should I expect?"

How do I access the Client Portal?

FAQ

Treatment Overview

Motivational Interviewing

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Brainspotting

EMDR