Before the First Appointment
You call us, or you leave your name and number and we call you back. That first conversation is short and practical: we ask what you are looking for, whether it is for you or for somebody else, what insurance you have, and when you can come in. We do not need the whole story on the phone, and we are happy to answer any questions you have before you decide.
We have some paperwork for you to fill in before the first appointment. If you can do it ahead of time, the first hour is all for talking.
The First Appointment
Your first appointment is longer than the ones after it, and it begins with an intake and assessment. You meet Ann Marie, and most of the hour goes to getting to know you: what brought you in, what you have already tried, what your week looks like, and what you would like to be different. Expect a straight question about whether you are safe, too. Ann Marie asks everyone that one.
You do not have to tell the worst of it on the first day. Some people do. Some take months. Both are normal, and there is no timeline to keep to.
Who Is in the Room
On your own. Most counseling here is you and Ann Marie in a private office, talking.
Children from age three. With a young child, Ann Marie works through play, in a room set up just for that, and a parent is part of it every step of the way. Whoever has the legal authority to consent to the child's care comes to the first appointment.
Couples. Both of you come, and Ann Marie does not take sides. A good deal of the work is the two of you talking to each other. If there is violence or fear in the relationship, joint sessions are not the safe setting. The relationship counseling page explains why, and how to come in on your own instead.
Families. Sometimes the trouble belongs to the whole family, and the work goes better with more than one of you in the room. Everyone who comes is welcome, and you and Ann Marie work out together who comes to which appointment.
Making a Plan
Over the first two or three appointments, you and Ann Marie put a plan together: what you are working on, what that will involve, and roughly how often you will come. Ann Marie writes it down, and it changes as your needs change. You can ask to see it at any time, and you can ask for a copy.
If part of what you need is something we do not offer here, we will tell you early and help you find the right person for it. We will not leave you to work that out on your own.
What Sessions Are Like
Most sessions are 60 minutes, and some are 30. A session is mostly conversation, and where it helps, you leave with something practical to try before the next one.
What a session costs depends on your insurance. The insurance and fees page lists the plans we take and what to ask yours before you come. If you are not sure what your plan covers, call us and we will help you make sense of it.
Confidentiality, and the Limits on It
Almost everything you say in the room stays there. Michigan law requires a licensed counselor to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child or a vulnerable adult, and there are narrow legal exceptions where somebody is at serious risk of harm. The notice of privacy practices spells those limits out. We want you to know them before you sit down. If you want to understand exactly how they work before you book, call us and ask. It is a fair question, and we will be glad to give you a straight answer.
Beyond those limits, we share nothing with anyone without your written permission. With it, we can work alongside the other people involved: a school, an IEP or 504 meeting, a medical team. That permission is yours to give, and yours to take back.
About Medication
Ann Marie is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She does not prescribe medication. Some people do better with medication alongside counseling. If that looks likely, she will help you talk to your doctor and, with your written permission, work alongside them.
Workshops Are a Different Thing
Anger management, co-parenting and blended families, and healthy boundaries are workshops and training, and they run differently from counseling. We hold them in our conference room, and each has its own page under programs. We also offer clinical supervision for counselors working toward full licensure.
How It Ends
Counseling ends, and ideally you and Ann Marie agree on when. A good ending is a conversation about what changed, what to watch for, and what to do if it comes back. Plenty of people finish and return years later for something else, and you are always welcome back.
What This Office Is
We are an outpatient counseling practice with weekday hours. If what you need is more than a weekly appointment can give, we will tell you so and help you reach somewhere that can. We are not an emergency service, and we do not monitor messages sent through this site outside office hours. If you need somebody tonight, the numbers are on the crisis page and in the footer of every page here.