People seek counseling for a variety of reasons, and different counselors vary in their approaches to helping clients address the issues that they bring in to counseling. It is important that you feel comfortable with the counselor with whom you choose to work. Center for Pastoral Counseling of Virginia has a variety of therapists who come from diverse backgrounds and have many different approaches to counseling.
All of our counselors are fully certified and/or licensed psychotherapists who have additional expertise in the area of integrating the sacred into the healing process. Our approach is to work with each client with great respect for his or her own belief system, never to try to “preach” to a client or “convert” him or her.
Although many of our offices are housed in churches, most of our counselors are not affiliated with the particular church in which they are working– CPC also has three offices which are not in church buildings, and if you would prefer NOT to be seen in an office within a church building, please let the Referral Coordinator know this, and she can refer you a counselor who works in one of our offices not housed in a church (Springfield, McLean or Sterling).
Some questions it can be helpful to ask a prospective counselor:
What is your approach to counseling?
What areas do you specialize in?
What is your training?
Do you take insurance?
Do you work on a sliding fee scale?
Do you have evening/weekend appointments (if necessary)?
Individual sessions are typically 50 minutes long and most commonly are scheduled once a week, although you and your counselor may determine that it would be useful for you to come more or less frequently, depending upon your situation. Payment is customarily made by check or cash at the end of each session, unless your counselor makes a different arrangement with you.
Individual counseling is a collaborative process, and the more work and investment you put into it, the more progress you are likely to experience. It is important to not only talk with your counselor openly during your sessions, but also to focus on practicing strategies that will help with your healing, in between sessions as well.
The following CPC counselors provide individual therapy:
Mi Sook Ahn (Annandale, Washington DC)
Kasey Best (Sterling, McLean)
Devika Campbell (Washington DC, Arlington)
Suzanne Doherty (Annandale, Fairfax)
Bill Frye (Alexandria, Falls Church)
Carey Gauzens (Alexandria)
Heather Guthrie-Hoey (Dale City)
Kathie Kurtz (Fairfax. Manassas)
Gary McMichael (McLean, Sterling)
Kevin Ogle (Arlington, Falls Church)
Randall Prior (Annandale, Fairfax)
Susette Ritenour (Fairfax, Manassas)
Nancy Scott (Alexandria, Springfield)
Cheryl Zandt (Washington DC)