Frequently Asked Questions About Counseling
All Heart Counseling provides in-person counseling in Beachwood, Ohio, and online counseling for clients located anywhere in Ohio. I am also licensed in Georgia, Indiana, and Florida, so if you are traveling in one of those states we can continue meeting.
Licensure and insurance are two separate questions. My license determines where I am permitted to see you. Your plan determines whether the session is paid for, and that depends on the plan, so check with your insurer before you travel. I am glad to tell you what to ask.
If you live in Georgia, Indiana, or Florida rather than traveling there, I am not in network with plans based in those states. Your plan may still have out-of-network benefits worth checking, and sessions are otherwise private pay.
Below are answers to common questions about therapy, insurance, appointments, services, and getting started.
Do you offer counseling in Beachwood, Ohio?
Yes. I provide in-person counseling at my office in Beachwood. I work with adults on trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and panic attacks related to trauma. I also work with veterans, and I offer brief relationship and family work.
Online counseling is available anywhere in Ohio, and in Georgia, Indiana, and Florida, where I am also licensed.
Do you offer online counseling?
Yes. I provide online counseling for clients located anywhere in Ohio, and for clients in Georgia, Indiana, and Florida, where I am also licensed. Sessions are held through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform.
Telehealth works well for a lot of people. It removes the drive, makes scheduling easier, and lets you meet from wherever works best for you. Some people find it easier to talk about hard things from their own space, and others find they need the in-person room. You can start with one and switch.
Not every situation is well suited to online work, though. Depending on what you are dealing with, in-person sessions may be the better fit, and I will tell you if I think that is the case. We can talk it through at the start, and it is something we can revisit as the work goes on.
What types of counseling does All Heart Counseling provide?
All Heart Counseling focuses on individual counseling for adults. Areas of care include trauma and PTSD counseling, anxiety and depression, dissociation and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), social anxiety, life transitions, developmental disabilities, autism treatment, and other complex mental health concerns.
Amy also provides veterans counseling and may incorporate brief couples and family intervention therapy or hypnotic interventions when clinically appropriate as part of an individual's care.
Do you specialize in trauma and PTSD counseling?
Yes. Trauma and PTSD are among my primary areas of focus. I work with adults living with the effects of trauma, including people with histories of childhood abuse and complex or longstanding traumatic experiences, and with dissociation across the spectrum, including Dissociative Identity Disorder.
The work tends to start with what is most disruptive right now, and moves at a pace you set.
Yes. I have worked with dissociation and DID for many years. That includes people who have a diagnosis already and people who suspect something like this is going on but have never had it named.
Dissociation makes sense as a response to what caused it, and that is how I approach it. The pace is yours, and the goal is whatever you want it to be.
If you are seeking an initial diagnosis, it is worth knowing that assessment for dissociative disorders is not a quick process. It takes time and more than one conversation to understand what is going on, and rushing it does not serve you well. We can begin working on what brought you in while that picture becomes clearer.
Do you work with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?
Do you provide anxiety and depression counseling?
Yes. I work with adults dealing with anxiety and depression, whether it is something recent or something you have carried a long time.
These are the two things people most often decide are not bad enough to warrant therapy. If you have been talking yourself out of calling because other people have it worse, or because you are managing, that is worth paying attention to. We will look at what you are experiencing now, and also at what may be feeding it: the patterns that keep repeating, the relationships that are hard, and the way you talk to yourself when no one is listening.
Do you provide counseling for veterans?
Yes. I have worked with veterans from all branches of the military, in group settings and individually, on trauma and PTSD, adjustment after service, and whatever else is going on. I accept TRICARE and CHAMPVA.
Yes. I provide evaluations and nexus letters for veterans pursuing VA disability claims, both as a standalone service and for veterans already in counseling with me. This is a private pay service and is not billed to insurance.
An evaluation is different work than therapy. It involves a review of your records, a clinical interview, and a written report or opinion for use in your claim. My role is to give an honest professional opinion based on what the evidence shows, so I cannot promise a particular conclusion before I have done the assessment.
If you are already a counseling client, we will talk through what this means before I begin. It changes the nature of what I am doing, and it is worth being clear about that upfront.
Contact me for current fees and turnaround time.
Do you write nexus letters or provide evaluations for VA claims?
No. Animal assisted therapy is a specialized intervention my office is not set up to provide.
If you have a service dog, you are welcome to bring them to your sessions.
I do provide evaluations and letters documenting the need for an assistance animal, including emotional support animals, most often for housing accommodations. This requires an established clinical relationship, so it is not something I can do in a single appointment. It is a private pay service and is not billed to insurance. Contact me for current fees.
Does you provide Animal Assisted Therapy?
Yes. I am currently in network with:
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Aetna
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Anthem
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Medical Mutual
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CareSource Ohio
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Medicare
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Aetna, Anthem, and Medical Mutual Medicare Advantage plans
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TRICARE and CHAMPVA
If your plan is not listed, you may still have out-of-network benefits. I am happy to check your benefits for you, or you can call and verify them yourself before we begin, so you have an idea of what your costs will be. Payment is due at the time of service, and any reimbursement is between you and your plan. Some services are private pay and are not billed to insurance, including evaluations and letters, and relationship or family sessions focused on the relationship itself rather than treatment of a diagnosed condition.
Does All Heart Counseling accept insurance?
Sometimes. I am certified in clinical hypnosis and hold Approved Consultant status with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and I use brief hypnotic tools within counseling when they fit what we are working on. Hypnosis here is a technique used within therapy, not a treatment of its own.
It is something we would discuss before using it clinically. We would talk about what it involves and whether it makes sense for you, and it is always your choice.
These are short techniques used inside a regular counseling session, not sessions devoted to hypnosis. They can be useful for settling the body, for managing anxiety, and for getting at material that is hard to reach by talking alone. You stay aware and in control throughout, and it is nothing like stage hypnosis.
Clinical hypnosis has applications beyond counseling, including for habit change, sleep, pain, and performance. I offer that work through my other practice, Deep Heart's Core, as a private pay service.
Do you use hypnosis in therapy?
Do you offer a Q&A Call?
Yes, if you want one. It is not required. If what you have read here answers your questions, you are welcome to go ahead and schedule a first session.
If you would rather talk first, the Q&A call is 20 minutes and costs $50. You can ask whatever you want about how I work and how I might approach what you are dealing with. It is not a therapy session and cannot be applied toward one.