FAQs
#1: What are the tools in Doc Prosen's toolbag? Eclectic is the word we use these days to indicate “practices multiple modalities”. All feelings exist only because of thoughts, so they are linked. I want to help people understand the links. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a big umbrella with lots of sub-models including Cognitive Processing Therapy. There’s a niche but evolving concept called Interpersonal Therapy which is this idea that these are real relationships. I’m not striving to be the “blank slate” proposed by Freud. You will hear me share real stories from my life about both success and failure. I consider myself patient zero. I want people to understand that this is hard, and we have to be at peace without the work before we do the work and to learn to do the work because it’s fun not excruciating. If it’s excruciating, then we’re doing it wrong. There’s also a growing model called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This is the idea that hard is good. Where you find resistance is the place to be drawn to and not drawn away from. Emotionally Focused Therapy is this idea that if we’re lucky enough to have real feelings in a session (or in our life) we treat that moment as sacred. The “dialectic” in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an acknowledgment that real life is complex, and health is not a static thing, but an ongoing process hammered out through a continuous Socratic dialogue with the self and others. It is continually aimed at balancing opposing forces and investigating the truth of powerful negative emotions. DBT is a subset of CBT. The bottom line is this. I’m a curious searcher. I nerd out on psychology, philosophy, and theology. You’re just as likely to hear eastern teachings as you are stoic philosophy (Rational Emotive Therapy) and Socratic vs Continental teachings. But none of that from a judgy place of “you should”. Hopefully you hear it from a curious place of “Wow! Interesting … what if …?”. We’re doing this together and for the first time. I’m learning as much about myself as you are which to be transparent is much of what I love about this work. About 80% is what has become my basics. The stuff I say all the time applied to your unique situations. But 20% is augmented by whatever I’m reading or listening to that week. I’m all about analogies to help us understand these truths better and at the same time challenge you (like any good coach) to push harder. I often find myself pushing hardest when you are most tired because I see more than you can imagine and I believe we are capable of so much more. It does make sense to dream and hope. I’ve been fortunate to work with a wide variety of professionals. A long list of pastors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and doctors. For most of my clients I am not their first counselor, so they have a frame of reference. People tell me they appreciate the practical approach though for some it can be too direct. There are a lot of people on that list you might think, “why would they need counseling? Don’t they already know?” No. I’ve heard more than once “I know enough to know that I don’t know anything about this.” That is an intellectual humility to strive for and one we can work with.
#2: How do I manage my expectations? The one-on-one process is only for those who are willing and able to make a long-term commitment. I believe it takes 6 weeks to build trust and 12 weeks before you have any sense that this counter intuitive and counter cultural “nonsense” is producing any fruit in your life. It will take a minimum of 6 months, but typically for most people, an average is 18-24 months. 100% of the couples/individuals WHO STICK WITH THE PROCESS meet and, in most cases, wildly exceed their initial goals.
#3: What can you tell me about scheduling? We will start weekly, assuming a weekly spot can be found. In time with mutual agreement, we will transition to every other week. Once we’ve made sufficient progress and we both agree that you are ready, we will discuss your options for either Graduation or Monthly Maintenance (MM). MM is actually an every 4th week process whereby clients who are lifelong learners want to stay in touch with their counselor/coach. They are mostly in a position to use the Process well daily but like to have some help calibrating and be regularly challenged to improve. They also receive the benefit of rate lock while they are meeting monthly. Scheduling priority is granted to weekly clients.
#4: What can you tell me about Rates/ Rate Lock/Insurance? Rates change on average annually on January 1. Current year rates are $265 per session. Sessions are blocked for an hour and typically start between 30 and 40 minutes past the hour. We block an hour and aim for 50 good minutes. We make every attempt to lock your rate once you begin and for as long as you are regularly attending sessions. Once there is a break in sessions or if you want to come back later for a tune-up, you will restart at the current rate for that year. Insurance is not accepted or submitted; however, some have had success using HSA cards if you have one.
#5: Do you offer Reduced Rates? Reduced Rates may be available on a limited and case-by-case basis. This requires a demonstration of a financial need and may delay your start date as those spots are limited. The reduction is typically something around 15% and only applies while session frequency is weekly.
#6: Session Format? All sessions are video and will default to Zoom. You will want to have the app on your device. It’s important to find a quiet, comfortable space free of distractions and interruptions. In a pinch, a vehicle can be a good solution.
#7: What is your Cancelation Policy? Cancellations are accepted only via text or phone (no email). Cancellations within a 24-hour timeframe of the appointment are subject to the full session fee. A regularly scheduled timeslot will be forfeited after two consecutive cancellations.
#8: What is Clinical Pastoral Counseling? For starters when you counsel you either work for the state or the church. There is a spectrum of care which starts with friends, mentors, coaches, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists. On an inverse spectrum we have individual need. The least of us need the highest level of clinical expertise. State certified counselors have designations such as LPC, LMFT, LCSW, etc. Each of these have different specialties and when you need a specific kind of thing, you’ll be lucky to have a good one of them in your corner. These people are typically required to have a master’s degree and then embark on a process that can take years and thousands of hours of supervised practice before they are turned loose in their specialties. They can have a wide variety of life experience which may or may not matter depending on the reason you are seeking treatment. We think of this for many of the higher order issues. This is who you would be working with if you’re involved with insurance billing. Working for the church on the other hand is much looser. On one end of the spectrum, you might have a pastor who also does pastoral counseling but, in most cases, has no specific training. In some cases, they may have taken a course in counseling during seminary but many pastors have no formal education. This is not necessarily a bad thing. On rare occasion you may find a pastor who is also a state certified counselor. I work with a lot of pastors as clients and what I typically find is that they have neither the interest, time, or ability to do in depth counseling so they will typically meet with you a few times and try to refer you to someone who can journey with you. In those cases, they are likely to keep in touch with you periodically to help assess your progress. Pastors of course can be a good place to wrestle with denomination specific theological issues. But there really is nothing controlling how much training and supervision is required for Pastoral Counseling in most states. So personal referrals are super valuable. Also, sometimes this can be a case of “you get what you pay for”. Often pastors and lay marriage mentors or marriage pastor couples are serving you at little or no cost. I find it helpful to think of this skillset at the mentor level and if you are not in crisis this can be a really good tool in your bag especially if you are active in a faith community. If you do not have someone specifically to help with spiritual things then a Clinical Pastoral Counselor can serve you in this area as well as helping you with issues we might typically think of as being more psychological or relational. The biggest difference between church and state when it comes to counseling is the freedom to engage from a faith perspective which may sound nice but sometimes people who engage from a faith perspective have a secondary agenda of getting you to see things their way which is the opposite of what is needed when creating a constructive therapeutic environment so I would in no way hesitate to use a “state” certified counselor based on faith concerns (again especially if you have a good faith community). The term “clinical” for me indicates a higher level of training specifically in the art of “not bringing yourself into the room”. This is where you get (hopefully) someone who has quite a bit of specific training and experience along with someone who is not judgmental and creates an environment where you feel welcomed and supported. This would be beyond mentoring and coaching and even beyond counseling to Clinical Counseling. You don’t often find someone at this level with decades of experience and a PhD but when you do you find someone who has made a dedicated and lifelong commitment to honing their craft. I do not engage in any legal disputes and will not go to court.
#9: Solo vs Joint Sessions? You are welcome to begin the process solo or joint. In my opinion “marriage counseling” is a bit of a misnomer and a pigeonhole. I work with individuals on individual issues. I work with couples on couple issues. And I work with individuals who are in a relationship, on relational/communication issues, often without their partner (at least initially). You will hear me say often - one person can change enough to be at peace even if the other person doesn’t change at all.