Who This Is For
Adults working on something that happened in childhood. Adults working on something recent. Children and teenagers, and the parents and caregivers trying to do right by them.
What We Have to Report
This comes before anything else on this page, because somebody deciding whether it is safe to say a thing out loud makes that decision before they read about pacing. Michigan law requires licensed counselors to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child or a vulnerable adult. That is a legal duty and it applies here. Almost everything else you say is confidential. 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.
How the Work Goes
Slowly, and in your order. The first sessions are about getting to know each other and making sure you have enough steadiness to do the work safely. Ann Marie does not drag anything out of you. You decide what gets said and when, and you can stop.
For Parents and Caregivers
If you are a parent who has just found out something about your child, you are not the last to know because you failed.
Child abuse and neglect causes trauma, which can impair brain development and is linked to physical, emotional, and behavioral issues later in life. We provide the tools and resources to work through this traumatic process, such as providing parents and caregivers with tools to help them support children who have been victims of sexual abuse, and information on the importance of talking to children and youth about body safety.
Coming From Tawas City, West Branch or Oscoda
People come to us for this work from right across the Sunrise Side. A weekly appointment is a weekly drive, so here are the road times to our office in Hale.
- Tawas City, about 32 minutes by road.
- West Branch, about 40 minutes by road.
- Oscoda, in Iosco County, about 45 minutes by road.
Tell us which town you are coming from when you call, and we will help you find the times that make sense with the drive. On the longer drives, a longer appointment spaced further apart sometimes suits better than a weekly hour, and we are happy to set it up that way. We list road times from the rest of the area on our service area page.
Sessions and Insurance
A session is normally 60 minutes. Our appointments page sets out what to expect at a first appointment and what to bring. We take most major insurance. See which plans and what to ask yours before you come. If you are not sure about yours, ask us. We are happy to help you work it out.
You Might Also Be Looking For
Trauma therapy takes the same steadiness-first approach, and for the part that shows up between two people years later, there is relationship counseling.
If you are not sure which of these fits, call us anyway. We will help you work out where to start.
Reviewed by Ann Marie Shay, MA, LPC, CTP, MITS, September 2026.