What are professional counseling services (therapy)?

Professional counseling services—often called therapy or psychotherapy—are structured, confidential services where you met with a therapist with the purpose of resolving some issue or concern. This can include problematic thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, feelings and/or somatic complaints (sensations in the body). Therapy can address a variety of different issues to improve emotional well-being, mental health, and life functioning.

Counseling can support people who are dealing with:

• Stress, burnout, or overwhelm (common in work and professional life)

• Anxiety or depression

• Relationship or family challenges

• Grief, loss, or major life transitions

• Trauma or past experiences

• Self-esteem, confidence, or identity concerns

• Work, career, or performance-related issues

• Coping skills and emotional regulation

Is therapy right for me?

Therapy is both a personal and an individual decision one needs to make. Therapy is not a “quick fix.” It requires time to get to know one another, identify your goals for treatment, and time to work towards those goals to promote healthy change in one’s life. If you are open to promote learning new ways to make positive changes in your thinking, feelings, and behaviors, therapy can be a benefit to you.

Therapy may be right for you if you relate to any of the following:

• You feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally stuck

• Work or life pressures are affecting your mood, focus, or health

• You want support growing professionally or managing challenges better

• You’re dealing with changes, loss, or difficult relationships

• You want to understand yourself better or build healthier habits

• You don’t need a crisis to justify getting help—prevention and growth count

If something keeps bothering you or affecting your daily life, therapy is worth considering.

How can therapy help me?

Therapy can be very helpful if you are open-minded and motivated to work with your therapist on making positive changes in your life. We will work together to identify presenting issues to address in therapy. We will then identify strengths, treatment goals and effective coping strategies to help you be successful in your life in whatever capacity that may be.

Therapy can help you feel more grounded, supported, and clear. It gives you a safe space to talk things through, understand patterns, and build tools to handle stress, emotions, and challenges—especially around work and life balance.

Once you are meeting your goals you and your therapist will discuss graduating from therapy. At Positively Speaking, you will receive individualized services specific to your needs with a strengths-based approach. It is common to have homework to do outside of therapy in between sessions to maximize the benefits of therapy. Depending on the presenting issue(s), you can expect that your therapist will recommend attending therapy either on a one time per week or one time every two weeks basis initially. Depending on progress, sessions may be spread out further which will be addressed at each session.

What is a therapy session like?

A therapy session is a private, supportive conversation focused on you.

You’ll talk about what’s been on your mind—stress, work, relationships, or goals. The therapist listens without judgment, asks thoughtful questions, and helps you understand patterns, gain clarity, and learn coping tools.

Sessions usually last 45–60 minutes, happen in person or online, and move at your pace. There’s no pressure to know what to say—you just start where you are.

You’ll begin by meeting with your therapist for an initial intake session where your therapist gets to know you, your history, and what you’re hoping to work on. Together, you’ll decide if it feels like a good fit and set goals for therapy. Ongoing sessions are tailored to your needs and may include conversations or activities to help you process thoughts and feelings and support growth and healing. You may have simple “homework” between sessions to help reinforce progress.

Therapy is typically recommended weekly or biweekly at first, with sessions spaced out over time as progress is made and reviewed together. As you make progress, you and your therapist may space sessions farther apart and discuss ending therapy when it feels right.

Research shows that the relationship between you and your therapist is one of the most important parts of therapy. If you don’t feel comfortable, it’s important to share that with your therapist. You should be able to get a good sense of whether you & your therapist are a good fit by the 3rd session. If the fit still doesn’t feel right, let them know so they can help refer you to someone else. Feeling safe and at ease with your therapist is essential for getting the most benefit from therapy.

Who goes to therapy?

People from all walks of life! Therapy is a space to slow down, feel heard, and make sense of what you’re carrying. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit—many people come to therapy to better understand themselves, navigate change, or build healthier relationships. Whether you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply ready for growth, therapy offers support tailored to you.

Therapy isn’t about fixing what’s “wrong.” It’s about strengthening what’s already there. People choose therapy to manage stress, improve relationships, gain clarity, and build resilience. It’s a proactive step toward feeling more grounded, confident, and aligned in your life.

Therapy is for people who value self-awareness and growth. It can help you manage pressure, improve communication, and make thoughtful decisions—both personally and professionally. Investing in your mental health supports clearer thinking, stronger relationships, and long-term well-being.

We all have issues that we go through within our lives. Therapy is a safe, confidential space to improve your mental health & well-being!

Is medication necessary?

For some people, medication along with therapy may be helpful. Medication alone often treats symptoms but not the underlying concerns. Your therapist will work closely with you, and any decision about medication is always yours. While we do not prescribe medication, we can help refer you to and collaborate with a primary care provider or psychiatrist if medication is something you’d like to explore.

Do you accept my insurance?

We are in-network with most major insurance companies, though coverage may vary by therapist. If you plan to use insurance, our administrative assistant will do their best to match you with an in-network provider and verify your benefits. This includes checking eligibility, in-network status, and estimated out-of-pocket costs. Because insurance plans vary and information can sometimes be inaccurate, exact costs may not be known until a claim is processed.

We encourage you to contact your insurance company directly to review your specific mental health benefits before your first session. If you have an annual deductible or a high deductible health plan and it has not been met, you will be responsible for the contracted rate until your deductible is fulfilled.

Some questions to ask your insurance provider are:

• What are my outpatient mental health benefits?

• Do I have a deductible? If so, what is the deductible amount?

• What is the co-payment and/or co-insurance amount per session?

• Is my therapist an in-network provider?

• Do I have any out-of-network benefits?

• How much does my insurance pay, if any for an out-of-network provider?

Positively Speaking Professional Counseling Services accepts the following commercial insurance plans:

• Aetna

• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

• Cigna/Evernorth

• Custom Design Benefits

• Headway (April only)

• Medical Mutual

• MedBen

• Optum

• United Healthcare

• UMR

We accept all Kentucky Medicaid MCO plans:

• Aetna Better Health of KY

• Humana Medicaid

• Passport Healthplan by Molina Healthcare

• UHC Community Plan

  Wellcare of KY

We take the following Employee Assistance Program (EAP) plans:

• Health Advocate EAP

• Optum EAP (April only)

• Lyra EAP (April only)

• Telus EAP

We accept the following Medicare plans:

• Humana Medicare (April only)

• UnitedHealthcare Medicare (April only)

We are currently working on additional credentialing with Medicare, and will update our website as we become in-network with more plans.

We take HSA and FSA cards as well!

We also work with Thrizer to help clients who wish to use their out-of-network benefits.

What are the costs for services?

We always offer a free 15 minute phone consultation to determine whether we are the right fit for you!

• Initial Evaluation (Intake Appt): $180-1 hour diagnostic interview

• Individual Psychotherapy Session: $160-55 minutes

• Individual Psychotherapy Session: $140-45 minutes

• Individual Psychotherapy Session: $80-30 minutes

• Family Psychotherapy Session: $140-45 minutes

Miscellaneous Fees (Insurance never covers):

• Missed Appointment/Late Cancellation (Less than 24 hours notice):

• $75 for LPCC or LPCA; $40 for student intern

• Paperwork Fee: $30 per 15 minutes

• Phone Calls: $30 per 15 minutes

• No Payment at time of service Fee: $10

• Late Payments: $10 per month

• Clinical Supervision: $75 per session

Self-Pay Rates (If you opt out from using insurance, these are our out of pocket rates):

• LPCC (Master's Level Clinician-Fully Licensed): $150 per session

• LPCA (Master's Level Clinician-Provisionally Licensed Under Supervision): $90 per session

• Master's Student Intern (Pre-licensed Under Supervision): $40 per session

• Group Therapy Session: $40-60 minutes

What is the "No Surpises Act"?

The "No Surprises Act" went into effect on January 1, 2022. We support the purpose of this law, which is to protect patients from unexpected medical bills.

The Act was created to prevent “surprise billing,” which can happen when a patient receives care at a hospital and is treated by a provider who is out of network with their insurance—often without the patient realizing it.

Under the No Surprises Act, healthcare providers are required to:

1) ask whether you have health insurance

2) let you know whether we are in network or out of network with your insurance

3) provide a Good Faith Estimate of the expected costs related to your care.

Because we have not yet met with or assessed you, it is not possible to provide an exact estimate of your total annual costs. However, you can get a general idea of your potential expenses by:

1) reviewing your copay or coinsurance if we are in network, or

2) reviewing our self-pay rates if we are out of network. Next, you can then multiply that amount by how often you expect to be seen.

If you have questions or would like help understanding your estimate, please feel free to ask—we’re happy to help. You may also view this article for additional information: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises