Questions & Answers
What is the difference between mental healthcare and behavioral healthcare?
Mental healthcare typically focuses on diagnosing and treating specific mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions.
Behavioral healthcare takes a broader view — addressing how thoughts, emotions, and behaviors interact, and how past experiences (including trauma) shape present patterns. It emphasizes whole-person healing and sustainable change, not just symptom relief.
What’s the difference between counseling and psychotherapy?
Counseling focuses on present-day concerns, helping you navigate specific challenges and develop practical coping strategies. Psychotherapy goes deeper — exploring the patterns, emotions, and past experiences that shape how you think, feel, and relate.
Because trauma recovery requires depth and safety, it is best supported through psychotherapy, where healing unfolds at the root level and lasting change can take place.
How can I tell whether my experience meets the definition of trauma?
Trauma is any event or series of experiences that overwhelms your sense of safety, stability, or well-being. It may occur directly or vicariously and can take many forms — including (not limited to) abuse, neglect, intimate partner violence, chronic stress, sexual assault, an accident, gun violence, military combat, or unmet emotional needs in childhood.
If you’re unsure whether what you’ve been through qualifies as trauma, that’s okay. Many people begin psychotherapy with the same question. Together, we can explore your experiences with care and context to determine what kind of support would be most helpful—psychotherapy or trauma recovery coaching.
Are you required to diagnose me with a mental health disorder in order to provide me with care?
A diagnosis is not required in order to receive care at Root-based Healing. I provide trauma-responsive psychotherapy that addresses the root causes of distress, whether or not a formal diagnosis is involved.
When trauma coexists with a diagnosable mental health condition — such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder — your primary diagnosis will reflect that mental health condition. This allows you to request reimbursement from your insurance carrier, which typically requires a diagnosis to process claims.
Can you tell me about Trauma Recovery Coaching?
Trauma Recovery Coaching is a non-clinical, supportive process, which helps you to understand the impact of your trauma and guides you towards integrating the work of healing, occurring both inside and outside of our sessions—rebuilding a sense of safety, steadiness, and trust within yourself and your life.
Do you offer a sliding scale or reduced rate?
I offer a limited number of reduced-fee spots for those I meet with on a weekly basis. Rather than using a fixed sliding scale, I use an honor system approach: What can you comfortably pay right now? This is a temporary fee reduction that allows care to remain accessible while being sustainable for both your needs and my practice.
If you are in need of a reduced rate, please notify me during the Intake & Assessment appointment—which is billed at the full fee of $225. Subsequent sessions can be adjusted to the reduced rate.
Do you offer in-person appointments?
Most psychotherapy and Trauma Recovery Coaching sessions occur via secure Telehealth. Home Visits may be available on a case-by-case basis — please reach out if an in-person session would better support your needs.
Thank you for visiting our Q&A. If this feels aligned with the support you’re seeking, I’d be honored to work with you.