My new office is in The Atrium, 4 Terry Drive, Suite 17J, Newtown, PA 18940. My office is on the bottom floor of the building. There are two entrances to Suite 17. Please use the entrance at the back of the building (parking is conveniently available in the back of the building). After entering the building via the aforementioned entrance, proceed to the stairs then go left down the hallway to Suite 17J. Thank you!
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays
10 am to 9 pm
(I do offer 9 am or 9 pm appts if needed)
I believe that the counseling relationship is the most important relationship; therefore I believe a foundation needs to be strong and safe for the individual. Most individuals who have not sought out counseling in the past, or have had negative experiences in the past with other Counselors, are often ambivalent about sharing issues with a professional, due to stigma, trust issues or feelings of not feeling heard/validated by their own family/friends. Therefore I strive to promote feelings of genuineness, non-judgement, and acceptance of the individual upon initiating treatment. In addition, any individual in crisis may need assistance in working through their issues immediately. I strive to prove this nurturing environment, to empower the individual to be the best they can be and work through their crisis/nature of issues.
I strive to provide a safe and caring environment for individuals in their unique counseling experience. I strive to be genuine and non-judgmental in nature, and offer total acceptance of the individual at initiation of treatment.
I provide Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anger Management treatment, Grief and Loss, Anxiety, Depression, Self Esteem and Marital Therapy to those in need to work out life’s issues. I encourage individuals to think outside the box, provide options, encouragement, hope and overall sensitivity to each struggle an individual may be experiencing.
I have a Masters in Community Counseling and am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I was certified as National Gambling Counselor in May 2015 and provide services through the State of Pennsylvania for gambling treatment. I am registered as a preferred national treatment provider on various gambling websites. I am a very passionate, caring, positive person who enjoys counseling all different types of people. I am very dependable, reliable and have been counseling since 1991. I have extensive background in drug and alcohol counseling, grief counseling, anger management issues, self esteem issues and anxiety/depression. Due to my past work history, I have made several connections within the community. I have been integrated in addressing the needs of patients/making recommendations for the best treatment options. I started my own practice in Newtown, PA in May 2013.
My counseling availability depend on the needs of my clientele, however my primary days are Tuesday and Thursday (with the potential to expand to other days). Based upon clinical assessment, I am available to assist the needs of clients on an emergency basis. Feel free to contact me at anytime via email or phone if you may have questions regarding treatment options or initiating a counseling relationship.
Please Note—-
1) It is the patient’s responsibility to check with their insurance company that this provider is in-network. This is vital in order to receive full benefits and coverage for services rendered.
2) Referrals: If you require referrals, a referral must be dated on or prior to the date of service that sessions are scheduled. It is patient’s responsibility to make sure they have a current referral prior to their initial and future sessions.
3) In the event that any services are not covered, or denied, it is the patient’s sole responsibility to pay for all services that are denied payment or not covered under their insurance. Please feel free to contact this counselor with any questions or issues if needed.
4) I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 am-8 pm, and since I only work those two days, my evening appointments may be more highly desired than daytime hours, and my availability overall is more limited as a result.
Once treatment is initiated, appointments may be scheduled further out to secure your ideal/desired time needed,
I just service my clientele’s needs on a first come first serve basis.
If you call me on a Tuesday or Thursday, I am typically in back to back sessions and may not have the opportunity to respond to calls immediately. Therefore, text or email communication may be more ideal on those days as I may have a quick moment to respond to inquires.
My turnover time for calls is ASAP (I strive to respond to calls within 24 hours or less, ideally within a two hour time frame normally).
If you don’t hear back from me within that time frame, please feel free to follow up with me, as that is always welcomed and appreciated, and I may not have received the message or text or email.
In addition, I may return calls on from a number that is often categorized as blocked by various telecom carriers. Please keep in mind if your phone is configured to not accept calls from blocked numbers, I may not be able to reach you.
If you wish for me to leave you a voice message, please ensure that your voice mailbox is active and not full.
When first contacting me, please feel free to state if your number is a cellphone as that will allow for a text response, if that is preferred.
5) As a result of the limited availability in my schedule, I am not able to overlook sudden cancellations or late cancellations, including emergencies without a minimum of 24 hours notice.
Without a minimum of 24 hours notice for rescheduling or cancellations, a $50.00 fee charge will result, as that limits my availability to offer others appts that may be needed in emergent need or otherwise.
There are No Exceptions to this policy.
I understand that emergencies do arise, and I am not insensitive to that, I just am unable to make any exceptions to not being notified without a minimum of 24 hours notice.
If you are not feeling well prior to your appt and are unsure you are able to attend until that day, (or do not feel that the weather is feasible for you to attend appts) please let me know and we can reschedule and/or plan to follow up on the day of the appt, and I may be able to offer that time to another client in the event that you are not able to attend, which may alleviate the fee charge.
6) I only offer Cognitive Behavioral Counseling (CBT) and I’m unable to provide any other services or recommendations outside my training, including but not limited to:
– Workman compensation claims
– Disability claims
– FMLA claims
– Mental Health Status Evaluations
– Court custody issues and other Court-related issues
– Any other claims that might require recommendations outside the scope of my training.
7) I do not offer family counseling only individual and/or marriage counseling in a limited capacity (I am not a certified marriage counselor, but I have had training in the sub-field and have been successful in assisting couples promote healthier communication).
8) I am not certified in child psychology thus I do not work with children under the age of 12.
9) I am not certified in treating any issues with autism or any other childhood developmental issues (e.g. ADHD/ADD, schizophrenia and more severe mental health issues).
10) I do not offer counseling for child custody issues as that is outside the scope of my training but I will be happy to offer referrals to other counselors if needed.
11) If I am not in your health plan’s network (Medicare (including Advantage Plans), Aetna Better Health Kids HMO and Aetna Better Health HMO CHIP are examples of such providers), you can certainly still pursue services with me if you agree to an out of pocket rate (I happily offer sliding scales for such clients).
Please feel free to inquire about or confirm services that this counselor is able to offer upon initial contact within her scope of training.
Any services that may be beyond the scope of training of this counselor, may be best serviced with a referral to another provider with further expertise or that specific training.
I am very appreciative of your inquiry for services as a potential new client.
As a way to show that appreciation, I do like to offer this information up front, as I want to ensure you are aware of this information in order to make the best decision for initiating treatment.
I realize that this schedule may not meet everyone’s needs, and that some potential clientele may need a counselor/therapist that has more availability/flexibility than I. If that is the case, please do not hesitate to ask for a referral in order to better meet your needs.
Again, thank you for your understanding of these items, and your inquiry to services with me. I do appreciate your business and my focus is to provide the most appropriate services to you and for you, to feel that the counseling relationship is the most productive for you improving your overall mental health and functioning.
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna
- Americhoice
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Highmark Federal Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Keystone Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Magellan
- Personal Choice Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- United Healthcare
EAP Affiliations (Employee Assistance Plan)
- Beacon
- Carebridge
- Ceridian
- Magellan
- Mazzetti/Sullivan
I am flexible in providing out of pocket treatment if needed.
New patient expectations
New patients will be expected to have an initial intake session/assessment with the counselor. This initial session will take approximately 15-20 minutes to gather the information listed below. The remaining time in the session will be to focus on the issue(s) that prompted the patient to initiate the session.
This session will consist of gathering basic personal information, including (but not limited to):
– General demographics (name, address, phone numbers, email addresses).
– Insurance information and a copy of your insurance card.
– General information regarding your physical and emotional health, hospitalizations, any prior history of counseling, medications, allergies, drug and alcohol history, family history of mental illness/drug and alcohol history, social supports, legal issues (past and current), any issues with late development [(any physical or emotional issues during childhood through adulthood), or if there were delays in developmental milestones (walking, crawling, holding head up, speech issues)].
Clients will be asked to read and agree to sign documents regarding the office policies, credit card policies, and privacy notices. (Copies of the privacy notices are available if requested).
If both the patient and the counselor agree to initiate treatment with a comfortable rapport/relationship, then appropriate treatment goals will be developed and additional sessions will be scheduled at that time.
If the patient needs are beyond the scope of this counselor’s practice, a referral will made to an appropriate counselor at that time.
Upon completing the initial intake assessment, all additional sessions will be that of focus to the patient.
The counselor will remain active in listening/validating thoughts, feelings and issues that are presented; as well as providing positive feedback; viable options and strategies to cope more effectively with the situation or distressing events that are evident within the patient.
It’s important to be able to trust your counselor, feel empowered by the counseling experience and to want to move forward to initiate positive changes for the future.
The counseling experience requires these items to establish a comfortable working relationship:
1) Unconditional positive regard
The patient is accepted at intake without prejudice and judgement at whatever level they are functioning. This is a must for each session in facilitating growth, change and trust within the patient.
2) Genuineness
The patient regards their counselor as true to their word, and trusts that the counselor is sincere in their relationship with the patient. This is vital to establishing trust and a good rapport/ working relationship for future sessions.
3) Mutual trust and respect
Both parties need to feel that this is evident in each session. Without this, change may be challenging for the patient and the future working relationship.
4) Empathy
The patient needs to feel that their counselor can conceptualize and identify with their patient’s descriptions of events in session. This is important in authentication of the patients experience and personal struggles with crisis or non-crisis issues.
Therapy can be short term or long term depending on the needs of the patient, typically ranging from one month to six months or beyond.
It is up to the individual patient whether they attend sessions weekly, every other week or monthly. The counselor will provide feedback based upon the nature of the issue and recommendations that would be appropriate to that individual.
It is important to note that no individual is compelled to stay engaged in treatment beyond their desire, or if financial constraints are apparent. This counselor will make every attempt to provide viable options to stay in treatment if desired.
There is no minimum or maximum monetary requirement for ongoing counseling. No patient needs to feel compelled to continue in treatment if they no longer desired or feel that treatment is no longer beneficial to them. This will be assessed in sessions by the counselor and patient together, on an ongoing basis to ensure treatment is meeting the needs of the patient, not the counselor.
It is up to the individual as to whether they are willing to stay engaged in treatment voluntarily. This is vital in promoting the most promising therapeutic relationship between counselor and patient.
This counselor would appreciate and welcome any feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism regarding the practice, nature of the sessions, office policies, or issues that may have developed during treatment. This can be completed through a simple survey proved by your counselor; a letter via email, written letter, and will welcomed both anonymously or signed by the patient.
The best gift is the gift of referral.
Thank you for your patronage, my success is due to your continued faith in my abilities as a professional to serve and meet all aspects of your behavioral health.
Note regarding cancellations
If the need arises for you to cancel an appointment, I request that you provide me with 24 hours’ notice. If you do not cancel within this time frame, you will be charged a fee of $50 for the cancelled session. If the cancellation was caused from serious illness, emergency, or similar unavoidable circumstance, I will make every reasonable effort to waive this fee.
Note regarding parking
Please note that there are two entrances to Suite 17. Please use the entrance that is at the back of the building (the bottom floor). Please feel free to parking at the back of the building so that you can readily access that entrance. Thank you.
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