FAQs | Perennial Wellness Counseling Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Therapy is a supportive space where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgment. It’s not about “fixing” you, it’s about helping you understand yourself more deeply, discover what’s been holding you back, and build the skills to navigate life’s challenges more effectively. Therapy can help with big events like loss, trauma, or life transitions, as well as day-to-day struggles like anxiety, stress, or relationship difficulties.

Working with a trained therapist gives you a safe place to process emotions, gain clarity, and experiment with new ways of coping. It’s a collaborative process: you set the goals, and your therapist guides you with tools and strategies tailored to your needs. Some approaches focus on changing thoughts and behaviors, others on understanding past experiences, and many integrate multiple techniques for the best results.

Therapy is about growth, healing, and creating a life that feels meaningful and manageable; step by step, at your own pace.

Minimalist Sets

Therapy is a structured, evidence-based process designed to help individuals understand and address emotional, behavioral, and psychological challenges. The process begins with an initial assessment, where your therapist gathers information about your history, current concerns, and personal goals. This allows them to develop a tailored treatment plan using one or more validated therapeutic approaches—such as CBT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, or psychodynamic therapy—based on your unique needs.

Sessions are guided and purposeful. They may involve reflective conversation, skill-building exercises, behavioral strategies, or structured interventions aimed at changing unhelpful thought patterns, improving emotional regulation, and increasing adaptive coping skills. Therapists help you recognize patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, process past experiences that influence current functioning, and explore strategies for healthier decision-making and relationships.

Progress in therapy is intentional and measurable. Treatment plans are adjusted over time to ensure that objectives are being met and that interventions remain aligned with your goals. While the therapeutic relationship is supportive and collaborative, it is professional and evidence-based, designed to facilitate growth, insight, and lasting change—not casual social support.

By engaging in therapy, clients gain a structured framework for navigating challenges, improving mental health, and developing tools that support long-term emotional well-being and resilience.

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In therapy, we focus on the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that matter most to you. Sessions often cover challenges like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship struggles, self-esteem, and life transitions. We may talk about coping with workplace stress, managing conflicts with family or a partner, navigating major life changes like moving, career shifts, or loss, and addressing patterns like self-criticism, people-pleasing, or difficulty setting boundaries.

We also explore habits and patterns that affect your daily life—like avoiding certain situations, overthinking, or reacting strongly to stress—so you can better understand what drives your responses and develop ways to handle challenges more effectively. Therapy is about examining real-life experiences and finding practical approaches that help you feel more in control, grounded, and capable in everyday life.

Privacy is essential to effective therapy. You should expect absolute confidentiality in your counseling sessions, and we honor your trust in us by keeping all information shared in session safe and contained.

We are bound by law and ethics to protect your privacy and will never discuss any information shared with anyone else without your explicit consent. Privacy policies are explained, in writing, before your first session and we encourage you to ask as many questions about our policies as you need to, whenever you need to.

Privacy Practices

Therapy is a process, and meaningful change often takes time. Progress is rarely linear—some weeks may feel full of breakthroughs, while others may feel slower or even challenging. This is a normal part of personal growth, as exploring emotions, behaviors, and patterns can bring up new awareness that takes time to integrate.

Early in therapy, your therapist will work with you to clarify goals and identify what you hope to achieve. As sessions continue, you may notice gradual shifts, such as feeling more in control of your emotions, thinking about situations differently, responding to stress more effectively, or improving relationships. Even small changes, like recognizing a recurring thought or reacting differently in a challenging moment can signal that progress is happening.

Therapists check in regularly to assess progress, celebrate milestones, and adjust approaches when needed. Growth in therapy is measured not only by visible outcomes, but also by increased self-awareness, insight into patterns, and the development of coping skills that support long-term well-being. While therapy is a commitment, over time it equips you with tools, understanding, and strategies that create lasting change.

Yes, all therapists at Perennial Wellness accept insurance, but keep in mind that all therapists do not accept all insurances. If the therapist that you want to see does not take your insurance and you have Out of Network Benefits, we will provide you the documentation that you need to seek reimbursement. For some of the insurances that we are in network with, please click on the link below.

Insurances Accepted

No, you don’t need to be in crisis or have a mental health diagnosis to benefit from therapy. Many people come to therapy simply to gain clarity, understand themselves better, or improve how they navigate life. It can be helpful during major transitions—like starting a new job, moving, ending a relationship, or becoming a parent—or when you want support building healthy habits, managing stress, or improving relationships.

Therapy is also valuable for personal growth. Some clients use it to explore patterns in thinking and behavior, strengthen self-esteem, or develop tools for coping with everyday challenges. Others seek a professional space to process emotions, set goals, or work through past experiences that continue to affect their present.

In short, therapy is not just for managing problems—it’s a resource for anyone looking to better understand themselves, make intentional changes, and live a more balanced, fulfilling life.

Nina Szarafin, LCSW, PLLC

Minimalist Sets

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