I define therapy (also known as counseling or psychotherapy) as a form of healing that involves giving you the space you deserve to be real about what’s going on for you and teaching you the tools you need to get un-stuck from the shit that’s holding you back. You might say, “So how come my friends or family can’t help with this?” or “Do I really need therapy?” So, I’m biased here- I believe everyone can benefit from therapy at some point in their lives. To me, the differences between talking to a therapist vs. family or friends include:

• Therapy is confidential- meaning your friends or family don’t have any right to know about the work you are doing unless you want them to.
• Therapy is skills based- you won’t just be venting; you will actively be learning and practicing skills to support your wellness.
• Therapy will challenge you- you won’t get a “smile and nod” therapist vibe from me; you will get (compassionately) challenged to examine patterns that aren’t working for you or explore new perspectives. Contrary to popular belief, therapists don’t usually give advice- instead, we ask questions and provide education to help you make the most informed choices possible.

100%!!!! I love working with folx who have never been in therapy before or who have had shitty experiences with past therapists. If you are new to therapy, you probably have a lot of questions- I encourage you to read about my approach and also check out the other FAQs to answer some of the questions you might have. 

I offer telehealth across the state of North Carolina, and I also offer in-person sessions at my Sylva office! Fun fact: research shows that the effectiveness of telehealth and in-person therapy is about the same!

I can only see individuals who are permanent residents of North Carolina at this time. I am looking into getting licensed in both South Carolina and Florida- stay tuned!

No. I do not have a license to prescribe medication. That being said, I am more than happy to help you connect with a medication management provider, if this is something you feel like would support your treatment goals.

I meet with most folx I work with every other week and/or 1x a month. However, how often we meet depends on a number of factors, including:

• Your schedule, availability, and life circumstance.
• My availability.
• Ongoing life challenges (may increase or decrease frequency of sessions).
• The nature of your specific challenges and how you address them.
• Personal finances.

My office hours are 11:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Thursday. My typical individual session slots are at 1:00pm, 2:30pm, and 4:00pm. My typical intake slots vary, although I aim for doing intakes between 3:30-4:00pm no more than 2x a week.

The first session we will have together is our intake session. During your intake session, we discuss your history (mental health, substance use, medical, family/social, safety concerns), review my practice policies, complete a safety/crisis plan, discuss a mental health diagnosis (if applicable), collaboratively discuss your goals for therapy, and complete a treatment plan. My intake session focuses on giving you education about my approach and teaching you a skill prior to the end of the session. 

Individual sessions may vary in structure, depending on your specific needs. Most sessions include a combination of skills practice, psychoeducation, or verbal processing/discussion. Some individual sessions are used to review your goals and treatment plan, when clinically appropriate. I also may use assessment tools during our individual sessions, such as the DIVA-5, which is commonly used to diagnose ADHD in adults.

Absolutely! As a holder of marginalized identities myself, I am all about creating a space where marginalized humans can just……be. Reach more about my approach here, including talking about privilege in private practice and using intersectionality theory

There are several things you may want to consider when finding a therapist, which include (but are not limited to):

• How are you going to pay for therapy? Do you want to use your health insurance benefits with someone who is in-network? Are you interested in using out-of-network insurance benefits? Do you want to do private pay only? Check out my page on benefits of private pay here. Depending on your answer, you may also want to consider how often you want to be seen for therapy.
• What are you seeking therapy for? Take a look at some therapists’ websites or directories. Do they address the issues you are looking for? Do they sound like someone you can relate to, or do they sound like they are reading right off of their resume? It’s really important to find someone that you can connect with and that addresses the specific issues you are struggling with.
• How do you want to attend therapy? Take a look to see if folx offer virtual or in-person therapy. It is totally up to you which one you want to do. Research shows that both have equal effectiveness.

I specialize in working with queer, neurodivergent women and gender-expansive professionals in the creative industry and the helping industry (such as artists, marketers, therapists, physicians, and more) who struggle with getting stuck and easily overwhelmed by their emotions and thoughts, feeling disconnected, scared, or lost in their relationships, haphazardly channeling their energy and creativity (both personally and professionally) in a way that does not feel sustainable or meaningful, and questioning the impact of their family upbringing on their lives. I affectionately call the intersection of neurodivergence, relationship trauma, and family trauma “the neurodivergent trifecta.” My goal is to help you create a life where you are thriving in your personal and professional roles, confident to be your authentic self, and empowered to set boundaries and engage in your life in a way that works for you.

• Step 1: Reach out via phone call or text (828-547-3790) or email (admin@mtnsoul.co or vmr@mtnsoul.co) to get ahold of my virtual medical receptionist, Shalelia. She will schedule you for a free consult.
• Step 2: Complete intake paperwork. After your intake paperwork is completed, Shalelia will help you schedule your intake appointment.
• Step 3: Meet with me for your intake session and start some kick ass therapy!

My current policy is that I don’t schedule an intake appointment with any new clients until their paperwork is completed. There are several reasons for this:

• This allows me to review your intake paperwork well in advance so I can get a better sense of who you are, what your needs are, and how I can tailor your intake session appropriately.
• I see the paperwork process as an investment of time and energy, and by extension, a part of starting the therapy process.
• Here are some of the forms that you will fill out in your intake package:
  • Intake Questionnaire
  • Telehealth Consent, Policy, and Agreement
  • HIPPA Privacy Policy
  • Credit Card Authorization
  • Release of Information for Emergency Contact
  • Informed Consent/Professional Disclosure Statement
  • Disclosure of Insurance Use and Coverage
  • Good Faith Estimate
• Additionally, Shalelia will support you in connecting with Spruce Health, my HIPPA-compliant messaging platform.

I ask that all clients arrive on time for all of their sessions so that we may utilize our time together as efficiently and effectively as possible. If you do not show to your appointment, cancel your appointment less than 24 hours in advance, arrive more than 15 minutes late, report that you are out-of-state (if telehealth), or attempt to join your session (if telehealth) while driving or from an area that is not private and are unable to appropriately relocate to a safe/private space, you will be charged the full rate for the session. The credit or debit card that you have on file will be charged the same day of your missed session. The only exceptions to these above circumstances are emergencies (e.g. sudden illness, family death, child illness or childcare crisis) that can be verified and/or if you would endanger yourself by trying to attend a session (e.g. driving on icy or snow-covered roads). If you are able to re-schedule your appointment within the same week of your original appointment, you will not be charged for your session; however, please note that my schedule is usually full, and it is not guaranteed that I will have additional spots available. For both telehealth and in-person sessions, I respectfully ask that all clients show up to session without using substances that day so that we can maximize our time together. If it becomes apparent that you are impaired due to substances, I will end the session. If you are unable to schedule within the same week of your original appointment, you will be charged the full rate for the session on the same day of your scheduled session.

I use an OON billing service, Thrizer, to support with verifying OON benefits for my clients and submitting OON claims. This means that you do not have to submit superbills; Thrizer takes care of this for you. If you choose to use your OON benefits, then you agree to pay my full private pay fees; otherwise, you will need to use sliding scale fees and will not be able to receive potential reimbursement via your OON benefits. If you do not want to use Thrizer, I can provide monthly superbills for you to submit to your insurance company on request. Please note that using Thrizer or submitting your own superbills does not guarantee that your insurance company will reimburse you for our counseling sessions; it us up to your insurance company (not me or Thrizer) about whether they choose to reimburse or not for counseling services. You are responsible for submitting your information to Thrizer before our intake session (which I will send to you via email prior to our intake session). Learn more at https://thrizer.com/client 

All individual sessions are 60 minutes (1 hour) long. All intakes are 90 minutes (1.5 hours) long. Please note that your fee is a flat rate for a reserved time slot of 60 minutes (in the case of an individual session) or 90 minutes (in the case of an intake assessment). You get to choose how much of your reserved time slot you want to utilize. Regardless of whether you fully use the reserved time or not, you will still be charged your fee. For example, if you schedule an individual session but only choose to use 30 minutes of the time and your session fee is $100 per session, you will be charged $100 for that session.  

My last name is pronounced “Meh-tuh.” Think like feeling “meh.” And then add the “tuh.” Please don’t confuse it with meth- not the same thing by a long shot.

We will likely be a good fit if:

• You identify as neurodivergent or suspect you struggle with ADHD.
• You have a trauma history related to your family or your romantic relationships.
• You are a creative professional or helping professional.
• You are willing to get courageous and try new things.
• You are highly motivated to engage in therapy.
• You are willing to be challenged.
• You are willing to go outside of your comfort zone.

You can contact me by phone, email, or text. I respond more quickly to emails or texts than I do to phone calls!

• Cell: 828-547-3790
• Email: sarah@mtnsoul.co

I use she/her/hers pronouns.