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What is Counseling?
Counseling is the professional practice of providing assistance and guidance to resolve personal, social, or psychological problems by a trained professional.
Our Team of Professionals
At Psychological Assessment and Treatment Services, our team of professional include:
Psychologists
Mental Health Counselors (LMHC)
Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
Social Workers (LCSW)
School Psychologist
We have both licensed and pre-licensed clinicians as well as graduate students in our office.
Licensed clinicians are fully independent to provide services.
Pre-licensed clinicians have completed all educational requirements and have graduated with their degrees but are working to complete their clinical hours toward full licensure. We provide Clinical Supervision to clinicians and are State of Florida Qualified Supervisors for the disciplines of Mental Health Counseling (LMHC) and Marriage and Family Therapy (LMFT).
In addition, and consistent with our Mission and dedication to ongoing training and recruitment of highly qualified professionals, we are committed to helping to train future generations of counselors and psychologists. Out practice has Affiliation Agreements with universities where we offer their graduate students an opportunity to “come learn with us”. Graduate students obtain “real life experience” working with children, adolescents, and adults while in training.
All our clinicians receive some form of Clinical Supervision, Peer Supervision, or Clinical Consultation in our office.
Types of Therapies
Psychologists usually draw on one or more psychotherapy theory. The particular theory acts as a roadmap guiding us through the process of understanding clients and their problems as well as developing solutions.
The ultimate goal of therapy is to get to the root of each issues, then equip you with the tools and techniques to work through them while guiding and supporting you every step of the way.
We address a wide range of emotional, academic, behavioral, and professional/career issues and offer sessions in a confidential, comfortable, and supportive atmosphere.
There are several different modalities of treatment. Individual, Family, Couples, and group are the most common.
The decision regarding which modality is best for you or your loved one can depend on several factors. These factors can be analyzed together during the first appointment or “Intake Process.”
What is the Intake Process? Once you decide to seek help, you will go through a process that is referred to as the “intake” process. This process is usually your first appointment, and it is intended to determine or assess the clinical needs.
If you are seeking treatment for a child or adolescent, it is ideal for both parents to be present. However, at times this might be difficult. Our approach is to obtain the background information and presenting concerns from the parent/caregiver/guardian first and then depending on the age of the minor interview the minor alone.
it is important to note that minors typically do not seek out treatment on their own and we will discuss informed consent and confidentiality issues with both a parent/caregiver/or guardian and the child or adolescent.
At this first appointment, we gather specific background information, history, and your immediate needs, such as the presenting problem or reasons why you are seeking help. This appointment which is the first time you are sitting down or face to face with a professional counselor or psychologist, is known as the “initial consultation, diagnostic assessment, or interview”.
The goal is to determine how we can assist you or what are the treatment goals. This is usually a collaborative process between the client and the professional clinician.
Additional information we gather during this first appointment includes the client’s support system, as well as insurance details. We also talk about confidentiality, fees, and what to expect in treatment.
Confidentiality is an important topic to discuss because it is what helps us to make sure that clients are safe.
Most professionals like teachers, doctors, and professional counselors/clinicians and psychologists are by law Mandated Reporters.
A Mandated Reporter is an individual who must report any suspicion of child or elder physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect to the local Social Services organization for investigation.
We will always engage in the reporting process in a collaborative manner with you.
All other information not related to safety and discussed during your treatment is typically protected from disclosure under HIPPA law.
HIPPA protects your rights from disclosure to any third party unless mandated or permitted by law. Typical exemptions include insurance companies, billing companies, and other entities that are part of the routine delivery system of your care.
During the intake, the professional clinician and client will work together to discuss treatment goals. Then a treatment plan will be formulated, usually with specific measurable objectives. We will also discuss how treatment success will be measured and the estimated length of treatment.
In the case of very young children (2-6 years old), we spend a lot of time working with the parents and teach them strategies to use when behavioral issues are present.