Why in-home services you might wonder. It seems odd for a counselor not to have an office. I used to. However, many years ago (2013) I realized that many of my families struggled with reliable transportation and therefore had difficulty keeping their appointments and progressing in their treatment. In addition, if more than one person in the family is participating in individual counseling it could require several trips to the office during the week or one trip that involved staying for more than an hour. Trying to manage children in a waiting room for well over an hour can be very stressful for the parent and the child(ren) and it disrupts the daily routine, especially if that parent also has other responsibilities such as preparing a meal, helping with homework, giving baths, transporting to/from school events…you get the idea. So, I decided it just made more sense for me to go into the home. I started it in January 2014, with the idea that it would likely be a short term thing, thinking that it would just be too strange and people wouldn’t like it. What I found was that it’s more convenient for my families, and it’s usually much more comfortable for people to talk in their own homes. Young children, especially, tend to be much more comfortable at home rather than having to visit an office and it allows me the opportunity to observe their behavior at home which is often different than it is in public. Counseling involves talking about deeply personal things, and that is often best accomplished in the safety of your own home, although I am open to alternate locations if you are not comfortable having me come into your home, and telehealth (video) sessions are also available, requiring no special equipment.

The downside to in-home counseling is that it does involve travel time on my part, so I have to limit the area I serve in-home to within about a 10-15 mile radius of Dexter, Missouri. However, if you are outside that area, you are welcome to choose a location that is comfortable for you within that radius or participate by video. I use a HIPAA compliant telehealth service that requires no special equipment, just a computer or cell phone. If you choose an alternate location, I urge you to consider the confidential nature of counseling and choose your location accordingly. If you request a public location I will make every effort to ensure confidentiality, but I cannot guarantee it.