Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is counseling or therapy?
What about for children?
How do I know where to begin?
How long does therapy take?
What if I don’t feel like talking or if my child doesn't like talking to a stranger?
Can I ask questions? 
What if counseling makes me feel worse?
How does therapy make one feel better?
Who will see my records?
What about confidentiality?
How long do therapy sessions last?
Do I participate in therapy with my child?
Can’t I just watch?
My child says that you just play in there…how is that helping?
How much does this cost and who pays for it?

What exactly is counseling or therapy?
For adults, it is a process of developing an understanding of yourself and of your worldview, and to learn new skills so you can cope more satisfactorily with everyday life.

What about counseling or therapy for children?
For children, it is the same, in a simple way. They also learn new skills for coping with everyday life, but it is done through the context of play. Play is the universal language of children and adults.

How do I know where to begin?
Therapy is a process. Wherever you begin is the beginning. It doesn’t need to be defined.

How long does therapy take?
It depends on what your individual goals and objectives are. You define the length of therapy; you decide when your goals are met and when you will end therapy. With children, this is accomplished through dialogue with parents and teachers, and often the children know and communicate when they are ready to discontinue counseling.

What if I don’t feel like talking or if I don’t like talking to a stranger?
Often this is the case; therapy doesn’t require talking but talking is helpful. With children, their play does the talking for them, and through play they communicate their feelings as well. Insight is usually communicated differently with children than with adults. That said, your therapist should only be a stranger once;  and ‘started is half done’ (Danish proverb).

Can I ask questions?
Of course, and we encourage questions. It is part of the learning process. In fact, in most instances, we encourage parents to be part of the therapeutic process, as a partner in therapy.  Carrying on with interventions and homework between sessions speeds healing, learning, and improves parent-child relationships.

What if counseling makes me feel worse?
In most cases, feeling worse before you feel better may be possible. It took much longer than one hour to create the emotional problems you are facing, and will take a few sessions to begin to feel relief. Sometimes discussing the problem in detail brings it back to the surface after having been buried, and therefore creates some negative fallout. However that soon passes for the better. For children, negative behaviors may get worse for a couple of sessions until healing begins, but again improvement is just around the corner.

How does therapy make one feel better?
It is a process of both us working together, a partnership, to accomplish your goals. But it is not like visiting the medical doctor…it requires your very active involvement and commitment to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The more dedicated you are as a parent of a client or as the client in following the recommendations and interventions of the therapist, the more benefit you will gain.

Who will see my records?
At CFCG all records are confidential and kept in private, locked file cabinets by each therapist. Only your therapist, and if appropriate, their clinical supervisor, will have access to your case file. Financial files are kept separately by the Business Office and again are locked only allowing access by the Business Office staff and the Clinical Director.

What about confidentiality?
Only you and your therapist (or your child/adolescent and their therapist) will know the content of your therapy sessions. In the case of children, of course parents are privileged to know about the process of therapy with their children and are advised at separate sessions, as well as after each session with their children, the progress achieved and direction therapy is headed.

Your therapist is however required by law in three cases to disclose your therapy content: if you intend to harm yourself (suicide); if you intend to harm another (homicide); and if your therapist suspects that a child is being abused.

How long do therapy sessions last?
Typically 45 minutes for children and adolescents and 45-50 minutes for adults. You can expect to meet weekly for 2-3 months, and then, if appropriate, probably less often for the next few months.

Do I participate in therapy with my child?
Typically it is better for your child to meet with their therapist alone for at least the first few assessment sessions, unless you are participating in Filial Therapy (Parent-child Therapy) or Family Therapy. That way their old patterns are more easily interrupted and recommendations for intervention more valid.

Can’t I just watch?
There is a facility in the office that allows you to observe your child’s therapy session without your child’s awareness. 

My child says that you just play in there…how is that helping?
Play is the medium through which children assimilate their environment, understand the world and their part of it, and internalize rules, standards, and cultural norms. It is also where they express stress, emotional problems, and where they work through those same issues. Play is also how children build relationships. They are not yet cognitively equipped to talk things over and to gain insight from the discussion, and to act on that insight. Play – sensory, tangible, visual, tactile interaction in a three dimensional format – provides the insight that they require to heal emotional distress.

How much does this cost and who pays for it?
Often medical insurance carriers provide some benefit for mental health treatment. Sometimes it is time-limited or the number of sessions might be limited in a calendar year; sometimes there is a flat co-payment or percentage that the insured must pay. Our Business Office will bill your insurance company for services, advise you of the coverage you may expect from your insurance company, and what your obligation may be. However, this is not a guarantee of payment, and you may be responsible for more of the cost.  Personal dialogue with your insurance carrier is recommended.  There are payment arrangements available should your obligation be higher than your weekly budget will allow