Welcome to Lighthouse Counseling. Therapy is based upon boundaries and trust. Please carefully review the following information since it is the foundation on which the counseling relationship is built.

Counselor Education and Experience: I am a clinical mental health graduate student at Liberty University completing my Internship under the supervision of Meichell Worthing, Licensed Professional Counselor.  I am not yet qualified or licensed in the state of VA to counsel on my own.  I have been credentialed in the state of VA and NC as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) and I continue to be supervised for this credential per state requirements.  I have not yet graduated from a counseling program and therefore am functioning as a student counselor.  All diagnoses, notes, and cases are reviewed, staffed, and monitored by my supervisor.  As a student intern, I want to make you aware that sessions may be videotaped, or audio recorded only after you’ve been informed and given your consent. These video and audio recordings are used solely for the purposes of counselor training and improvement and will be disposed of after use by myself or a counseling supervisor via HIPPA guidelines. If you do not feel comfortable working with a student intern please let our office staff know so that you may be matched with a different counselor within the practice.

You can expect that I will provide compassionate, empathic, and sensitive counseling that is in line with ethical standards set forth by The American Counseling Association (ACA) and that your sessions will be specific to your needs, problems, and according to your reasons for seeking counseling. I practice a person-centered approach to counseling in which some of the interventions and techniques used in session will be based on a range of therapy models including solution focused therapy, motivational interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and person-centered therapy.  I have worked with mainly adults navigating substance use disorders, trauma histories, those experiencing anxiety, depression, difficulties adjusting, and those who have experienced sexual assault, abuse, and sex trafficking. I am also certified as a SYMBIS facilitator for premarital counseling. I am also certified in EMI (Eye Movement Integration).

Client Responsibilities and Expectations: I have found that counseling/therapy is most effective when it is a collaborative effort.  During the next few sessions, we will work together to determine what goals you wish to accomplish.  After your goals have been established, I will create an individualized treatment plan to aid you in measuring the progress towards those goals.  Counseling is meant to be a fluid experience therefore we will adjust treatment plans, goals, and methods as needed.  We will also agree that I reserve the right to refer you to another mental health or medical professional if there is a need for medical or other interventions that I cannot provide or that is beyond my scope of practice. 

I expect you to be prompt for your counseling sessions, to complete assigned homework or any tasks we agree upon as necessary interventions in line with your treatment plan, and to do your best to talk about any issues, concerns, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that you find distressing.  If anything about what occurs in our sessions, or about the counseling process itself, troubles or disappoints you, I strongly encourage you to talk about that in our sessions so we can directly address your concerns.

You will be asked to work both in and outside the sessions.  This may include writing in a journal, role playing, writing letters, making drawings, performing tasks, or completing other assignments between or during sessions.  Most likely, you will find that our sessions provide a safe place to share thoughts and feelings, act out behaviors, and plan for the future.  You may find that therapy provides rapid relief, or that the work is arduous and painful.   At times, you may feel that progress has been made, and then later feel that nothing has been resolved.  This is normal.  My goal is that your counseling experience provides you with an opportunity for growth and healing.

Scheduling, Length of Sessions, Cancellations: We will schedule your sessions for the mutual agreement of both of us.  Sessions are 50 minutes in length unless otherwise agreed upon.  If you are unable to keep an appointment, please call our front desk at (757) 439-9411 during regular business hours to reschedule at least 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged a missed appointment/late cancellation fee ($35).   You may also send me an email if you need to cancel outside of business hours.