F.A.Q.

When life hurts, Pathway counselors can help

General Questions

Yes. All Pathways Psychological Services therapists offer this approach to therapy through a HIPAA compliant video chat platform. If you are interested in using this service, check with your insurance company about coverage and then contact us for an appointment.

Yes, our therapists offer morning, afternoon, and evening appointments in each of our counseling clinics. Please be aware that most Pathways therapists only see clients on select days and/or evenings each week.

Each counseling session is typically 50 minutes in length. The number of sessions is determined by the goals you and your Pathways Psychological Services therapist decide on and the progress you make toward your goals. Some issues brought up in counseling require more in-depth work and therefore, tend to require a higher number of counseling sessions. Many clients move to a maintenance mode and come every month or two for a few sessions once they feel they are on track toward reaching their goals. Our hope is for you to eventually surpass your counseling goals by maintaining your own support network outside of therapy.

No. However, if a Pathways Psychological Services licensed therapist believes you may benefit from medication, he or she will recommend that you have a medication evaluation with your primary care physician or a psychiatrist. We can also refer you to psychiatrists with whom we work closely.

Pathways Psychological Services welcomes men and women of all faiths and belief systems. Given the locations of our counseling clinics in Golden Valley, Elk River, and Rochester, we reach a large diversity of individuals seeking a listening, empathetic ear. A Pathways Psychological Services licensed counselor is experienced, compassionate, and supportive in their work with people of all walks of life. Occasionally, we even have clients come to us who have been hurt by individuals in the Christian church and have sworn off Christianity altogether. Please feel free to contact us to learn more about our unique, diverse approach to counseling.

Absolutely. A description and biography of each therapist from Pathways is available for your selection. We have male and female counselors at both locations providing professional counseling services, such as marriage counseling, family counseling, child counseling, and adolescent counseling as well as specific behavioral counseling services.

From time to time a specific counselor’s style is not a good fit for a client. If that is the case, clients usually know that in the first two or three sessions. It is important to bring that issue up with your therapist. You will not offend him or her if you would like to try a different therapist. It is sometimes part of the counseling process. Your therapist can then refer you to another counselor who may be a better match for you.

Our Pathways counseling staff is as concerned about your privacy as you are. We will protect it as well as the confidential information we have gathered from you. You would need to sign a Confidential Release of Information before our staff or professional therapists would even acknowledge to another person that you are a client at Pathways. Your information is only shared after we have your written permission.

By all means come anyway. At Pathways, clients frequently report relationship growth even though they are the only one working to improve it. In fact, sometimes spouses or teens are more willing to come to counseling when they see positive changes in their spouse or parent. Click here to make an appointment.

When a teen is told he or she needs professional counseling, it typically means he or she is seen as the problem in the family. No one wants that label and generally, we all play a role in problems that prevent our families from working well together. It is sometimes easier for a teen to agree to see an adolescent counselor when they know mom, dad, and possibly other family members are going together to focus on family counseling issues. A Pathways Psychological Services family counselor can work with several members of a family, individually and together in order to improve overall family dynamics like communication, conflict resolution, trust, mutual respect, and honesty.

Thirty or forty years ago professional counseling services carried a certain stigma. Today, most professional counselors agree that it takes a very strong person to walk into their office and face personal and relationship struggles head on. Being in counseling is commendable and not something to be ashamed of. In a Pathways counseling session, your therapist will help you use your strengths to overcome the difficulties you are facing. Living with difficult problems or pretending they do not exist just prolongs the freedom that comes with conquering them. Give us a try.

Each Pathways Psychological Services counselor is a Minnesota licensed therapist, Minnesota Mental Health Professional, and/or Minnesota Mental Health Practitioner. Our therapists all have years of life experience to go along with their post-graduate education and licensing credentials. To become a Minnesota licensed counselor, each state licensing board requires rigorous education and testing standards to ensure their licensees perform at the highest level. The Minnesota licensing boards also monitor legal and ethical behaviors of their licensed therapists. A Pathways therapist is also in regular case consultation with a staff from a variety of disciplines, including licensed psychologists, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, licensed independent clinical social workers, and psychiatrists.

If your therapist sees clients in both locations, it is perfectly acceptable to pick the time, day, and location most convenient for you. The receptionists in our counseling offices all have on-line access to your therapist’s schedule in both locations. Click here to make an appointment.

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