Therapy is a confidential, collaborative conversation with a licensed mental health professional. It’s designed to help you better understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while building practical tools for coping and growth. People start therapy for many reasons, including: • Anxiety or stress • Relationship challenges • Life transitions • Depression or low motivation • Work or school pressure • Personal growth and self-understanding You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Many people begin simply because they want things to feel more manageable, balanced, or clear.

Yes — therapy is private and legally protected. What you share stays in the therapy room, with a few specific legal exceptions. These typically include situations involving immediate safety concerns, abuse, or court orders. Your therapist will clearly explain confidentiality at the start so you understand exactly how your information is protected.

Most therapy sessions last about 45-55 minutes, and can range from weekly / bi-weekly to as-needed maintenance appointments depending on your goals and progress. At Kaizen Counseling, most therapy sessions (in-person or teletherapy) last approximately 55 minutes, providing focused time to explore your goals, build coping skills, and work through challenges. Many clients begin with weekly therapy sessions to establish consistency and build momentum, especially when addressing concerns such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, or relationship stress. Depending on your individual needs, progress, and life responsibilities, sessions may shift to biweekly or as-needed maintenance appointments over time. We're here to collaborate with you to find the frequency of counseling that fits your life while supporting meaningful growth — because in therapy, consistency is often more important than speed.

There are a number of different professions that can offer counseling or therapy (also referred to as psychotherapy, but the terms are basically interchangeable) and medication management. The most common you will find are licensed professional counselors (LPC), clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists (PhD or PsyD), and clinical social workers (LCSW). Psychiatric nurse practitioners (PMHNP-BC), and psychiatrists (MD). In general, these distinctions are unimportant for most clients. All of them can be helpful, and these differences are really just about level of education (PhD or MA). The biggest difference to know is that a psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse practitioners are generally focused on providing medication, whereas all of the others offer mental health counseling and do not prescribe medication.

You’ll see therapists of all sorts describe the approach they take by saying which types of therapy they provide. Some common examples are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), interpersonal and relational therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and countless others. In general, these just indicate a difference in how much the person is going to focus on thoughts vs feelings vs behaviors, listening vs being active, and past vs present issues. Others will write about being “eclectic” or integrative. This basically means they will sample from a range of approaches and mix things together depending on who they are working with. Just like the previous section, much of his stuff may not matter much for you, unless you are looking for a very specific type of therapist. It is important to note that research has shown over and over that none of these approaches is better than any others; basically all of them work. The effectiveness depends on other things like how much you actually like the therapist, how frequently you attend sessions, and how motivated you are to improve. At Kaizen Counseling, our therapists are trained in a variety of evidence-based therapy approaches to meet the unique needs of each client. We incorporate techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), mindfulness-based interventions, and interpersonal and relational therapy. This integrative approach allows us to adapt to your personal concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, and emotional regulation difficulties. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all model, we thoughtfully select therapeutic strategies that align with your goals, helping you build practical skills, deepen self-understanding, and create meaningful, lasting change.

A generalist in mental health counseling is going to be someone that can work with a wide range of people, and it’s so common that most people don’t even refer to themselves that way. There are also many self-identified specialists that work with people that have depression, anxiety (like generalized anxiety disorder), substance use issues (alcohol, etc), relationship problems, communication, parenting, work and career development, OCD, anger, trauma, etc. Other therapists may say they specialize in certain populations like college students, small business owners, parenting, doctors, caregivers, etc. Like many of the things above, this part likely doesn’t make a difference in outcomes for most people. If you are really looking for a certain type of specialist, it would also be worth seeing what demonstrates that, like extra training or a certification, rather than just a marketing component. At Kaizen Counseling, our team of licensed mental health clinicians offers both general therapy services and specialized care to meet a wide range of needs. Many of our therapists are experienced generalists who support clients with anxiety, depression, stress, life transitions, and relationship concerns. We also have clinicians with specialized training in areas such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ADHD, trauma, behavioral challenges, and neurodivergence-affirming care. Whether you’re looking for support with a specific diagnosis or simply want help navigating life’s challenges, we’ll work to match you with a therapist whose expertise and approach align with your goals!

Sometimes this is called “online therapy” or “teletherapy”. The benefits are that you can do it from anywhere (as long as you are in the state of Mississippi), you don’t need to add extra time in your day for travel, and the number of providers available to people is higher since you can find anyone in your state to work with rather than just who is in driving distance. Traditional office visits are still the most common way people work with a counselor, but research shows that both are effective and that neither is better than the other. At Kaizen Counseling, most of our clinicians offer both in-person and teletherapy availability!

Many people use insurance to pay for counseling. If using insurance, your copay is the amount you pay for each session, although it’s slightly more complicated than just that. Sometimes you may have a deductible that applies, which is an amount of money you have to pay first before the copay is allowed. The benefits of self-pay are that you can operate outside of all of the restrictions and issues with insurance (or if you have an insurance provider Kaizen is out of network with), but for a lot of people the cost can be prohibitive. We recommend contacting your insurance provider to ask about your mental health benefits, copay, deductible, and whether pre-authorization is required. If you’re unsure what to ask, our team can help guide you. At Kaizen Counseling, we offer both insurance and self-pay options. Self-pay for individual sessions are typically • $150/initial intake • $125/follow up sessions. Accepted insurances include: • Blue Cross and Blue Shield • United Healthcare / UMR • Aetna • Molina Insurance participation varies by clinician. If you’re unsure about your coverage, we’re happy to help verify your benefits and explain your options. Simply give us a call, and we’ll guide you through the process! If you have questions about therapy costs, copays, deductibles, or out-of-network benefits, our we are here to help make the process clear and manageable.

The most common ways people find mental health counselors are either word of mouth, searching Google for terms like “counselor near me” or “mental health therapist in Oxford”, or using one of the major therapist databases like Psychology Today.(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists) We suggest using all of these tools to see who/what is available, since each of them may bring different results. At Kaizen Counseling, detailed information about our counseling team, therapeutic approaches, and areas of specialization is readily available to help you make an informed decision about starting therapy. You can explore our therapists’ bios directly on the Kaizen Counseling website, where we outline each clinician’s background, training, clinical interests, and treatment styles. We also maintain individual therapist profiles on Psychology Today, offering additional insight into specialties such as anxiety, ADHD, autism, trauma, relationship counseling, and evidence-based approaches like CBT and DBT. Reviewing these profiles can help you better understand our team’s experience and choose a therapist who feels like the right fit for your needs.

OK, so what actually matters? First off, it’s impossible to determine who is the “best therapist” in Oxford or Mississippi (or anywhere else) because it is totally an individual preference. Rather than looking for a specific therapy approach or credentials, we’d prioritize how much you are likely to have a positive experience with the therapist, regardless of the other stuff. So as you do your search, we’d suggest reading the websites from a bunch of counselors, seeing who looks friendly or makes you feel hopeful (like they could understand you or your concerns), who you feel like you could trust and connect with, or who may have something to offer you. We’d also suggest not getting focused on just one specific person to start, but meet a few and pick the best fit after that. Research has shown over and over that the connection with the therapist is the most important variable for counseling success. After you get going, if you don’t feel like you’re progressing, please share your concerns with your counselor. And if things don’t get better after that, then find another person who can help. We hope that a provider at our clinic may be that person for you, and if so, then contact us today so we can set up a time to meet as soon as possible. If not, we hope you find this helpful and wish you all the best in your search for help.

Beginning therapy is a courageous step toward growth. If you’re considering starting therapy for the first time, know that it’s normal to have questions — and it’s okay to take your time. When you’re ready, we’re here to help you move forward with clarity, support, and steady progress. At Kaizen Counseling, when you reach out for therapy services or additional information, our friendly and knowledgeable office administrator is here to guide you through the process. We’ll provide clear information about the types of counseling services we offer, therapist availability, areas of specialization, and current scheduling options. During this initial contact, we may ask a few introductory questions about your presenting concerns so we can thoughtfully match you with the clinician best suited to your needs. We’re also happy to answer questions about insurance coverage, self-pay rates, and payment options to help you understand the cost of therapy. Once availability and preferences are confirmed, we’ll assist you in scheduling your first appointment and outline the next steps so you can begin therapy with confidence and clarity.