FAQs

A. At some point in life, you may be struggling with emotional pain (depression, anger, hurt, loss), stress and anxiety, relationship and communication issues, or you may simply feel that you don’t feel like your best self. If you feel ready to work through issues similar to these, you may benefit from counseling.

A. Clients have told us many times that they experienced some worry or anxiety about their first session in counseling. It’s normal to have some jitters or concerns about meeting with a counselor for the first time. It may help to think of the first session as a conversation in which your therapist is getting to know you through listening to the concerns that brought you to counseling. A therapist that is a good match will listen non-judgmentally, and affirm and validate your feelings. The first session is also an opportunity to ask the therapist questions to find out if they are a good fit for you.

A. Being able to make progress through the counseling relationship is built upon a few factors. First, it helps significantly if you and your counselor are a good match. It’s okay to request someone different if
you don’t feel that you are getting what you need after a few sessions. Second, being able to be open with your therapist and expressing yourself in your sessions can be helpful. After all, if there are some missing pieces that the therapist isn’t getting, it may be harder to provide the help or guidance that you are looking for. Finally, your therapist holds the belief that you are the expert on your life. We provide feedback and suggestions, but ultimately, change comes from within you. Being able to make progress in counseling will involve some change—whether in thinking or in actions.

A. Play therapy is an evidence-based model of therapeutic intervention specifically working with children and teens. Instead of an environment in which the therapist puts pressure on the child to talk and express their problems verbally, this type of therapy literally speaks the child’s language—play. Interventions in play therapy are tailored to help your child feel safe and understood by the therapist.
Because play is a child’s first and most natural language, this therapeutic approach meets the child where they are and offers an opportunity for healing and change. Play therapy is appropriate for issues such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, trauma and social/behavioral issues. We find that the following video is a great way of understanding the importance of play therapy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reJpo-GaopM

A. Couples sessions are a great way to improve and build a healthy relationship with your partner. Your therapist will likely want to meet with each person in the relationship individually to establish trust and a connection with each person, as well as to understand the situation from each person’s point of view.

Following this, the therapist will bring both partners together to talk about the problems in the relationship as a group. The therapist will encourage you to talk with your partner in the session to practice new ways of expressing yourself as well as helping you to problem solve the issues driving the conflict in your relationship. The therapist will likely offer suggestions for you and your partner to role play during the session as well as exercises to try with them at home.

A. Each person’s journey will be different, based on what brought them to therapy, the challenges they are facing, and the difficulties that are present in their social system (including family, friends, job, etc). Some research has shown that the number of sessions may depend on how open to change the client is. Click here for more information.

According to the APA (see here), an average of 15-20 sessions need to occur for about 50% of clients to report that they have recovered or improved their symptoms. Other factors may include frequency of sessions (your therapist may encourage you to attend sessions weekly in the beginning and taper off as symptoms improve), the type of therapy used, and the connection between therapist and client.

A. At Maddox Family Counseling, we utilize a few different approaches according to the source of concern our client is bringing in. We may use client-centered therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, humanistic, rational-emotive behavioral therapy, gestalt therapy, systems therapy (for couples) and play therapy
(for kids and teens).

A. Both our therapists are Licensed Professional Counselors and Registered Play Therapists. Both have experience working with children, teens, adults, families and couples.

Daniel has worked in private practice, telehealth, behavioral health, foster care and in-home services.

Laura has worked in private practice, telehealth, behavioral health and residential programs.

Both have extensive training and experience working with trauma, depression and anxiety.