Colleen Lennon, MEd, LCMHCA

 

Qualifications: I completed a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina State University in May 2019. I completed both my Practicum and Internship in Counseling at Lifescapes Counseling Associates, PLLC beginning in the Spring 2018 semester and ending after the Spring 2019 semester. Since then, I have been practicing fulltime at Lifescapes, totaling 2.5 years of clinical counseling experience.

Restricted Licensure/Supervision:  I am currently a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) in the state of North Carolina. As part of the standard training process, my counseling services are provided under the supervision of Amy Moulds, MEd, NCC, LCMHCS, DAAETS, who is the owner and director of Lifescapes Counseling Associates.

  

My Counseling Background and Process:

First, I fully believe in the therapeutic relationship, and consider my role to be a supportive, nonjudgmental, safe companion to walk with you on whatever journey you are currently traveling. I work with clients between ages 10 and 70 who are experiencing  adjustment difficulties, anxiety, depression, gender-related issues, trauma, grief, and issues related to chronic and/or terminal illness. My primary approach to counseling is an integration of Person-Centered and Existential therapies. What does that mean? It means that you and I work together in partnership to address your current concerns so that your individual values and beliefs are honored; and it means that I believe you have a great capacity for self­ awareness that can help guide you in decision-making, behavior, and a sense of peace with yourself and the world, long after our sessions are done.

I also employ tenets of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients modify thinking and behavior that are causing them psychological injury or discomfort. This sometimes includes homework, which is a way that we strengthen our therapeutic relationship through trust and accountability.

My goal is to provide you a safe space, first, and then empathy and freedom to explore your goals and how best to achieve them. Please know that our therapeutic relationship exists and flourishes with the observation of boundaries. I will uphold those boundaries in order to ensure an appropriate therapeutic relationship and a more positive therapeutic outcome, and I ask you to do the same. Sessions may at times become emotionally and psychologically intimate-that's okay, and part of the work we'll be doing together. But those boundaries are what will keep our work together productive and safe.

 

Sessions: Our first session will be an intake (60 minutes), in which I get to know your current concerns and needs, and we get to know one another. We may explore some treatment goals for you during the initial session, or we may do that on our second meeting. For new clients, I typically schedule one 50-minute session per week. Depending on the nature of your counseling needs, we will likely have weekly sessions until it is appropriate to lessen the duration, and you will always be a part of this decision-making process.

Fees and Method of Payment: My regular fee for a 50-minute session is $110 ($135 for the initial assessment). The fee for each session is due at the time of your arrival. You may pay with cash, personal check, Visa or MasterCard. Currently, I am able to accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and Medcost health insurance.

Use of Diagnosis: Please be aware of the implications of using your insurance versus paying out of pocket for counseling-insurance companies require that a diagnosis be reported, and may only authorize a limited number of sessions. Any diagnosis made will become part of your permanent insurance records. If you choose not to file with an insurance provider, I am able to ensure that your diagnosis remains confidential, and we will be able to proceed with counseling for a length of time that is agreeable to you. If you have questions about your insurance coverage, please contact your insurance company for clarification.

Confidentiality: Trust and confidentiality is of the utmost importance in any counseling relationship. Everything we discuss will be kept confidential with only the following exceptions:

•      If I determine that you may be dangerous to yourself or others

•      If you provide information that leads me to believe that a child (under 18), elderly person, or disabled adult is or has been abused or neglected

•      If I am ordered by a court to release information about you from your clinical record

•      If you request in writing that I release information about you

If at any time you have questions about confidentiality or your clinical record, I encourage you to ask me, and we can discuss it.

 

Complaints: Although clients are encouraged to discuss any concerns with me, you may file a complaint against me with the organization below should you feel I am in violation of any of these codes of ethics. I abide by the ACA Code of Ethics (http://www.counseling.org/Rescource/aca-code-ethics.pdf).

North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors

PO Box 77819    Greensboro, NC  27417                                                                              Phone 844-622-3572 or 336-217-6007, Fax 336-217-9450

Email: Complaints@ncblpc.org

     

We agree to these terms and will abide by these guidelines.

This disclosure statement is intended to provide you with the information needed to gain your consent to begin counseling services. You always have the right to consent to treatment, and likewise, you have the right to withdraw that consent at  any time. By signing below, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood this document. Your signature also indicates that any questions you have about this document have been answered to your satisfaction.