Ascend providers don’t just talk about practices for healing and transformation. We help take you there! Many of our clients love meeting with us in the forest for walk and talk sessions as an experiential way to access their inner and outer resources. Nature and movement are healing components that can become magnified when used within a therapeutic space. We meet outside rain or shine, only cancelling when the weather is dangerous to be outdoors. We also schedule special events and customized healing sessions in outdoor settings. Being outdoors together is a sacred experience and many times can help clients reconnect to their own sense of connection with nature.

It's normal to have emotional ups and downs but when persistent symptoms start to negatively impact your health and relationships, then a psychotherapist can help you understand your symptoms, get relief, and provide an opportunity for personal growth. Independently practicing psychotherapists have, at a minimum, a clinical masters degree and clinical licensure through their state. As psychotherapists, we have the training and skills to perform comprehensive mental health assessments and diagnose clients. Our practice also has extensive experience working with clients with anxiety, depression, and trauma. As a psychotherapist providing medically necessary, clinical services, you may also be able to get reimbursement for a portion of our fees through your insurance.

We love it when clients are able to see results sooner than expected and prefer to give people the tools they need to keep moving forward long after they have finished working with us. Each client relationship is unique and will evolve as your life and circumstances flex. We have found it useful with clients to structure our first phase of work together to be (approximately) a three month commitment. We will do regular check-ins about how the process is serving you and what you need going forward. The length of time for therapy oriented services will depend on your current level of functioning, the specific type of concern you have, and your capacity to make changes. After the first session, we try to give an estimate of what we think might best serve you in terms of length and frequency based on the data at hand. We see ourselves as skilled professionals who can help activate your own innate healing capacity in both your inner and external worlds. Our goal is to “work ourselves out of a job” and return you to your own interconnected world of many sources of support and wisdom. We also structure our practice as an on-going resource for clients as they move through life transitions. Once you have been a client with us, you are part of our “tribe” and we can be an additional professional resource when you need it. Sometimes that means clients come back and work with us for another phase together, sometimes it’s just a session or two to help get unstuck.

The transformations we typically see in our clients are:

Greater internal and external awareness and clarity

Increased resiliency and success in managing stress and negative emotions

More ease and confidence with themselves

Stronger connection with others and enhanced communication skills

Access to greater creativity and energy in building life balance and maintaining health

Increased openness to taking the risks needed to craft the life they want

Certainly there are other styles, personalities, and approaches to this type of work. Our approach is based strongly in our own experience and personality, which has its inherent strengths and limitations. We do what we do and we don’t do what we don’t do! We appreciate that there are a diversity of methods and approaches. Take a close look at our profiles and see what speaks to you. The initial consultation call with your chosen provider will help us figure out the next steps to get you to where you want to go. We may suggest that you work with another provider in our practice or have additional referrals for your needs.

We highly suggest that you consider the personal fit with your therapist (Do you like them? Do you trust them? Do you feel connected and heard when you speak with them?) The other important “fit” is logistical. (Can you afford the sessions? Are the dates and times they are available work within your schedule?) We care about you and the time and investment you will be making in the therapeutic process. Please be direct with any questions you have so that we can be most valuable to you during the consultation call.

Ascend does not accept insurance. However, as licensed clinical practitioners and depending on your insurance, a portion of our fees might be reimbursable. Call your insurance provider and ask about reimbursement rates for an out of network behavioral health provider. If you think you would like to work together, contact us for a free consultation. Our rate for therapy is $150/hour for 55 minute sessions and $200 for a 90 minute session. We accept all major credit/debit cards, including HSA accounts. We do keep some slots for sliding scale as circumstances allow. If you are interested in coaching services, please see our coaching info page.

A coach is someone who helps you focus on getting out of life what is most important to you (even when you don’t know what that is yet!) and gives you the tools to keep doing this long after your final session. People typically hire a coach when they are reevaluating life choices, making a career transition, or simply feeling ready for a personal or professional breakthrough. Depending on an individual's life experiences and needs at a given time in their journey, psychotherapy may provide a more appropriate healing space and longer time frame than a more action and results oriented coaching model, especially if you are struggling with mental health issues. The difference we typically see is where someone is starting from, in both mindset and present concerns, which helps determine the pace and results we see in our time together.

Consider the following (typical) cultural distinctions:

1. Most of a therapist’s clients have mental disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A life coach works mainly with people who have no mental disorders, but when a client does need therapy, they get that in addition to life coaching.

2. Therapists often assist people to gain insight by dwelling on the psychodynamics of their thinking and behavior. While coaches value insight, they assist people to move quickly from the realm of insight into setting goals and taking action.

3. Therapy, especially when it’s based in psychoanalysis, often delves into the client’s past and inquires into the origin of the behavior. Life coaching is more about assisting clients to change behavior in the present and create the future they want.

4. Therapists are often focused on a specific problem, the client’s “presenting issue.” Life coaches start with a survey of the client’s whole life, including health, relationships, career, spirituality, and much more, and then deal with every aspect of life. It is much easier to deal with the whole aspect of a client’s life when there is not a significant mental health issue to address.

5. Sometimes, a therapist’s job can be summarized in the phrase, “There’s something wrong that needs fixing.” Life coaches are more likely to say, “There’s nothing wrong here. My client has a great life and wants it to get even better.”