Beginning Therapy
What to Expect from Counseling
Beginning therapy is a personal and sometimes uncertain decision. You deserve clear information about what counseling involves, how to evaluate a therapist, what treatment may cost, how privacy works, and what you can expect from the process.
A Collaborative Process
Triangle Wellness Counseling provides collaborative, evidence-informed counseling for adults and relationships in North Carolina. Care begins with understanding each client's concerns in context — including emotional health, physical well-being, relationships, culture, identity, values, environment, strengths, and daily responsibilities.
Clients bring essential knowledge of their own lives. The counselor brings clinical assessment, professional training, ethical responsibility, and therapeutic tools. Together, they develop meaningful goals and select strategies suited to the client's needs and circumstances.
Your First Session
The first appointment is an orientation to counseling at Triangle Wellness Counseling. Before the clinical work begins, several foundational topics are covered so that you understand how the practice operates and what to expect from the process.
What is covered in the first session
How the practice operates
You will learn how sessions are structured, how scheduling works, and what to expect from the counseling process at Triangle Wellness Counseling.
Confidentiality and its limits
Your counselor will explain what information is kept private and the specific legal and ethical circumstances under which confidentiality may be limited.
Fees, payment, and insurance
Fee information, payment methods, insurance participation, and billing procedures will be reviewed before services begin.
Scheduling and cancellation policy
Session frequency, scheduling procedures, and the practice's cancellation policy will be discussed.
Your rights as a client
You have the right to clear information, respectful care, and an active voice in your treatment. Your rights will be reviewed at the outset.
What brings you in
You will have the opportunity to describe what brings you to counseling and what you are hoping to address.
Initial assessment
The initial sessions also include a clinical assessment. Your counselor will gather information across several domains to understand your concerns in context.
Presenting concerns
What brings you to counseling now, and how long you have been experiencing these concerns.
Personal and family history
Relevant background, including family history, significant life events, and prior treatment.
Current functioning
How your concerns are affecting your daily life, relationships, work, and well-being.
Strengths and resources
What is working well in your life, and what personal and social resources you can draw on.
Goals for counseling
What you hope to achieve, and what a meaningful outcome would look like for you.
Medical and mental health history
Relevant medical conditions, medications, and prior mental health treatment.
The initial assessment is a collaborative process. You are not required to share anything you are not ready to share. The pace of assessment is guided by your comfort and readiness.
Summary of Client Rights
As a client at Triangle Wellness Counseling, you have the following rights.
Receive respectful, competent, and culturally responsive counseling services.
Ask questions about services, fees, privacy, diagnosis, treatment goals, and alternatives.
Participate in treatment planning.
Decline or request changes to counseling techniques.
Request referrals or a higher level of care when appropriate.
Understand confidentiality and its limits.
Request access to your records as permitted by law.
Request restrictions or confidential communication methods when applicable.
File a complaint without retaliation.
End counseling at any time.
Telephone Counseling
In certain circumstances, counseling sessions may be conducted via telephone. All policies and procedures that apply to face-to-face counseling — including scheduling, cancellations, fees, and confidentiality — apply equally to telephone sessions.
Nondiscrimination and Cultural Responsiveness
Triangle Wellness Counseling provides services without discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital or relationship status, socioeconomic status, immigration status, language, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
Steven strives to provide culturally responsive counseling that respects each client's values, beliefs, identity, family structure, spirituality, worldview, and lived experience. If cultural, identity, language, or belief-system differences affect the work, he will seek to understand those differences and may consult, pursue additional training, or offer referrals when doing so would better support your care.
Group Therapy Confidentiality
Group members are expected to protect one another's confidentiality, but confidentiality by other group members cannot be guaranteed. Triangle Wellness Counseling, PLLC and group therapists are not responsible for breaches of confidentiality by group members.
Appointments and Cancellations
Clients or legal guardians are required to contact me at least one business day in advance if canceling an appointment. Missed appointments or late cancellations are charged at $165. Payment will be expected before your next appointment. This fee may be waived in emergencies, such as a death in the family or hospital emergency.
Sessions will be scheduled at mutually agreed upon times. You may make, cancel, or reschedule appointments by contacting me between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at the confidential phone number and voicemail listed in this form.
If you are late for an appointment, I will be happy to see you for the remaining time available, but you will be expected to pay your normal fee. If you do not contact me to inform me that you will be more than 15 minutes late, I will assume that you are not showing.
Due to the nature of my work, I may not always be readily available by phone outside of session time. E-mail and text messaging should not be used for emergencies or sensitive clinical matters unless specifically arranged.
Electronic Communications and Technology
Health Insurance
It is important that you understand your insurance benefit coverage. For benefit coverage questions, please call the customer/member services phone number on the back of your insurance card. Although I may be able to assist you, it is ultimately your responsibility, prior to your first appointment, to verify your plan's limitations, deductibles, exclusions, and required updates.
In compliance with health insurance contracts, Triangle Wellness Counseling, PLLC requires copayments, coinsurance, and deductible payments to be collected at the time of service. In some cases, the amount collected may be an estimate and may be adjusted after the insurance company processes the claim. This may result in either a credit to your account or an additional balance. Copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance amounts cannot be waived when doing so would violate insurance contracts or applicable requirements.
Please provide your insurance card and driver's license at your first appointment so that we may keep copies in your record as required by insurance contracts and practice policies.
It is your responsibility to provide us with updated information if your insurance company or plan changes or your coverage terminates. It is also your responsibility to let us know of any changes in address or other contact information. If the insurance information you provide to us is later determined to be inaccurate resulting in a denial of your claim, you will be responsible for paying the amount denied by your carrier.
Billing Transparency and Good Faith Estimates
If you are uninsured or choose not to use insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges before services or upon request, as required by federal law. Fees, insurance coverage, deductibles, copayments, and reimbursement are determined by your insurance plan or payment arrangement. Please ask questions about fees or billing at any time.
The condition(s) for which you seek counseling may or may not qualify for reimbursement. If a qualifying diagnosis is appropriate in your case, I will inform you of the diagnosis I plan to render before you submit information to the health insurance provider.
Court Action and Legal Fees
I discourage clients from involving me in legal proceedings unless clinically or legally necessary. Counseling is not the same as forensic evaluation, custody evaluation, parenting-capacity evaluation, or expert-witness work. If I am required to participate in legal proceedings, I can testify only to facts, treatment records, and professional opinions within my role as a treating clinician.
Preparation and communication
Preparation time, record review, document preparation, attorney communication, and phone calls: $220 per hour.
Depositions and court appearances
Depositions, testimony, and court appearances: $250 per hour.
Time away from office
Time away from the office due to legal proceedings, including travel and waiting time: $220 per hour.
Mileage
Mileage for legal proceedings: $0.40 per mile.
Court filings
Filing a document with the court: $100 per filing.
Court appearance retainer
Minimum charge for a court appearance: $1,500 retainer due in advance.
Attorney fees
Attorney fees and costs incurred by the therapist as a result of legal action are the client's responsibility when permitted by law or agreement.
Expedited response
If a subpoena or attorney meeting request is received with less than 48 hours' notice, an additional $250 expedited-response fee applies.
Late cancellation of legal proceeding
If a legal proceeding is reset, canceled, or continued with less than 72 business hours' notice, an additional $500 fee applies in addition to any retainer or time already reserved.
Legal fees are due in advance when possible and are not billable to insurance. Any unused portion of a retainer will be applied to outstanding legal-related charges or refunded as appropriate.
If you engage in a lawsuit in which I am subpoenaed or otherwise required to participate, you are responsible for reimbursing me according to this legal-fee schedule unless a different written agreement or court order applies.
If an account remains unpaid after reasonable notice, I may use a collection agency or attorney when necessary. In that event, only the minimum necessary information will be disclosed, such as your name, contact information, dates of service, and amount owed. You are encouraged to discuss billing concerns as early as possible so that reasonable arrangements can be considered when appropriate.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is essential to a positive counseling relationship. Discussions between you and me, and even the fact that you are receiving counseling, are confidential except as permitted or required by law and as described in this document.
Limits of Confidentiality
Generally speaking, information provided by a client during individual or group therapy sessions with a licensed professional counselor is confidential, and the therapist cannot share or disclose the information without the client's written consent except as permitted or required by law.
Disclosure may be required or permitted when:
- I suspect abuse, neglect, dependency, exploitation, or other reportable safety concerns involving a minor, disabled adult, older adult, or other protected person.
- I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or another person.
- Disclosure is needed in a medical or psychiatric emergency.
- Disclosure is required by court order or other applicable law.
In safety-related situations, I may contact emergency services, crisis services, law enforcement, potential victims, family/support persons, medical providers, or other appropriate individuals or agencies when permitted or required by law.
If you have questions about confidentiality, please contact me at (919) 945-9313.
If I see you in public, I will protect your confidentiality by greeting you only if you greet me first.
Consultation
I may periodically consult with qualified professional colleagues, supervisors, legal or ethics consultants, or other appropriate professionals to improve care, address ethical concerns, or support clinical decision-making. Consultation will be conducted without identifying information whenever possible.
If identifying information is necessary, I will seek your written authorization unless consultation is otherwise permitted or required by law or ethics. Any audio or video recording of sessions will occur only with your prior written consent, unless otherwise required by law.
Treatment Approaches
Steven draws on a range of evidence-informed approaches, selected based on each client's needs and goals. No single method is applied to every person.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Examines the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Helps identify patterns that contribute to distress and develop more effective ways of responding.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Focuses on reducing the power of difficult thoughts and feelings over behavior, and on clarifying and acting on personal values.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
A collaborative, goal-oriented approach that supports clients in exploring ambivalence and building motivation for change.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills
Teaches practical skills for managing emotions, tolerating distress, improving relationships, and staying present.
Trauma-Informed Care
Recognizes the impact of trauma on current functioning and integrates safety, trust, and empowerment throughout the counseling process.
Person-Centered Approaches
Centers the client's own knowledge, values, and goals. The therapeutic relationship itself is understood as a meaningful part of the healing process.
Evaluating Progress
Progress in counseling is evaluated collaboratively. When clinically appropriate, Steven may use client feedback measures to track progress and adjust the approach. You are always welcome to share what is and is not working.
Transparency About the Process
You have the right to ask questions about the counseling process, the approaches being used, and the rationale for any recommendation. A good therapeutic relationship includes honest communication about how things are going.
What Triangle Wellness Counseling Stands For
These commitments guide every aspect of care at Triangle Wellness Counseling.
- Evidence-informed approaches grounded in research and refined through clinical experience
- Care that treats you as a whole person, not a diagnosis or a checklist
- Your goals, your pace, your voice — throughout the process
- Clear information about fees, process, and what to expect — before you begin
- Honest communication about progress, fit, and what is and is not working
- Respect for your autonomy and your right to make informed decisions about your care
Evidence-informed care. Genuinely human connection.
Downloadable Resources
The following resources are available to help you prepare for counseling and understand your rights as a client.
Personal Bill of Rights
A summary of your rights as a client at Triangle Wellness Counseling.
PDF — opens in a new tab
Comprehensive Help Guide
A practical guide to navigating mental health care, finding support, and understanding your options.
Word document (.docx)
ACA Code of Ethics & Insurance Guide
An overview of the ACA Code of Ethics and how insurance interacts with mental health care.
Word document (.docx)
Ready to Get Started?
Review the practice information and fees, then submit an appointment request if you think this may be a good fit.