Frequently Asked Questions
Look closely at the name—the letters are jumbled and tied together, just like life can feel when we're carrying trauma, anxiety, or painful patterns.
At Untanglife, we help you untangle the knots. We honor where you've been, hear where you are now, and work together to process the difficult thoughts, feelings, and experiences that keep you stuck. You don't have to stay tangled—let's work together to help you move forward.
I understand that life happens and sometimes you need to reschedule. I ask for at least 24 hours advance notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. This allows me to offer your time slot to another client who may be waiting.
Late cancellations or no-shows (cancellations with less than 24 hours notice) will be charged a $50 late cancellation fee. This fee is not covered by insurance and must be paid before your next scheduled appointment.
Exceptions: I understand that emergencies, serious illness, and unexpected situations happen. If this occurs, please contact me as soon as possible and we'll work it out together on a case-by-case basis.
The fact of the matter is that you’ve probably been trying to work through many things on your own for a very long time. When you come to counseling, it is our goal to not only identify the underlying issues that are upsetting you, but to also identify your strengths as well as activate your own healing processes.
Shame and weakness should not be associated with asking for help in general or coming to counseling. In fact, it takes a lot of strength and courage for people to ask for help. All of us need help every now and again – and that’s okay.
We can set up counseling sessions either way! Just let us know what you prefer.
We are available to meet on a HIPAA-secure platform as long as you are in Texas. At this time, the law permits that counselors and therapists can only meet for virtual counseling in the state in which they are licensed.
Coming to counseling is not an easy decision, and can actually be a very stressful phone call to make. We make it our mission to put you at ease from your initial phone call until you arrive for your first session, and beyond. Our entire staff has been trained to provide you with the highest level of care and support. We are here to help you from the beginning, with the intake and scheduling process, as well as to ensure you are treated with respect and compassion during all of your counseling sessions.
Because each person has different and unique issues and goals, therapy has to be customized for every individual. In general, you can expect to discuss:
the current events happening in your life;
your personal history that may or may not be directly relevant to your issue; and,
report progress (or any new insights gained) from the previous therapy session.
Depending on your needs, therapy can be short-term, for a specific issue, or longer-term, to deal with more difficult patterns or behaviors. Either way, it is most common to schedule regular sessions with your therapist (usually weekly or bi-weekly), especially at the start of the process. Once you feel like you are feeling better, you have the option of coming to counseling less often or stopping altogether. Just talk it over with your counselor. You can always come back and connect with your counselor as you need.
The ultimate purpose of therapy is to help you incorporate what you have learned in the sessions within your life. In addition to the work you will be doing in your actual sessions, some things outside of therapy may be suggested to you to support your process. These things may include, reading a relevant book, journaling, practicing a new technique, or taking action on some of your goals. You will get more results from therapy if you actively participate in the process.
Friends and family are great, but they may not be able to provide the training, experience, and insight that a mental health professional can. You also have an interesting dynamic with your family and friends – one that does not exist with a counselor. An example of this is that they may tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear.
Many people do not feel comfortable in sharing personal or intimate details about their lives with family or friends as they might be afraid of being judged somehow. Some people feel that they talk about the same problems with their friends, without any real resolution. This may cause you or your friends to start having negative emotions or feelings with one another, and could actually cause people to avoid having these talks or interactions all together.
This is what your counseling sessions are for. Therapists are prepared to listen and be a part of these “hard” discussions, without the fear of embarrassment, shame, or judgment being present.
In order for the counseling process to work, the relationship and connection you have with your counselor is absolutely vital. If you ever feel that we are not the right practice for you, please let us know. We will do our best to refer you to another counselor that may be better suited for you.