About the Practice

I believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect. I understand that asking for help takes courage and strive to provide a safe environment where clients do not feel judged. I am inclusive of all shapes, sizes, colors, social classes, religious beliefs and non-beliefs, gender, gender identity, orientation, and non-traditional intimate partner relationships. The bottom line is you are a human being, and I accept you as you are. At Come as You Are Counseling and Consulting LLC, we practice evidence based, secular therapy. What this means is that I nor anyone that works for the practice will ever proselytize. The therapy session is about you, not the counselor or his or her personal beliefs.

About Me

I graduated from Walden University in 2015 with a Master’s in mental health counseling. I went on to pursue a specialty at Grand Canyon University and completed a one-year program in Crisis and Trauma in 2019. I have worked in community mental health, substance abuse facilities, and the Veterans Health Administration. Before pursuing a career in mental health, I served on active duty as a Military Police Officer. After the Army I continued to work for Department of Defense as a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate and Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. While working for DOD and during graduate school I volunteered for several non-profit organizations. I have experience advocating for children in foster-care, working with domestic and sexual violence survivors, and providing crisis intervention for individuals who are contemplating suicide. I have a passion for working with folks who feel unheard or are marginalized. I find joy in seeing people thrive despite circumstances that would statistically indicate otherwise.

My Approach

Greetings and Salutations fellow humans! I believe that becoming who you are can be a difficult process. We are assigned labels and have expectations thrust upon us before we learn to walk and talk. We don’t choose to exist. Someone else made that choice for us. We don’t choose the culture that we are born into, our family’s religion, or the environment we are grow up in up. As we grow, we incorporate others’ expectations of who we “should” be. This is often source of anxiety, depression, anger, and frustration. I hear you! You are not a taco; you can’t make everyone happy!

What you may find is that you have no idea who you are because you are basing it on other’s expectations. What I strive to do in the counseling process is to provide the space and encouragement for clients to discover what they truly want for themselves and how they choose to participate in the world around them. This is a strange time and place to exist wherever you are on this spinning rock. Our central nervous system and prefrontal-cortex cannot process the amount of information we are bombarded with daily. Throughout the counseling process I will help you discover and narrow down what you need to know to exist as a healthy human being. We do not have the power to change the world around us, but we do choose how we respond, our thoughts, and our behaviors.

In the counseling process I will check in with thinking patterns and narratives that you have incorporated that may not be helpful. I ask about diet, exercise, sleep routines, caffeine intake, drug and alcohol use, family, intimate relationships, and peer support networks. All these things impact our mental and physical health. The counseling relationship is probably the most intimate relationship you will have and one that I do not take lightly. It takes courage and vulnerability to share thoughts and feelings that you haven’t shared with anyone. Counseling can sometimes feel uncomfortable and is hard work.

Sharing and facing the elephant in “your” room can feel icky at first. Showing vulnerability is hard but necessary in developing a healthy therapeutic relationship. Contrary to just about every therapist you have seen on TV counseling is not one hour of venting to another person as they pensively write on a pad of paper. Counseling is hard work and I am here to help guide you while providing a safe space in the healing process.

License Numbers and Verification

LPC Alabama # 04214

LPC and LPCS Texas # 100958

Services

Individual Therapy for adults 18 and up

Coming Soon: Supervision for Associate Level Counselors in Texas

AI Practice Policy

AI is not used in any form by providers at Come as You Are Counseling and Consulting LLC. Electronic Health Records and software used by the practice may have AI features but are not used in the treatment, diagnosis, audio/video transcription or document handling of clients. For more information on the ethics of AI in counseling please select the following link:

The National Board for Certified Counselors Ethical Guidelines for AI

Fees and Insurance

I am in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama

Out of Network rates

Individual Therapy 30 minutes $75

Individual Therapy 60 minutes $150

I am currently not in network with any commercial insurance providers in Texas but anticipate credentialling with BCBS TX by the end of 2026. Check back for updates.

I do not take Medicaid or Medicare. If you are looking for providers that accept Medicaid or Medicare a good place to start is open path counseling.

You can also find lower cost options and providers often open a limited number of slots as opposed to offering a sliding scale. I sometimes offer slots on this platform.

More About Insurance

How Out of Network Billing Works

The client pays for the session, at the time of session, and is given a superbill. The client then files directly with the insurance company and is then reimbursed by the insurance company. The process differs depending on the insurance company but can usually be found on their website. There are also apps that will do this for you for a fee of usually 3-7%. I cannot vouch for any of these applications but you. May find them helpful and want to ensure you are aware of resources available.

No Surprises Act and your rights

If you are paying out of pocket you have specific rights when it comes to billing. You will receive a good faith estimate from me. The good faith estimate will include basic information to include expected duration of treatment, diagnosis or deferral to diagnose, and costs associated. The document will be generalized because the course of treatment and depth of your diagnosis and associated level of functioning are unknown to me until we start the counseling process.