FAQ
BELOW ARE ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q: Why should I choose you instead of another counselor?
A: My goal is always to help clients achieve healing. In the last 20 years I’ve helped hundreds of people heal from depression, anxiety, stress, trauma and abuse. I offer not only talk therapy, but research-backed interventions such as EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy and other trauma focused interventions.
My calling is to support those who experience these symptoms.
For those who are looking for a specialist in abuse, I came into social work to help survivors of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. This isn’t just one more specialization that I added to my practice. This is the reason for my career, and my commitment to this calling guides my goal to be the best counselor I can be.
From our first contact, I convey that your choices matter. My therapeutic approach is warm and empathetic.
Before we start processing traumatic incidents, I’ll work with you so you can have self-regulating skills that will prepare you for working on memories, triggers, and other symptoms - and also be helpful to you for the rest of your life whenever you experience stressors.
I will help you see that your response to depression, anxiety, stress, or trauma does not set you apart from others.
I measure your progress so we can both celebrate the victories and work on what’s holding it back.
I instill hope. Most people find it hard to believe that things could get better. But I know from experience that with a compassionate and experienced counselor, the right techniques, and your commitment to do the work regularly outside of sessions - things will improve. You will go forward in your healing journey.
Nothing else makes me feel joyful as when I see that the people I work with are reclaiming their lives. Step by step, working together, you will start to see things change for the better.
Q: Where are you located?
A: Online Counseling: I am exclusively online due to the benefits that I’ve seen clients experience from it. Clients are more relaxed online than in-person because they’re in the comfort of familiar environments. Due to this, they become more expressive and feel a greater sense of safety. All of my clients who are committed to doing the work in-between sessions experience incremental changes. My online counseling services are available anywhere in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Florida. We would meet through a secure, HIPAA compliant platform. NOTE: As per state regulations, you must be physically located in the states I am licensed in (New York, New Jersey, and Florida) during online counseling sessions.
Q: Do you accept health insurance?
A: At this time Ninonuevo Consulting is accepting self-pay clients in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Please be aware that many health insurance providers consider mental health treatment sessions eligible for deductible claims. Please check with your provider and, per your request, you could be provided with a “superbill” which you submit to your health insurance provider. Please know that included in the superbill are your diagnosis and dates of service, and that your health insurance company would keep these diagnoses in your records. Some clients do not want their diagnosis provided to the health insurance company and they choose not to submit superbills.
Q: What are your rates?
A: My rates are as follows (for 2022):
Individual Counseling:
50-minute Distance Session: $200.00
Group Counseling:
60-minute Distance Session: $85.00
Q: Why do you charge the rates you do?
A: My service rates reflect lengthy experience and specialized skills. As in anything else, we get what we pay for. Twenty years of experience and specialized interventions are distilled in each counseling session. While there are counselors who offer lower rates, they do not necessarily provide specialized techniques such as EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Parts Work/IFS and TANT. They may not have the well-earned competence in using techniques that have been effective with hundreds of people. Counseling with a less experienced and less skilled therapist may mean a longer treatment time, which is the opposite of what most people are looking for. While every person is unique along with their concerns and goals, working with an experienced specialist trained in various research-backed techniques diminishes the risks of having adverse reactions and counseling that “doesn’t seem to go anywhere.” Many of my clients have told me that they’ve worked with other counselors but haven’t experienced a lot of forward movement in their healing because when it comes to PTSD, anxiety, and depression, talk therapy is not enough.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: Credit cards are accepted through our HIPAA-secure platform at Theranest.com. HSA and FSA cards are also accepted for attended sessions, but a credit card would need to be on file in case of late cancellations and missed appointments. HSA and FSA cards are only for services received.
Q: How long must I be in counseling before I see progress?
A: Every person has a unique history and set of strengths. Everyone has a different set of symptoms and concerns which may have been ongoing for a period of time. Healing through counseling depends on many factors including how committed you are to regularly practicing skills necessary for healing, and how regularly you participate in counseling sessions. As in everything, practice and commitment increase one’s ability to make progress.
Counseling addresses years, and in some cases, decades of symptoms stemming from abuse, depression, or anxiety. While EMDR can accelerate the processing or “digesting” of the hurtful events, there is no quick intervention that will work for every single person in undoing years or decades of symptoms. There are times people need to go through the process of grieving before the pain of processing hurtful events subsides. The promise of NinoNuevo Consulting is that your counselor will work hard with you to get to your goals, and your promise to yourself is a commitment to do the work in-between sessions.
For abuse and trauma survivors: If there were more than one incident of traumatic experience, it’s often most helpful to work on each one consecutively.
Q: What are some resources for those who need help with sexual assault or sexual abuse?
A: Here are resources for Sexual Assault, Intimate Partner Violence, and Child Sexual Abuse in New York:
If you know someone who needs help from an abusive relationship: please make sure to call from a phone that is not being monitored by the perpetrator: https://www.thehotline.org/
If you suspect that a child is being abused: Call 311 in NYC or the New York State Central Register (SCR) directly at 1(800) 342-3720. If the child is in immediate danger, call 911. You will be asked for:
Name and address of the child and family members.
Child's age, sex, and primary language.
Nature and extent of the child’s injuries.
Type of abuse or neglect, including knowledge of prior history of abuse or neglect of the child or siblings.
Any additional information that may be helpful.