Melanie Connell  MA  LPC

If you have a problem that you want to address and have tried to address it on your own without success, there is no shame in deciding you want or need counseling.  All of us find ourselves in that boat at times.  The simple truth is we need help sometimes.  Counseling no longer has the stigma attached to it that it once did.  In fact, it can be the proof of how powerful you are.  People need people and to pursue what you need is far more powerful than staying in a problem for months or years.  Come in for an initial session to collaborate with me as to how we could proceed.  Then decide if counseling is what you need. 

For Individual Sessions:

A 20-30 minute session is $65.00

A 45-60 minute session is $150

A 70-90 minute session is $175

For Marriage or Family Sessions:

A 45-60 minute session is $175

A 75-90 minute session is $200.00

For Group Therapy Sessions:

A 60-90 minute group is $75

I do take insurance so it would be advantageous for you to call your insurance company to find out whether it covers mental/behavioral health, what your deductible & copay is, and whether they have a different deductible & copay when the practitioner is in-network vs. out-of-network. I am out-of-network, but can sometimes get a “single-case agreement” with some insurances to get paid at “in-network” or contracted rates. I am approved for Medicaid. Depending on the services needed, my rates are between $75-200. When you request a session, I will send you a packet that breaks down all fees for the services I provide as well as an insurance form. You can also input your own insurance information when you click the link on my home page requesting a consultation. The latter is actually very helpful and appreciated and gets “the ball rolling” with insurance companies quicker as I have all the pertinent info at hand when if I need to call your insurance company.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma and many other conditions. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro. It emphasizes the role of distressing memories in some mental health disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Once a therapist and client have agreed that EMDR is appropriate for a specific problem, the actual EMDR therapy may begin. A typical EMDR session lasts from 60 to 90 minutes.

The amount of time the complete treatment will take depends upon the history of the client. Complete treatment of the targets involves a three pronged protocol (1-past memories, 2-present disturbance, 3-future actions), and are needed to alleviate the symptoms and address the complete clinical picture. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process completely the experiences that are causing problems, and to include new ones that are needed for full health. “Processing” does not mean talking about it. “Processing” means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences that are causing problems to be “digested” and stored appropriately in your brain. That means that what is useful to you from an experience will be learned, and stored with appropriate emotions in your brain, and be able to guide you in positive ways in the future. The inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded. Negative emotions, feelings and behaviors are generally caused by unresolved earlier experiences that are pushing you in the wrong directions. The goal of EMDR therapy is to leave you with the emotions, understanding, and perspectives that will lead to healthy and useful behaviors and interactions.

We can get a better gauge in that after the first session. I usually recommend 3 sessions in a row to get a good gauge on the problem, to develop a course of action, and to build rapport with one another. Some clients see me weekly, some every other week, some monthly, and when a client reaches their goals, they opt to come back to check in on occasion. We make the decision collaboratively. I will always give my best recommendation for your consideration, but in the end, it is ultimately up to you

I offer 30, 60, & 90 minute sessions. We will do our best to wrap up 10 minutes before the end to address payment or scheduling issues. The 60 minute session is typical for most of my clients. Insurance companies will also at times determine what is standard (i.e. some have deemed 45 minute sessions are he standard) and will not pay out your benefits if we go outside of that. In this case, we will adjust so you get your benefits. If I think such an adjustment doesn’t serve you, we will discuss your options.

I try to keep within 9-5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays. However, I will collaborate with you and we will decide what works best in the circumstances that present themselves. It is rare that I offer evening sessions so that I can balance my professional and personal life while I still have children at home.