A Brighter Tomorrow Begins Today

Registered Associate Therapists are Masters level therapists who are working towards becoming licensed. They are required to complete 3000 counseling hours (roughly 2-3 years working full-time) to be able to sit the licensing exam. The associate mental health counselors at Hyland and Associates receive weekly supervision by a seasoned licensed therapist and attend additional continued educational courses on a regular basis. Associate therapists play a vital role in the mental health community. They are highly educated and passionate about helping others.

Licensed Therapists are Master’s level therapists who have completed process of obtaining their 3000 hours and have earned their license. They generally have 3 or more years of counseling experience and regularly attend continuing educational courses.

• Attaining a better understanding of yourself, your goals and values
• Developing skills for improving your relationships
• Finding resolution to the issues or concerns that led you to seek therapy
• Learning new ways to cope with stress and anxiety
• Managing anger, grief, depression, and other emotional pressures
• Improving communications and listening skills
• Changing old behavior patterns and developing new ones
• Discovering new ways to solve problems in your family or marriage
• Improving your self-esteem and boosting self-confidence

Why do people go to therapy and how do I know if it is right for me?
People have many different motivations for coming to psychotherapy. Some may be going through a major life transition (unemployment, divorce, new job, etc.), or are not handling stressful circumstances well. Some people need assistance managing a range of other issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, spiritual conflicts and creative blocks. Therapy can help provide some much needed encouragement and help with skills to get them through these periods. Others may be at a point where they are ready to learn more about themselves or want to be more effective with their goals in life. In short, people seeking psychotherapy are ready to meet the challenges in their lives and ready to make changes in their lives.

It is important to understand that you will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process. The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you bring what you learn in session back into your life. Therefore, beyond the work you do in therapy sessions, your therapist may suggest some things you can do outside of therapy to support your process – such as reading a pertinent book, journaling on specific topics, noting particular behaviors or taking action on your goals. People seeking psychotherapy are ready to make positive changes in their lives, are open to new perspectives and take responsibility for their lives.

Hyland & Associates Counseling Services is an in-network provider with Aetna. If you have Aetna insurance, your benefits may cover a portion of the cost of therapy, depending on your specific plan, deductible, copay, and coinsurance.

For all other insurance plans, we are considered out-of-network providers. Many PPO plans offer out-of-network mental health benefits. If your plan includes these benefits, we can provide you with a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

Because every insurance plan is different, we recommend contacting your insurance company directly to understand your mental health benefits. Helpful questions to ask include:

• What are my outpatient mental health benefits?
• Do I have a deductible, and has it been met?
• What is my copay or coinsurance for therapy?
• If I am using an out-of-network provider, what percentage of the session fee will be reimbursed?
• Is there a limit on the number of therapy sessions covered each year?
• Is prior authorization or a referral from my primary care physician required?

Please keep in mind that coverage and reimbursement are determined by your individual insurance plan and cannot be guaranteed by our office.

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and psychotherapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but the therapist’s office. Every therapist should provide a written copy of their confidential disclosure agreement, and you can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone. This is called “Informed Consent”. Sometimes, however, you may want your therapist to share information or give an update to someone on your healthcare team (your Physician, Naturopath, Attorney), but by law your therapist cannot release this information without obtaining your written permission.

However, state law and professional ethics require therapists to maintain confidentiality except for the following situations:

• Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources.
• If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming him/herself or has threatened to harm another person.