Yes, I offer a free 30 minute conversation, either through video call or in person, for us to determine if we make a good fit for your counseling goals. If you’re considering a 2-day couples intensive, our consult could stretch a bit longer.

I will lead us off with some guided conversation that will help me understand the transformation you’re looking for, and you have a chance to ask me whatever you’d like that will help you know if I’m the right counselor for you. Don’t worry if you’re not sure what to ask. All you need to do is be sure to read through the FAQ on fees and insurance to make sure I fit your needs in that way, and we’ll take it from there for the rest when we meet.

(If my fees and out-of-network insurance structure are not a good fit for you, send me a message through the Contact form and I will be happy to send you some referral ideas so that you can find a great therapist who fits your needs.)

First and foremost, pick someone you like and feel that you could trust.

Choosing a counselor is a little different than, say, hiring a plumber or a painter. In those cases, while it helps if you like them, they might be the most skilled painter around, and they’ll get the best job done, even if you don’t exactly click with them.

However, the trust and rapport you feel with your counselor has a huge impact on how well the process helps you meet your goals for therapy. This is common sense, but it’s also what a large body of research shows.

That said, knowing that your counselor has excellent training and deep experience in a variety of research-based, respected approaches to therapy can and should increase your confidence in the process.

A few questions to ask a prospective counselor:

• What led you into your specialties, and what training and experience do you have?
• What does it look like to build a counseling relationship? What’s your style?
• Will you listen to me and change gears, or offer varied methods, to make sure the approach suits me?
• What makes you confident you can help me with my problems?

In short, choose a counselor who:

• Is easy to talk to and treats you like a VIP—not just a phone call or a generic customer,
• Has training and experience in the areas you’re concerned with,
• Takes the time to talk on the phone or meet you in person to answer your questions.

Counseling is an investment of your time, resources, emotional energy, and even your courage. Make sure you choose someone with expertise who feels like a great personality fit for you.

• The scope of your goals,
• The depth and origin of your struggles,
• The focus you apply to your process when you’re not in the counseling office,
• The structure you choose (2-day intensives and extended weekly sessions compress the work!).

Some people may already have worked through some things with counseling in the past, and now they want a faster, solution-focused approach to get a few quick tools, like a tune-up, for a couple of months.

But often, the pain that brings a person or couple to counseling has been brewing for a long time, or is the result of a very serious event. Therefore, some will come to counseling with longer term patterns and wounds that need and deserve a gentle, consistent process for several months or more.

Consistency and reinforcement improve results. Like most pursuits in life, frequent practice and reinforcement supports you and keeps you on track with developing changes to meet your goals. For some, this means weekly work. For others, it means a 2-day counseling intensive with some follow up with me or adherence to your plan at home. For others, an extended session every other week is optimal.

Unless you are choosing a growth-accelerating 2-day intensive, I often ask that you begin your process with weekly counseling. Later, a transition to every-other-week or another tapering or follow-up schedule will make sense.

In other cases related to career travel or other demands, periodic intensives and special schedules may be arranged within the context of a comprehensive plan tailored for your situation.

I look forward to discussing your unique needs.

No, I do not work with insurance as an in-network provider. 

Therapists who contract with insurance companies are bound by those contracts in ways that can impact care and privacy. I prefer the freedom to collaborate with you rather than with an insurance company on decisions related to your counseling process.

Clients who wish to utilize insurance may be able to obtain reimbursement through their policy’s out of network (OON) benefits. However, if obtaining OON benefits is crucial to your ability to afford counseling, I suggest that you seek an in-network provider, using telehealth for access to more counselors if needed to find one. The reason is that insurance companies can and frequently do change their policies with little notice to impose greater limits and invasive requests for information. I believe you might be better served by having the continuity of an in-network provider to minimize changes to benefits “mid-stream” in your healing process.

If you do wish to pursue OON benefits, it is important that you check with your company to see: if your plan has OON benefits for Licensed Professional Counselors as providers; if you have a deductible to meet; and what percentage is covered for individual, family, or marriage counseling (and how or whether your plan differentiates family and marriage counseling).

PLEASE NOTE: While some couples counselors offer receipts for insurance reimbursement, they will be required to diagnose one of you and code the appointments as adjunct family therapy in support of the diagnosed person. The type of couples counseling I provide does not pathologize one of you over the other, and we will look at each person’s part of the patterns that are holding you back as a couple. For this reason, I do not provide superbills for couples counseling.

If you choose to seek out of network reimbursement for individual therapy, I can provide you with a monthly statement called a superbill with the information needed to submit for reimbursement through your plan. Please know this will require a diagnosis.

I am happy to respond to email questions about this or to discuss this when we meet for your free consultation.

Individual Fees:

$200 per 60 minute session

Extended sessions: $200 per hour (many clients like to book 90 minutes for their first appointment)

Multi-day individual counseling intensives are available. Talk to me about goals, benefits, needs.

GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE
​
Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, health care providers and health care facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of expected charges.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises

Couples Counseling Fees:

Fees for couples counseling are $200.00 per hour, with the exception of the immersive 2-day couples intensive ($3995). Please contact me for more information on the 2-day immersive couples intensive with take-home playbook, a month of homework, and included follow up.

Marriage Counseling Structures and Options

There are many options for us to discuss at our complimentary consultation, and the best choice will vary from couple to couple depending on your scheduling and relationship needs. Options can include:

• A 4-hour fast start followed by weekly or every-other-week 2-hour sessions. This is a favorite of many couples.
• A 7-hour, 1-day intensive followed by weekly or every-other-week 2-hour sessions.
• Others want a deep change sooner than later, with the scheduling ease of a 2-day intensive with go-home materials and included follow-up. We can discuss all the options, the pros and cons of each, when we meet for your consultation.

Couples Counseling Intensives

For the couples who need change sooner than later, or who want to create a weekend getaway to jump-start much needed transformation, I offer 2-day Immersive Couples Intensives as well as other intensive plans. The 2-day intensive is an individualized experience, tailored specifically for your relationship. There are pre-intensive assignments, targeted learning and deep practice to change patterns, homework plan, included follow-up session, and a playbook of materials to take home. Intensives are not suitable for all couples, and I’m happy to discuss.

GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE
​
Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, health care providers and health care facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of expected charges.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.

Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises

I have several reduced-fee slots for clients in need. Feel free to ask about availability. (AT THIS TIME MY REDUCED FEE SPOTS ARE ALL FULL.) If I have no current reduced fee availability, check out The Open Path Collective, and keep in mind that many counselors are available outside the local area through telehealth. This includes PhD therapists in states that participate in PsyPact.

I suggest that for your first session, you give yourself a little extra time to check out the parking situation and feel unhurried. The first day meeting with a new counselor can give anyone a few nerves, even if you’re relieved to be starting the process.

Our first session will be guided by the intake questionnaires I will have emailed you, and you will have completed before our session. We’ll develop goals and review a few policies so that you know what to expect. We’ll set you up for payment, including your credit card if that’s how you’d like to pay.

Then, we’ll get into our process, which is tailored to each individual or couple. From there, it is a process of getting to know each other and collaborating on moving forward. This will look a little different for each person, depending on your needs, goals, and wishes.

I try to make the office easy to relax in. I hope you’ll experience it as private, quiet, unpretentious, calming, and interesting. I always have bottled and sparkling water, as well as a selection of teas.

I see clients Monday through Thursday, 10am to 4:30pm, with occasional exceptions. I also provide counseling intensives to couples and individuals. For couples, this is usually a 2-day intensive on Friday-Saturday, but mini-intensives are available also, by appointment. Individual counseling intensives are custom-designed, often for trauma processing, and scheduled case by case.

I do not have a waiting room. Most people come into the building at the time of their appointment, and I do leave a gap between clients to support your privacy. There are restrooms just down the hall. The office is up one flight of stairs.

You can park in the dedicated space marked “Liz Miller Counseling” in the upper lot behind the Northwestern Mutual Building. It’s there to make getting to your appointment easier! Most cars fit in that spot. However, if you have a larger truck, you might wish to use the free on-street parking anywhere on Jefferson, 4th, or in the surrounding area.