Tag Archives: Couple’s Counseling

New Years Tribute, NWA Marriage & Family Therapy

Happy New Year’s 2019. Reflecting on 2018 I was thinking some times it is good to take a look back to remember those folks who lived and came before us. Way before us. We are here because they survived and had the strength to carry on even in very difficult circumstances, often facing situations that in their time seemed impossible to overcome or endure. We as people, are stronger and more resilient than we believe to face our situations.

Please call NWA Marriage & Family Therapy @ 479-225-0055 to set an appointment for couples or individual counseling, at your convenience. If you need my services, in Fayetteville, Bella Vista, or Ft. Smith.please leave a voice message and I will call back.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy 2019 New Year’s to all as we head forward.

Carmen

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Counseling, Therapy in the age of AI – Erica

Watching this you tube video of Erica an AI android, was eye opening as far as the speed at which AI is progressing and developing as a technology. These “machines” at first seemed clumsy and slow. Now they seem realistic and life like, with a better command of language and a good sense of humor, complete with facial gestures. Now Erica has her own face book account, and channel. Soon, I think humans will have the option as far as doing therapy with AI versus a human being. The military is already experimenting with AI’s for therapy. It is an interesting choice.

Counseling Research

The dilemma is research on counseling for the last forty years shows that its not about techniques or theories used by the therapists that determine outcomes of clients,, but the relationship developed with your clients in session that helps them heal. Will AI’s be able to mimic this situation? Will the create new ways to do therapy?

Basically, what makes us fundamentally human is how we connect with each other, and share our experience, with others. These interactions are all part of that human experience, hat helps us heal., and connects us to each other.

We are watching how the AI phenomenon is developing at great speed and with surprisingly little social discourse. You tube clip, stated that one AI received citizenship and that we needed to make space for new entities,, not human, not machine. The android needed its own space and place. Wondering how this will all play out ? Any way thought I would share this clip today about Erica. Still want to talk with a human being?

NWA Marriage and Family Therapy

I am a licensed Counselor and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist available for individual or relationship therapy., Call for an appointment at 479-225-0055 and leave a voice message. Evening and week end hours are available, serving the North West Arkansas (NWA )area.

Thank you.

Carmen

Communication Problems

Often times one hears of couples saying they have “communication problems”. Such a term is very often used and can be for the most part rather nebulous. It can sometimes be a description for many other problems and or underlying issues in a relationship that have not been explored.

Couples for the most part to communicate very well either directly or indirectly their unhappiness, disappointment, resentment, contempt or anger for each other. Sometimes they punish each other by using avoidance, manipulation or intentional harm that they might be less than willing to talk about or admit to each other. Often times in couples therapy the process of discovering the source of the discomfort or negative patterns might take some time.

Many times the presenting problem of what the couple labels as the issue soon gets overridden by past wounds, hurts or betrayals that have been buried between them and unresolved. Often times these other issues come bubbling up.

Couples who have issues with “communication” sometimes have been carrying these wounds or unfinished business in an indirect way for months or even years. These unhealed wounds are often dragged along unresolved in the relationship and/or marriage longer than is healthy and this can impact their current relational health.

If left unresolved the couple may find that the misunderstanding can escalate very quickly and eventually destroy their relationship. Exploring these resentments, patterns of attachment styles and past wounds every so often sometimes can reconnect a couple. Sometimes the help of a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists can be a good start for a couple to begin to tall openly and to reconnect once again and clear their communication channels.

Insurance, Couples Counseling & the Affordable Care Act

Insurance, Couples Counseling & the Affordable Care Act

There was a time where insurance companies and your employer knew a lot less about what you did in your health provider’s office. Now with the Affordance Care Act more and more people will get insurance and more mental health services are being covered. Sometimes couples counseling is covered as such, sometimes one of the people in the couples session must be the “identified patient” for insurance billing purposes. Many clients do not know this. If you use your insurance to covers your mental health services one of you probably will get a diagnostic code in order for you or the mental health care provider to be able to get reimbursement from the insurance company. No diagnosis code, no reimbursement. You may or may not be told or know what your diagnosis that you are being billed for.

Depending on the diagnostic code that might determine how many sessions you will be allowed, sometimes it can vary depending on your needs. Often time’s insurance company or employer will need an update as to your progress on your diagnosis, in order to determine if more sessions will be given. All this information about you and your diagnosis is given to the insurance company and sometimes as to your employer.

In the past health care information would be kept for five or seven years. In the paper days, this information would be kept by your health care provider, perhaps shared if referrals were made and then later destroyed. These days it is being most likely stored in the cloud for ever. This information will follow you along with the rest of your medical records, probably for life. This should clearly be explained to you.

This is one reason why many people still prefer to keep their mental health care outside of the insurance providers reach. Having to meet insurance deductibles, having a high co pay and needing an “identified patient” for diagnosis makes using insurance less than appealing for some people.

A more attractive alternative model for many is to have an affordable, non diagnosis model as far as their mental health care. Many people thus prefer to keep their mental health information out of their employers or insurance company’s hands by not using their health insurance.

Remember that if you do use your insurance, be sure to inquire about the following contract details to make a better informed decision as a consumer as to which choice is best for you:

Is outpatient mental health covered? Is Couple’s counseling specifically covered? Or only individual?
Any preauthorization requirements before you begin?
What is your co-pay?
Is there a deductible that must be met yearly, before benefits will begin? What is it?
What credentials are required of the therapist? There are many types of mental health credentials; will my particular therapists be covered?
Will it be in either in network or out of network?
How many visits will be given per year?

Ask your therapists to explain your diagnostic code that they are using for insurance billing purposes, it could be one or several codes. If you have any questions or need clarification ask. It is important to be fully informed and protect your confidentiality. You have a right to know and make an informed decision.