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. Nothing is dragged out of you. You decide what gets said and when, and you can stop.
If you are a parent who has found out something about your child, you are not the last to know because you failed. Support for non-offending caregivers is part of this work.
Coming from Tawas City, West Branch or Oscoda
People drive in to Hale for this work from right across the Sunrise Side. The road times are worth knowing before you commit to a weekly appointment, so here they are.
- Tawas City, about 32 minutes by road.
- West Branch, about 40 minutes by road.
- Oscoda, in Iosco County, about 45 minutes by road.
Say which town you are coming from when you call. It changes which times are sensible to offer you, and on the longer drives a longer appointment spaced further apart sometimes works better than a weekly hour. Road times from the rest of the area are on the service area page.
Practical
Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes, and what to expect and what to bring is set out in full. Most major insurance is accepted, see which plans and what to ask yours before you come.
Related: trauma therapy, which is the same steadiness-first approach, and relationship counseling for the part that shows up between two people years later.
Reviewed by Ann Marie Shay, MA, LPC, September 2026.