FAQ

My office hours are Tuesday – Friday 10am-6pm.

I am flexible and willing to discuss your therapy outside of these times. Please feel free to call, email, or leave a brief message at any time.

I hold a Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver and a certification in Animal-Assisted Therapy (CAATP). I am also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through Yoga Alliance.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC.0014852) and a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC.001106) in Colorado. Certified Brainspotting Therapist (2022).

Yes, I offer telehealth video sessions through a secure electronic health platform called Simple Practice. I am licensed in Colorado, which requires that my clients reside in Colorado for me to work with them via telehealth.

I offer a free 20-minute initial phone consultation before scheduling your first session.

Before your first appointment, I will ask that you complete and sign an electronic confidentiality agreement form, consent to treatment form, disclosure statement, notice of privacy practices form, and credit card payment form.

To better understand my approach and our work together, I offer a 20-minute free initial consultation. To request your free consultation, call, email, or fill out the Contact form below.

Phone: (970) 639-0686
Email: matt@embarkcc.net

You can call me on my HIPAA-secure telephone (970) 639-0686 or email me at matt@embarkcc.net. My policy is to respond to you within 24 hours or less.

Please leave a message with your name, phone number, and the best time to return your message.

I do not engage in text messaging with clients to protect your privacy. However, you can access secure messaging within your Simple Practice client portal to communicate with me as needed securely and directly.

Please be mindful of information shared in emails, as the electronic exchange of information is not always secure. I will do my best to respond via your secure Simple Practice portal or by phone within 24 hours.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency and need immediate assistance, please call 1-844-493-8255, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.

I do not engage in social media contact with my clients, as it is unethical and may jeopardize your privacy as my client.

I discourage my clients from posting on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites regarding their therapeutic process to protect their confidentiality.

Your privacy is always upheld to the highest ethical standard. All communication between us is held in strict confidence unless authorized through a written release of information.

There are a few exceptions to confidentiality mandated by Colorado state law, including:

1. The client presents a danger to themselves or others.
2. The client presents as gravely disabled.
3. Any suspected or reported physical and/or sexual abuse to a child, elder, dependent adult, or handicapped person. In such cases, the therapist is mandated to report these incidents to protect the well-being of those concerned.
4. Under subpoena, the therapist may be required to provide records from sessions to the court.
5. The Patriot Act of 2001 requires that therapists, in certain circumstances, provide FBI agents records, documentation, and other items, prohibiting the therapist from disclosing this information to the client.

Individual sessions are typically 50 minutes, and couples sessions are typically 80 minutes.

On occasion, I schedule individual EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) sessions for 90 minutes. Longer sessions are available and can be arranged with advanced notice.

My hourly fee is $150 for individual sessions, and $200 for couple sessions.

Fees are the same for both in-person and telehealth services. 90-minute sessions and intensives are to be arranged and agreed upon prior between client and provider.

Extended sessions or telephone conversations that exceed 20 minutes will be charged based on your regular session fee. Paperwork such as evaluations, assessments, written reports, or other information requested by you also follows this policy.

Your session fee may be increased annually. In the event of a fee increase, you will be notified at least 30 days in advance.

I do not accept or work with insurance companies. In doing so, all personal information is secured through HIPAA-compliant measures and your privacy is always protected from third party entities.

I offer sliding scale services based on financial hardship. Please reach out via phone or email to inquire about sliding scale services.

If you have an HSA (Health Savings Account), your sessions can be used as a tax-deductible medical expense.

Payments must be made at the time of services rendered. I accept cash, personal checks, credit cards, and Stripe through Simple Practice.

Before your first session, you have the option to store your credit card information in a HIPAA-secure electronic health record. Your stored credit card will be charged after each session.

I ask that you notify me a minimum of 24 hours before your session to cancel or reschedule. I understand that life happens. All clients receive one “no questions asked” canceled/rescheduled appointment.

Unless we have discussed a different policy, the full session fee will be charged for sessions missed without appropriate notification.

I offer a 15-minute grace period if you are running late for a scheduled session. If punctuality becomes an ongoing concern, we will create a plan to support the integrity of your therapy.

Every individual therapeutic process is different. Many clients find that having therapeutic support long-term is vital to their ongoing growth and success. Others come to therapy with a specific concern or issue requiring brief intervention (five to eight sessions). Often, clients who come in for brief issues begin to delve deeper into underlying concerns, sometimes trauma-related, that require long-term intervention and support.

Throughout your therapeutic journey, we check in regarding your progress and decide what works best in supporting you moving forward.

Therapy is fun! Especially if you show up open and willing to do the work. I do my best to incorporate humor throughout therapy to make it fun and support you throughout the process.

Your therapy is a flexible space that embraces you, no matter what. Have some good news to share? That’s great! Let’s talk about it. Are you feeling depressed, anxious, or frustrated? I am here for you.

I am not interested in rushing you toward a solution. Quite often, it takes time to build awareness, develop skills, and gain insight. I will support you by offering homework, resources, and skills to try outside of our session. Perhaps you even discover strategies on your own and bring them in to show me!

Petting Ness is highly encouraged throughout your therapy! She would greatly appreciate your love and will happily give it back.

Insight Timer is great for guided meditation and calming exercises. SoberGrid is an incredible recovery-based social media app like Facebook, specifically for recovery support. Brainwaves is a valuable tool for accessing binaural audio frequencies to help stimulate and heal the brain.

Both! I equally love and value all animals.

Of course! Keep in mind that I answer personal questions based on discretion. I place a high value on our therapeutic relationship and understand that getting to know me is a big part of the process.

Homework provides you the opportunity to practice the skills and techniques learned in our therapy. I will not always assign homework; however, I will consistently offer motivations and activities to explore outside our sessions to promote growth and well-being.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost.

Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, health care providers and health care facilities are required to inform individuals who are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing of their ability, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services, to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” of expected charges.

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the expected charges for medical services, including psychotherapy services.

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services.
• You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good FAith Estimate before you schedule a service.
• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.
• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit

www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call (800) 368-1019

Video Credit: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services