Anyone can benefit from therapy as it is more than just a way to address and, ideally, improve mental health symptoms. It can be a place to self-reflect and grow as a person. However, if you’re really on the fence, here are a few mental health screeners to get more information related to your current mental state. Please refer to Crisis Resources on my site, if needed.

• Anxiety Screener

• Depression Screener

• PTSD/Trauma Screener

• Childhood Emotional Neglect Questionnaire

Simply put, we won’t know for certain until we have done some work together as unexpected things can come up over time - both good and not so good sometimes! This is because even though there are boundaries in place, we are experiencing and building a genuine relationship in our work together.

However, there can be some good indicators at the beginning that I would say to anyone when searching for a therapist:

• Do you feel comfortable talking to this person? (yes, even over e-mail can count!). Trust can’t come without a level of comfort and you will not get the most out of your experience if you don’t feel comfortable talking to your therapist.

• Do you feel that they are listening, empathizing with, and understanding you? Sometimes this is clear when a clinician is describing their niche or “ideal client.” If you feel like you’ve been described in a therapist’s bio or on their website, it’s likely that they will be able to empathize with and understand you pretty well.

• Do they have the skills and experience to help someone like you achieve the goals you want to achieve? I’m a firm believer in transparency, so hopefully this is something that is made pretty clear on their bio/website, especially in layman’s terms as many people who did not go to school to be a therapist don’t know what CBT, ACT, DBT, etc. is. However, if it’s not listed, I encourage you to ask, “How do you help people with ‘x’ achieve ‘x’ goal?” And don’t be afraid to ask them to re-word it or provide resources for you to better understand if you’re getting a lot of ‘therapist speak.’ We’re so used to it, it sounds like plain English to us!

• Is their personality a match for you? This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have the same personality. Sometimes that may be a barrier to progress in it’s own way! (Not always, just sometimes in some situations). Essentially, does this therapist show up in the room as someone you want to learn from, open up to, and get feedback from?

• Does their communication style align with what you are looking for in a therapist? Similar to personality, your therapist’s communication style is going to influence how likely you are to open up from them and how they are going to address some difficult topics with you. For example, I often hear clients say, “I want a therapist who is going to call me out on my crap.” And to that, I say, “I don’t view myself as a coach who will be calling you out for things. Rather, I prefer to gently explore with you why certain things are happening.” This is because I think this approach can bring about shame, especially in individuals who have experienced trauma. So if that is what you are looking for, that is not me! P.S. This does not mean that I don’t help my clients work toward their goals and find ways to increase accountability!

I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Pennsylvania. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (BA) degree from Gannon University in Erie, PA and graduated from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2019 with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) degree.

I am also a trained Brainspotting (BSP) practitioner and a certified Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) provider, both of which allow me to provide somatic (body-based) trauma therapy to my clients.

Additionally, I hold a Hormone Health certificate from Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and am working toward a Integrative Nutrition Health Coach certification, also through IIN, to be able to further support my clients who have physiological impacts from trauma.

Virtual therapy is exactly what it sounds like - therapy done virtually! For many people, this is a great option and research shows that it is no less effective than in-person therapy for most individuals.

The number one reason that virtual therapy is becoming so popular is the convenience of it!

Some common examples are:

• Reduced travel time so you have more time in your day to engage in and benefit from therapy without that additional stress. Traffic, weather, unreliable transportation and construction will no longer impact your ability to attend your sessions (and avoid you paying no-show fees)

• More cost-effective as you don't need to pay for parking at an office, gas money, or an Uber to get your sessions. You may not need to pay for childcare to leave home for your sessions or maybe you don't have to leave your building during the workday to attend your session. Additionally, therapists are more likely to take on more reduced rate clients as their costs of business operations is lower without having to provide an office space

• More privacy as you won't need to worry about someone you know seeing you in a waiting room or walking into a therapist's office

• More convenient scheduling as it is more likely that a therapist could fit in a last-minute appointment since it is much easier to get on a video call last minute as compared to scheduling a time to meet in the office

• Increased access to therapy services to those who are in more rural areas, lack transportation, or maybe their mental health is impacting their ability to attend in-person sessions such as various anxiety and depressive disorders

I encourage you to make the decision for yourself based on your comfortability with meeting virtually as opposed to in-person.

People who are not the best fit for virtual therapy are those who:

• Strongly prefer in-person meetings over virtual ones, generally, and feel that technology impacts their ability to connect with others

• Do not have privacy in their home to engage comfortably in therapy

• Have significant mental health concerns that would require closer monitoring by a therapist such as active suicidal ideation or attempts, self-injurious behaviors, and other safety concerns that cannot be properly assessed via video calls

Here are a few suggestions to help ensure that you are getting the most from your therapy sessions…

• Be in a private location

  • If others are home at the time of your session, please close the door to the room that you are in. Consider using earbuds and having a sound machine on outside of the door

  • If you are in a vehicle, try to park away from other cars to reduce distractions

• Have a strong internet connection

• Use a laptop/computer as opposed to a phone/iPad when you can

• Reflect before & after the session with my worksheet here!

• Bring a notebook for thoughts or doodles

• Enjoy a beverage (or snack, if you wish)

• Bring fidget toys, a coloring sheet, etc. - anything that helps you feel present

• Comfortable seating/surroundings

• Have an open mind!

Therapy Services:

• Intake session: $165

• Individual sessions:

  • 53 minutes: $150

  • One free 20 min. consultation offered

• Limited number of reduced rate spots available for qualified individuals

Licensure Supervision:

• 55 minutes: $100-150

Consultation Services:

• 55 minutes: $125

• 40 minutes: $100

• 25 minutes: $75

• One free 20 min. consultation offered

  • Discounts available for students and pre-licensed therapists

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP):

• $400-520 (costs dependent on multiple factors + payment plans are available at request)

• Additional costs may incur, as clinically needed.

• Cost breakdown can be found on Inquiry Form on SSP page.

Yes, I am in-network with most commercial plans from Aetna, Highmark/BCBS, Optum/United Healthcare, and UPMC. I am not in-network with any Medicaid or Medicare plans at this time.

There are few carve-out plans under the insurers listed above that I am not considered in-network with so I advise you to contact your insurance to ensure that I am an in-network provider prior to beginning services with me.

If I am not in-network with your plan or provider, I have partnered with Mentaya to help my clients save money on therapy. Use the tool on the right to see if you qualify for reimbursement for my services. If the tool does not retrieve your OON benefits information, fill out this form.

Note that submitting claims to insurance is not a guarantee of payment and you are responsible for understanding your insurance benefits prior to beginning services. Any claim that is returned unpaid, with the exception of therapist error, is your responsibility to pay.

Helsel Counseling will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to inquire about your insurance coverage, responsibility, and benefits once your consultation appointment is booked. If you’d like to inquire before booking, please send me a message and I will send you this form in advance.

As an additional resource, here is a cheat sheet for common health insurance terminology to increase your understanding of your responsibility and benefits.

I believe that people should be aware of what they are agreeing to with insurance companies when involving them in the therapy process.

1. Insurance can control what therapists you see, how often you meet with them, and how long you can meet with them as medical necessity needs to be proven to continue paying for services.

2. Since insurance companies will only pay for medically necessary services, the therapist must provide a diagnostic code based on the DSM-V which will stay on your medical record and will be listed as a pre-existing condition on any future insurance plans you may try to apply for (such as life insurance, etc.). This can cause issues in getting a reasonable premium rate or even a plan at all, depending on the severity of the condition.

3. Insurance companies have the right to request any and all documentation that the therapist has on file for you to review and ensure that medical necessity is present or else they may choose to stop paying for claims, or even take money back from therapists that they have already paid for your services, causing the therapist to charge you for those sessions, not to mention the lack of privacy you have on your therapy notes.

4. Insurance companies decide your rate with your therapist, so the therapist is not able to negotiate a lower rate with you for services in the event of financial changes. When one self-pays, the therapist has full control of their fee and has the ability to choose to lower rates for you so that you may continue seeking treatment, no matter your financial status. This mostly becomes problematic when someone has a high deductible health insurance plan, compared to those with a low copay plan. Many people choose to self-pay for therapy using their Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) as it is tax-free and the money is only allowed to be used for qualified health expenses (which therapy is!) and you only need to submit a receipt saying how much you paid and who you paid it to.

A copy of my Practice Policies and Procedures can be found by clicking here.