Frequently Asked Questions
Do you take Insurance?
No, I do not take insurance. Private payment provides you with the benefits of confidentiality, which I highly value.
As an out-of-network provider, I do not bill insurance companies directly, but I am happy to provide you with session receipts that you can submit for reimbursement.
Please ask your insurance company about their out-of-network benefits towards mental health counseling. It may also be important to ask about your deductible. It is probably a good idea to call your insurance company before you schedule an appointment if you are hoping for partial reimbursement.
What are your rates?
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Individual Therapy (50 Minutes) - $175
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Couples or Family Therapy (50 Minutes) - $175
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Parent Session: PARENT ONLY Session of Client under 18yrs (50 Minutes) - $175
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Double Session: Individual, Couples, or Family Therapy (100 Minutes) - $350
- Sliding Scale Available
Cancellation/Missed Appointment Policy:
I require 24 hours notice for all cancellations; but 48 hours is super helpful so I can fill your spot. Failure to cancel within the 24-hour time frame results in a charge of half your scheduled session the first time this occurs, and a full session fee the second occurrence and on.
What are the confidentiality standards you are required to meet?
Everything you tell me will be kept strictly confidential. There are a few important EXCEPTIONS to assurances of confidentiality:
United States law requires that any suspicion of risk of child abuse or neglect be reported to child welfare authorities or law enforcement authorities. If I believe that a child is at risk of being abused/neglected, has already been abused/neglected, or that someone who previously abused children is still a threat, I have no choice but to immediately make every effort possible to report it to social services agencies.
Most United States courts have the power to subpoena my records if you are involved in a court case in which your relationship with your counselor is somehow relevant. Although this may be rare, if you have any questions, it is best to contact your lawyer prior to disclosing any information you may deem private.
Texas and United States Law requires that there is a duty to report imminent cases of suicide or homicide.
Do you work with children, families or couples?
I work with individuals, families, and couples, ages 12 years and older.
How do I book an appointment?
If you are a first time client, please call and leave a message on my confidential voicemail (806.535.6639) that includes your name & telephone number -or email me at lizkeatorcounseling@gmail.com. **Please note, if you would like a faster response, leaving a voicemail is the way to go.
What exactly is EMDR, and how can I best understand/explain it to my family or teenager?
Ana Gomez, a leading psychotherapist, author and researcher, discusses EMDR in the following explanation:
"Before we talk about what EMDR is let me tell you about what EMDR does. When we have hard/awful things happen to us, we are oftentimes left with mixed up feelings and thoughts afterward. This leads to not-so-great feelings in in our minds, bodies and hearts. It's like carrying bags of heavy mixed up things around everywhere we go -from that point on. When we are so busy carrying all of these bags, we do not have space in our hearts, minds, and bodies for the good feelings and thoughts. EMDR can help by making those bags smaller or even get rid of them so we will have space for the good feelings/thoughts again. Francine Shapiro, the founder of EMDR, has a rather complex name for it: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. However, Ana came up with a cool name and explanation: Eyes Moving to Digest and Recover!
When people receive EMDR, one of the things they do is move their eyes from one side to another while they think about the difficult things that happened to them. Most people don’t know this, but they actually do this every night….yes everyone moves their eyes every night while they are asleep and are having dreams. Researchers coined this as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Ana calls this, “eyes dancing in the night.” EMDR helpers like Ana can also do other things instead of eye movement. They can tap your hands or knees back and forth or they can use sounds or music that move from one ear to the other.
When difficult things happen, the brain has a hard time putting all the pieces together. As a result, things that people say or do, or things that we see, hear, smell or touch can bring up the hard memories, the mixed-up thoughts, the heavy emotions, and even body sensations that are connected. EMDR helps the brain put all the pieces together so the uncomfortable memory associations can leave us, and the good associations or lessons we learned from the experience can stay."
(This is based on an excerpt from Ana’s book: EMDR Therapy and Adjunct Approaches with Children: Complex Trauma, Attachment and Dissociation.)
Why continue to carry bags of yucky stuff in our minds, hearts and bodies when we can be free from them and find our happy and exciting feelings again?
https://www.anagomez.org/what-emdr-kids
Where did you receive your training?
I can always provide you with more details, but here it is at a glance:
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Lubbock Christian University: Master of Science in Counseling
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Texas Tech University: Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, Minor in Substance Abuse Studies
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Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors: Licensed Professional Counselor
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Texas Department of State Health Services: Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
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EMDRIA: Trained Clinician in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Please feel free to reach out with additional questions.