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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You asked, we've answered!
WHAT IS TRAUMA, TRAUMA COUNSELING AND WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THE PROCESS?
Trauma counseling is a type of psychotherapy that is designed to help individuals who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events. This may include physical or sexual abuse, natural disasters, accidents, violent crimes, or combat. The goal of trauma counseling is to help individuals process their experiences, manage their symptoms, and develop coping skills that will allow them to move forward in their lives.
Trauma counseling may involve a variety of techniques, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The therapist may also use relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises, and other strategies to help the individual manage their anxiety and distress.
Trauma counseling is typically a long-term process, and the length of treatment may vary depending on the severity of the trauma and the individual's response to therapy. In some cases, medication may be used in conjunction with therapy to help manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions.
Overall, trauma counseling is designed to help individuals heal from the psychological and emotional effects of trauma, and to support them in their journey toward recovery and resilience.
WHAT ARE YOUR FEES?
See our rates HERE.
HOW DO I SCHEDULE AN INTAKE?
Simply contact us through our CONTACT PAGE or send us an email HERE. To expedite your scheduling, include your photo ID and insurance card in your email.
DO YOU PRESCRIBE MEDICATION?
No, we do not. Beckstein and Associates Behavioral Health provides therapy services. We do not have a doctor on staff who is able to prescribe medications. However, if you are looking for a great prescriber, just ask, we have LOTS of vetted referrals for our clients.
WHAT ARE PRONOUNS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I MISGENDER MY THERAPIST?
This is a great question!
Part of the therapeutic process is recognizing that we are all humans, so your therapist already knows that you may make mistakes. Should you find that you do end up misgendering your therapist, here is what you can do: The generally accepted way to deal with misgendering someone is to correct yourself as soon as you notice, and move on. Spending time focusing on the mistake can move the conversation in an unhelpful direction. You can say: “Sorry, *correct pronoun*” or simply “*correct pronoun*” and continue the sentence. If your therapist corrects you, a simple “Thank you, *correct pronoun*” and continuing the sentence is a great way to move forward.
Sometimes, people get the urge to defend themselves and explain why they misgendered someone, or they feel so bad that they spend a lengthy amount of time apologizing. If this is the space you find yourself in, that is totally normal! Should misgendering become a regular occurrence, your therapist may bring it up as a reminder, and check in to see if there needs to be a bigger conversation to explore why it is happening. Therapy is the space to learn and grow, so it is one of the safest spaces to work on this.
Of course, every person has their own preference for how to deal with people misgendering them. If you are uncertain, please ask your therapist what they prefer!
As a note, if you are in individual therapy, gendered pronouns are used less often because it is a one-on-one conversation. You most likely speak about your therapist outside of session using gendered pronouns more than you use them in session. This is a great time to practice the correct pronouns, so a mistake is less likely to happen in session! This website offers a free place to practice in written form.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY THERAPIST MISGENDERS ME?
All of our therapists at Beckstein Behavioral Health are trained to use gender-affirming language, including our clients’ pronouns. We understand the importance of creating a safe and affirming environment, and strive to do our best to respect and use gender-affirming language and pronouns inside and outside our sessions. At the same time, we acknowledge that we are humans, so we want to provide you with options should we accidentally misgender you.
Ideally, if your therapist misgenders you, they would immediately correct themselves. At Beckstein Behavioral Health, we are all trained to correct ourselves and immediately move on. Should you want us to correct ourselves in a different way, you are welcome to let us know how you would like us to handle any misgendering.
On the off chance that your therapist misses the misgendering and does not correct themselves, we want to make sure that you know you can bring that up at any time. Sometimes you may feel comfortable immediately correcting your therapist, and other times you may wish to wait until later in the session, or even wait until the next session. It is never too late to bring up this topic. As therapists, we are trained to take feedback at any point, and we want you to do what feels most comfortable for you.
Sometimes people find themselves on our website because their current therapist is consistently misgendering them. When a therapist consistently misgenders you, we at Beckstein Behavioral Health believe that is unacceptable. Your safety is our highest priority, and continually correcting your therapist should not fall on you. If this is happening, you have the right to request a new therapist. This may look like asking your current therapist to transfer you, speaking to a clinical coordinator, or changing where you go to therapy entirely. It is our hope that if you are being misgendered consistently elsewhere, you can feel confident that you will not have that experience here at Beckstein Behavioral Health.
For additional questions and information, please contact us!