FAQs

FAQs

​

• What is therapy?

• What can therapy do for me that a self-help book can't?

• How do I choose the right therapist for me?

• What can I expect from my first appointment with a therapist?

• Can I expect to feel better right away?

• Do you accept insurance?

• What do I do if I need help right away?

• What is considered an Emergency/Crisis situation?

​

​

​

​

What is therapy?

Therapy is a general term for treating mental health problems by talking with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health providers.  During therapy, you learn about your condition and your moods, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Therapy helps you learn how to take control of your life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills.  There are many types of therapy, each with its own approach. The type of therapy that's right for you depends on your individual situation.  Therapy is also known as talk therapy, counseling, psychosocial therapy, or, simply, therapy.

​

​

​

​

​

What can therapy do for me that a self-help book can't?

Self-help books are based on someone else’s story, or on a combination of stories. While self-help books play an important role in our culture, they don’t offer the flexible, individualized approach that is often needed to bring about lasting life changes. In addition, books do not offer the therapeutic relationship that can encourage us and hold us to a greater level of accountability.

​

​

​

​

​

How do I choose the right therapist for me?

​

Read our therapist’s profiles to determine which person feels right for you.  Most people can tell after an initial session whether they feel comfortable with a therapist’s style. Please feel free to speak up if you do not feel comfortable with the therapist, it will not offend us whatsoever. We want you to feel comfortable and trust your therapist – that is when therapy works best. We want to help you get to the right therapist.

​

​

​

​

​

​

What can I expect from my first appointment with a therapist?

​

Many people feel nervous before their first appointment, wondering what their therapist will ask, or what they should tell their therapist. Your therapist will primarily want to hear the reasons you made the appointment, what you have already done to try and solve the problem, and what you hope to accomplish in therapy. To better understand you, your therapist will likely want to know how things are going in the important parts of your life (relationships, work, school, etc.) as well as information about your background.  In general, therapy is a conversation between you and your therapist! 

​

Can I expect to feel better right away?

Some people begin to feel better as soon as they make their appointment or at the time of their first session. There can be a sense of relief when you finally open up and talk about what is bothering you. More often, however, people do not feel better immediately. Therapy is sometimes emotionally painful because it involves an active effort to look at yourself and your life situations to make some difficult changes. If the problems that bring you to therapy were easy to solve, you would have solved them without the guidance of a professional! Keep in mind that the potential long-term gains can feel well worth it. When therapy is successful, the positive gains in self-esteem, improved relationships and coping skills will far outweigh the distress of making changes.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Do you accept insurance?

Yes!  We take Aetna, Ambetter of TN, Cigna, Optum, Tricare, and KY Medicaid.  Services may be covered in full or in part by your health insurance or employee benefit plan.

​

​

​

​

​

What do I do if I need help right away?

In the case that you have an urgent need or are in an emergency situation, call 911 or go to your closest Emergency Room.  Please indicate the urgency of the situation and briefly describe what you are experiencing in order to receive the fastest attention possible.  

​

Additionally, you may receive 24/7 Crisis Support as follows:

​

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1.800.SUICIDE (784.2433)

• Veterans Crisis Hotline: 1.800.273.TALK (8255)

• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

• Trevor Project 24/7 Line: 1.866.488.7386 or TrevorText: text START to 678-678

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1.800.656.HOPE (4673)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

What is considered an Emergency/Crisis situation?

An emergency/crisis experience is individually based, depending on what it feels like for you based on your “normal”. We encourage students to contact us or come in for an emergency/crisis session if they feel it is indeed one. We prefer to see you, and please know that you will be seen as soon as a therapist becomes available. Some examples of a need for an emergency/crisis counseling session, include:

• Imminent suicidal thought and/or a plan

• Imminent homicidal thoughts

• Severely losing emotional control

• Gross impairment in thinking ability

• Exhibiting bizarre behavior

• Experienced a recent trauma