FAQs

  • Once you have inquired, please allow me some time to review your message and get back to you. If what you are looking to work on in counseling is within my area of practice and I have availability to take on new clients, I will let you know and we may set up a consultation call.

    If I do not have adequate training in or experience working with your identified goals/presenting concerns, I will communicate that to you.

  • A consultation call typically takes 15-20 minutes and is offered free of charge. After you have completed the inquiry form, if your presenting concerns are within my scope of practice and I have availability, I will email you to schedule a consultation call.

    During the consultation call, I might ask about your mental health history, goals, existing diagnoses, and prior counseling experiences.

    The consultation call also allows you an opportunity to ask me questions you might have. Don't hesitate to ask about my therapeutic style or approach to counseling. The consult call is a time for us to briefly get to know each other so that we can figure out if we might be a therapeutic match.

  • Counseling with Brittany offers sessions virtually, so you can feel free to join from the comfort of your couch. All sessions take place via a HIPAA-compliant version of Google Meets.

    Meeting via tele-health eliminates travel time to and from your therapist's office, increases access for those who are immunocompromised, and reduces the barrier to services for folks in rural parts of the state or without transportation.

    So-- bring a warm cup of tea, wear your coziest clothes, and snuggle up with your dog during our sessions. As long as you are physically located within the State of Maine (due to licensing requirements)-- you're good to go!

  • Counseling with Brittany requires 24 hours notice for cancellations. If 24 hours notice is not given for a cancellation, Counseling with Brittany will charge a cancellation fee of $75 to the card on file. This fee is intended not to punish you for cancelling, rather, to offset the cost of the session-- as the cost for holding your session and the time your clinician set aside for you are incurred whether or not you attend your appointment.

    If you are wondering how a cancellation fee might fit into the neuro-affirming framework, please see this helpful article.

  • Our first session will take 60 minutes, and will be considered an "intake." During your intake appointment, you can expect to review the practice's policies and procedures, and your clinician will obtain your consent for treatment. Then, your clinician might ask about your mental health symptoms, review your medical and familial history, discuss goals for treatment, and inquire more about you.

  • Depending on your individual needs, you may be appropriate for outpatient treatment on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Throughout your counseling, you and your clinician will discuss your diagnoses, symptoms, and goals of treatment to determine appropriate frequency of sessions.

    Usually, we will need to meet weekly or bi-weekly to start as we build the therapeutic relationship and gain footing. The initial frequency may need to be adjusted as we continue treatment.

  • Every individual's experience with therapy is different. Some clients find that they need short term, solution-focused therapy to manage one presenting issue. Others are looking to unpack trauma, explore their sense of self, and examine core beliefs-- which usually takes more time.

    So, the duration of the therapeutic relationship is often related to the type of work being done, your goals, and the therapeutic approach being taken. That means it is different for everyone!

  • At this time, we do not work with children or provide couples or family counseling.

    All Counseling with Brittany clients are required to be 18 years of age or older at the start of counseling.

  • Counseling with Brittany takes privacy and consent seriously, and does not allow for recording of any counseling sessions. Recording includes video, audio, or photography. Any client who engages in recording of session without consent will be subject to termination from services.

    Please feel free, however, to take as many handwritten or typed notes as you wish during your sessions.

  • Unfortunately, I am not equipped as an outpatient clinician to provide crisis counseling or on-demand support.

    Should you find yourself in a mental health crisis, please consider accessing the following resources (available 24/7), or head to your nearest emergency room:

    1. Maine Crisis Hotline: 1-888-568-1112

    2. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

    3. Text Crisis Line: Text "HOME" to 741741