Question: What is counseling like?

Answer:  Most people walk out of counseling saying, "Wow, that's not what I was expecting.  It was good; kind of a relief just to talk about it."  Counseling here is structured, but very informal; professional, but comfortable; personal, but healing.  The first session is really about answering the Question - "How can I help you?" It's about getting enough information to best serve you.  Other sessions are about awareness, setting personal goals, self discovery and making the necessary changes for growth.


Question: What makes Transcript Ministries different?

Answer: Counselors at TM seek to balance professional counseling skills, with a Spiritual component that is missing in most secular counseling centers.  Counselors treat each case differently and strive to tailor each treatment goals/techniques to the various challenges that each client may be facing.  Some issues may need to be heavily spiritually focused, while other issues can be addressed by learning new coping skills and behavioral techniques.  In all cases, the Holy Spirit is invited to be the facilitator of change.

       
Question: Will my counseling be confidential?

Answer: Confidentiality at Transcript Ministries is of the utmost importance.  Counseling is protected by both federal and state laws and fall under HIPPA laws.  Files are always double locked and kept confidential.


Question: Are counselors at TM licensed?

Answer: All counselors at TM are licensed by the State of Florida as either a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  At times, with client consent, counselors may bring in other TM staff such interns and other behavior professionals to work in conjunction with the counselor in sessions. 


Question: How long does counseling take?

Answer: Average stay time for successful completion is usually about  8-12 sessions.  Counseling is very individual to the person or couple; as such the length of counseling can vary.  It can be very brief or on going.  Many times counseling length is determined by how much or the complexity of what the individual/couple/family is dealing with.


Question: What are some of the possible benefits from counseling?

Answer:  The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  That equates to human beings being by nature very complex.  As a result, sometimes we tend to do things over and over again without really knowing why we do those things.  Counseling at Transcript Ministries offers a chance to learn about ourselves in a holistic way.  It also provides us a chance to learn some of the things that are in the way of us becoming that person God is trying to grow us into.  Once aware, we can learn new ways of dealing with them and allowing God to change who we are; feeling more at peace, content and whole.


Question: How long are the counseling sessions?

Answer: The first counseling session involves filling out the "dreaded" paper work, introduction to counseling, and intake, so it is a little longer than all session there after.  The first session last about 90 minutes while all others last usually about 60 minutes.

Many people end up waiting too long before coming into counseling for the first time.  As a result, the work and path towards wholeness sometimes becomes harder than it would have been had they entered counseling earlier.  So many times, people come into counseling not because they really want to, but because they feel that they cannot stand for things to remain as they have been.  Fear usually keeps people from entering into counseling sooner.  Below are some frequent questions people sometimes have before coming to counseling for the first time. 

FAQ about Counseling at TM: