Frequently Asked Questions
Starting therapy raises a lot of practical questions, and many people don't want to ask them on a phone call. Here's what I'd want to know. If yours isn't answered, reach out and ask.
Getting Started
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Fit matters more than credentials. You want someone you can be honest with, who understands what you're carrying, and who doesn't make you manage their reaction to it.
The best way to find out is to talk. Call or email and we'll set up a free consultation — no cost, no obligation, and no pressure to book anything afterward.
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It's a phone call, usually brief. You tell me what's going on — as much or as little as you want — and I'll tell you honestly whether I think I can help. We can talk through practical things too: insurance, scheduling, how online sessions work. There's no pressure and no obligation, and if I'm not the right fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.
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Call (470) 299-7866, email dave@routlycounseling.com, or send a message through the contact form — whatever's easiest. I'll get back to you within one business day. We'll usually start with a short phone call, then get your first session on the calendar.
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Mostly, I want to get to know you. What brought you here, what you're hoping for, what's been going on. You don't need to have it organized or know where to start — that's my job, not yours.
There's some information I do need to gather along the way: your history with treatment, any medical conditions, what your living situation looks like, and practical details around insurance, payment, and where you're located. I try to work that in naturally rather than running you through a checklist.
You don't have to tell me everything the first time. Some things take a while to say out loud, and that's fine. We go at your pace.
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Then I'll help you find someone who is. That's not a brush-off — it's part of doing this well.
Sometimes what you need is outside what I do, or someone else's training is simply a closer match. If I know a clinician who fits, I'll refer you directly. If I don't, I'll sit down with you and work through the directories and resources that are out there so you're not starting from scratch on your own. Either way, you won't leave the conversation with nothing.
This can come up in a first phone call, or later on. It's always worth saying out loud, and I'd rather you tell me than quietly stop coming.
How Therapy Works
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Most clients meet weekly or every other week. What works best depends on what you're working on and what fits your life — we'll figure it out together and adjust as things change.
Some people prefer a standing time slot that's theirs each week. Others have schedules that vary and would rather set each session as we go. Either works.
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It varies widely. Some people find what they came for in eight to twelve sessions. Others work with me much longer, and that's just as common.
I'm not trying to move you through quickly. My goal is to be here as long as you need me. Often the things that matter most surface only after we've been working together a while — they need the trust and history of a longer relationship before they can be addressed at all. If you want short-term, focused work, we can do that. If what you're carrying needs more time, you won't be rushed.
If you're using an EAP, your benefit may cover a set number of sessions. If we reach that limit and it makes sense to keep going, we can usually continue using your insurance or private pay — we'll talk about it well before you get there.
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Sessions run 45 to 55 minutes. I see clients on weekdays, with some early morning and evening availability.
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Yes, and I'd rather be upfront so you're not spending time finding out the hard way.
I don't provide couples or family therapy. All of my sessions are one-on-one. That said, I do work individually with people whose lives are affected by someone else's struggles — a partner's addiction, a parent's illness, a family in crisis. What I don't do is see two people in the room together.
I don't work with children or adolescents. Clients need to be 18 or older.
I don't provide primary treatment for eating disorders. This isn't a judgment about the people who have them — it's that eating disorder treatment requires highly specialized training and a coordinated team including a therapist, a medical provider, and a dietitian. Doing it without that structure isn't safe, and I won't pretend otherwise.
If you're looking for eating disorder treatment, these two directories will get you to providers who do this work:
findEDhelp.com — a free national directory from the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, searchable by zip code, insurance, and level of care. Their helpline at 866-662-1235 is staffed by licensed therapists who specialize in eating disorders, weekdays 9am–7pm ET.
anad.org/treatment-directory — a free directory from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, covering therapists, dietitians, physicians, and treatment centers, with a helpline at 888-375-7767.
If you have a history of an eating disorder that's currently stable, that's different, and we can absolutely work together on other things. Just tell me about it so I can keep it in view.
Some conditions aren't well served by teletherapy, particularly when symptoms are severe enough to involve frequent hospitalization. In those situations you'll be better supported by a team that can provide a higher level of care and in-person options. If that's where you are, your insurance company's case management line, your hospital's discharge planners, and your local community mental health center are the places to start — and I'm glad to help you think through those options even if I'm not the person providing the care.
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No. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I provide therapy but don't prescribe — that's done by a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner, or in many cases your primary care doctor.
If you're already taking medication, I'm glad to coordinate with whoever prescribes it so your care is working together rather than in separate lanes. That does require you to sign a release of information giving me permission to communicate with them — your call, and you decide what's shared.
If you're wondering whether medication might help and don't have a prescriber, I'd start with your insurance company's provider directory so you're looking at people your plan covers. We can talk it through in session.
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Not to start. If you're using insurance, a diagnosis is part of what gets billed, and we'll discuss it openly. If you're paying privately, it isn't required at all.
Online Therapy
All of my work is online. Here’s what that means practically.
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I'm licensed in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and have Counseling Compact privileges in Ohio and Minnesota.
What matters is where you physically are during the session, not where you live. If you're traveling within any of those seven states, we can meet as usual. If you'll be somewhere I'm not licensed, we'll plan around it and pick back up when you're home — it's a licensing rule rather than my preference. Just let me know your travel plans ahead of time.
I'm always working on adding states, so if the one you're asking about isn't on the list yet, it's worth asking.
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No. Sessions run through a secure video link that works on a phone, tablet, or computer. Nothing to download and no account to create — you click the link at your appointment time.
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For most concerns, research says yes. Decades of studies have found telehealth therapy produces outcomes comparable to in-person work, including for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I've also found that people are often more open from their own space than they would be in an unfamiliar office.
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Sessions run on a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. Records are stored securely and I keep only what's necessary for treatment and billing.
On your end, find a spot where you won't be overheard. Headphones help, as do white noise makers. If privacy at home is difficult — and for a lot of people it is — tell me, and we'll work out something that functions for your situation.
Insurance, Fees, and Cancellations
Full details are on my Insurance & Fees page. The short version:
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Probably — but it depends on which state you're in, since my panels differ by state. The full list is on my Insurance & Fees page. If you don't see your plan, reach out anyway; coverage varies by employer even within the same carrier, and I'd rather check than have you assume you're out of luck.
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$150 per session for private pay, invoiced the day of your session and payable by card or ACH. If you're using insurance, your cost is your copay or coinsurance, which I'll verify with your plan before we start.
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Many plans include out-of-network benefits that reimburse part of the cost. I'll give you a superbill — an itemized receipt — that you submit to your insurer. How much comes back depends on your plan and deductible, so check with them first.
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Cancel or reschedule with at least 24 hours' notice and there's no charge. Less than 24 hours, or a missed session, is $75. Insurance doesn't cover missed appointments, so that fee is yours regardless of coverage. If something comes up, just let me know as early as you can.
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If you want to know your costs before we start, call the member services number on your card and ask:
Do I have outpatient mental health benefits?
Do I have a deductible, how much is it, and have I met it?
After my deductible, what's my copay or coinsurance per session?
Do I need pre-authorization or a referral from my doctor?
Is there a limit on the number of sessions per year?
If out of network: what percentage do you reimburse, and how do I submit a superbill?
You're welcome to skip this and let me verify your benefits instead — I do it for every client before the first session. But some people would rather know the numbers themselves first, and these are the questions that get you there.
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EAP benefits usually cover a set number of sessions at no cost to you. If we reach that limit and it makes sense to keep working together, we can typically continue using your insurance or private pay. We'll talk about it well before you get there.
Privacy and Confidentiality
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Yes. What you say in session stays between us. That's what makes therapy different from talking to a friend or a family member, and I take it seriously.
There are a few legal exceptions, which I'll go over with you at the start so there are no surprises.
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I'm required by law to act outside of confidentiality in a small number of situations:
If there's reason to believe a child, an older adult, or a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected
If you're at serious risk of harming yourself or someone else
If a judge orders records released
Outside of those, nothing leaves our sessions without your written permission. If you want me to talk with your doctor, your prescriber, or anyone else, you sign a release and you decide what's shared.
If any of this raises a question for you, ask. It's a reasonable thing to want to understand before you start.
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Short answer: no, and I'd rather you know that before we start than after.
My clients agree at the outset not to involve me in legal matters where they're a party — courts, attorneys, guardians ad litem, psychological evaluators, substance use evaluators, or any other part of the legal process. This applies during therapy and after it ends.
That may sound unhelpful, so here's the reasoning. Therapy works because the room isn't being built for an audience. The moment sessions might become evidence, what you say changes, what I write changes, and the work gets worse. A therapist who becomes a witness in a client's case usually can't keep being that person's therapist afterward.
What you can always do: request a copy of your own record. Sign a release and I'll provide it.
If you subpoena me anyway, expert witness fees apply — $1,500 for a half day, due five business days in advance, and $375 per hour beyond that, including travel time. A subpoena may also mean I withdraw as your therapist, and I may decline to speak with your attorney.
If your situation genuinely needs a clinical opinion for court — a custody evaluation, a formal assessment — that's the job of a forensic evaluator, which is a different role from a treating therapist and is done by someone who isn't treating you. I'm glad to explain the distinction if it's useful.
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If you use insurance, yes, to a degree. Billing a claim requires submitting a mental health diagnosis along with dates of service, and that becomes part of your record with your insurer. Insurers are bound by HIPAA and can't share it freely, but it does exist.
This is the main reason some people choose private pay even when they have coverage — no claim, no diagnosis on file. Neither choice is wrong, and we can talk it through before you decide.
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No. I don't communicate with employers unless you specifically ask me to and sign a release.
If you're using an EAP, your employer pays for the benefit, but they don't receive your records or the content of sessions. What they get is aggregate data about usage, not who used it or what was discussed.
Who I Work With
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Religious trauma is the lasting harm that can come from religious environments, teachings, or communities — high-control groups, spiritual abuse, purity culture, fear-based theology, shunning, or the loss of an entire community when your beliefs change.
It can look like anxiety, depression, shame, difficulty trusting your own judgment, or grief that people around you don't recognize as grief. It's real, it's treatable, and you're not being dramatic.
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No. That's your decision and I don't have a stake in it.
Some people I work with are questioning. Some are leaving. Some are staying and trying to sort out what's theirs and what was handed to them. Some have already left and are rebuilding. I'm not steering you toward an outcome — my job is to help you think clearly without pressure in either direction.
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Yes. People addressing substance use are all over the spectrum — in how severe things have gotten and in what they actually want. I want to meet you where you are, and that may mean you haven't stopped using entirely. That may not even be your goal, and we can work with that.
One important exception. If you're using and you get physically sick when you don't — especially with alcohol or opioids — please seek medical attention before starting therapy. Withdrawal from alcohol can be dangerous and sometimes life-threatening, and it needs medical supervision, not a counseling session. Start with a detox program or your doctor.
After detox, most people need a more intensive level of care than weekly outpatient therapy provides. That's not a door closing — it's a different door, and the right one for that stage. When you're stable and outpatient therapy fits what you need, I'm glad to talk.
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Yes. You don't need your person to be in treatment, or to agree to anything, in order to get support yourself.
I work with parents, partners, adult children, and siblings individually — on the exhaustion, the grief, the anger that's hard to admit to, and the boundary questions that never seem to have a clean answer. This is therapy for you, about your life. It isn't family therapy and it isn't a strategy session for fixing someone else.
If they eventually get help, good. If they don't, you still deserve support. Both of those are true at the same time.
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I work both with people who already have a formal ADHD diagnosis and with people who only suspect it might be part of what's going on. You don't need a diagnosis in hand to start.
ADHD symptoms run along a wide spectrum. Plenty of people don't meet the full diagnostic criteria and still struggle with the same executive skills — starting tasks, managing time, holding things in working memory, regulating emotion. Those struggles are worth addressing whether or not a diagnosis ends up fitting.
If you're using insurance, every claim I submit has to include a diagnosis. If ADHD is the best fit for what I'm seeing, I can provide that as part of the claim.
Learn more about ADHD treatment or browse free ADHD Resources
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Sometimes, but not always, and it's worth knowing that up front.
For medication: I can't prescribe. That comes from a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, or often a primary care physician. My diagnosis is based on my clinical assessment during our sessions. Some prescribers will accept that. Others require a more formal diagnostic process — neuropsychological testing, structured rating scales, or questionnaires that sometimes include input from family members — which are tools I don't use. If that's what your provider needs, ask them directly what they require, and then you'll know what you're working with.
For workplace accommodations: you'll generally need to go through both your HR department and a medical provider. Requirements vary by employer, so start by asking HR what documentation they need.
None of this stops us from working on the executive skills side, which we can do regardless of where the diagnostic paperwork lands.
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EMDR is one approach I use for trauma, not the only one. Rather than requiring you to describe what happened in detail, EMDR works with how the memory is stored, using guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation to help the brain process it.
Sessions follow a clear protocol, and we won't start until you have the stability and coping tools in place first. Many people find it reduces the intensity of a memory in ways that talking alone hasn't.
For Professionals
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Yes, as of October 2026.
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Adults 18 and over, individual therapy only, located in Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont, or New Hampshire at the time of session. Primary areas: addiction and dual diagnosis, ADHD, anxiety and depression, trauma and PTSD including EMDR, and religious trauma and faith deconstruction. I also see family members of people with substance use disorders individually.
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Minors, couples, and families
Primary eating disorder treatment — that needs a coordinated team I'm not part of
Clients in active withdrawal from alcohol or opioids, who need medical detox first
Clients whose acuity requires a higher level of care than weekly outpatient teletherapy, particularly with frequent hospitalization
Clients who need a clinician willing to participate in litigation — my consent agreement precludes it
One important exception. If you're using and you get physically sick when you don't — especially with alcohol or opioids — please seek medical attention before starting therapy. Withdrawal from alcohol can be dangerous and sometimes life-threatening, and it needs medical supervision, not a counseling session. Start with a detox program or your doctor.
After detox, most people need a more intensive level of care than weekly outpatient therapy provides. That's not a door closing — it's a different door, and the right one for that stage. When you're stable and outpatient therapy fits what you need, I'm glad to talk.
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Use the clinician referral form, or call (470) 299-7866. I respond within one business day. Please keep PHI out of the form; we'll cover clinical detail through a secure channel.
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Licensed Professional Counselor with 21 years of experience. LPC (Georgia), CPCS, BC-TMH, ADHD-CCSP, CMHFE. NPI 1174685234. Licensed in GA, FL, SC, VT, NH. Counseling Compact privileges in OH and MN. EMDR, CBT, DBT, ACT, and Motivational Interviewing.
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I'm glad to coordinate with prescribers, primary care, and other treating providers with a signed release.
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While I am credentialed as a CPCS in Georgia, I am not currently working with any supervisees. If you are seeking licensure-level supervision, however, and believe that I could be a good match for you, please fill out the clinical referral form with your information, and we can talk.
If You Are In Crisis
If you're in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support any time, day or night, call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — or use the chat at 988lifeline.org.
I'm a solo practitioner and I'm not available around the clock. I check messages during business hours and will get back to you as soon as I can, but I'm not an emergency service. If something is happening now and can't wait, use the numbers above — that's what they're for, and reaching out to them isn't an overreaction.
If you're going through a hard stretch, tell me. We can build a plan together for how you'll handle the space between sessions.