Questions and answers

The right therapist is the one you can be honest with, and that matters more than any list of letters. Call, ask what you want to ask, and see how the conversation feels. If it is not a fit, say so, and we will help you look elsewhere.

We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, Blue Cross Complete, Priority Health, McLaren and HAP, and we also take commercial insurance, cash, check, credit card and health savings plans. Coverage depends on your specific plan rather than only on your insurer, so call the number on the back of your card and ask what your outpatient mental health benefit is. If you are on Medicaid, Wellvance is the community mental health authority for this area and is the right first call.

Mostly getting to know each other. You will talk about what brought you in and what you would like to be different. There is no expectation that you explain anything you are not ready to.

It depends on what you are working on. Some people come for six to twelve sessions and are finished. Others work on something for longer. You decide that together, and you can ask at any point where you have got to.

If you are using insurance, what you pay depends on your plan: a copay, a deductible, or nothing at all. If you are paying for yourself, call the office and ask. You can also ask for a Good Faith Estimate in writing before you schedule, and you have a right to one.

Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes. The first appointment is longer and is mostly about getting to know you. The appointments page sets out the kinds of appointment and what to bring to the first one.

Children from age three, teenagers, adults and older adults, individually, as couples and as families. Ann Marie has worked with more than 10,000 people since 2012, from age three to eighty-eight.

Psychiatry is medical care and counseling is not. Ann Marie is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She does not prescribe medication. Some people do better with medication alongside counseling, and if that looks likely we will help you talk to your doctor and, with your written permission, work alongside them.

Most plans do not require one for outpatient mental health, but some do. Ask your insurer whether you need a referral or a prior authorization before your first appointment, and tell us what they say.

Almost all of it. Michigan law requires licensed counselors to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child or a vulnerable adult, and there are narrow legal exceptions where someone is at serious risk of harm. If you want to understand exactly how that works before you book, call and ask. It is a fair question and we will answer it plainly.

The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and messages are not monitored outside those hours. Call or text 988 any time, or call Wellvance at 1-844-865-5569. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

4093 M-65 in Hale, in Iosco County, with a covered entrance and parking behind the building. Tawas City is about 32 minutes away by road, West Branch about 40, and Oscoda about 45.

Yes. Plenty of people bring a partner, a parent or a friend to a first appointment. What is talked about in the room, and who is in it, is up to you.

Then we will say so. If what you need is testing, medical care, or something this practice does not provide, we will tell you and help you find the right person rather than stretching what we do.

Call (989) 728-2364 during office hours, or leave your name and number on the request a call form and we will call you back. You do not need to explain everything up front. There is more about how appointments work, and what to bring, on the appointments page.