FAQ

To schedule an initial appointment, email me at maria@holoscounseling.love or by telephone/text at (513) 549-0556.

I do not accept insurance. Holos Counseling is out-of-network with all insurance companies. I can provide you with an invoice or a superbill you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

You can pay with cash, credit card, debit card, or Health Savings Account card.

I use a secure online portal that can take single card payments. You can also store your card number, so there is no need to enter it each time we have a session.

You can receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, healthcare providers must give patients who don’t have insurance or are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. Your right is to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services, including related expenses like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. Be sure that your healthcare provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service.

You can dispute the bill if you receive at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

I will provide a Good Faith Estimate based on your requested services, the fee, and the anticipated number of sessions required.

Please give a 24-hour notice to cancel an appointment. If you provide less than a 24-hour notice, I will charge you the full session fee.

You may cancel your appointment by phone, text, or email.

You can decide based on how much pain you are in and how quickly you want to change. Some people choose to come in every week for a while, and then they feel comfortable transitioning to every two weeks. Initially, weekly sessions may help us build a trusting relationship more quickly. We can work together to determine what will work best for you.

Some people come for 6-10 sessions to focus on specific issues. From the first session, I can offer strategies that may give you immediate relief and hope for real change.

Some people come for months or even years. The ongoing relationship with a counselor can be valuable for all of life’s ups and downs.

You get to decide how long you want to remain in counseling. It all depends on your goals. Like others, you can always come and go. My door will always be open to you.

During the first session, I will share a little about myself so you understand who you are working with. Also, we will cover some ground rules, such as privacy and confidentiality, to help make you feel safe. Please know that feeling a little nervous during the first few sessions is perfectly normal.

Then we will explore your story so I know more about where you have been, where you want to go, and what you have tried to get there but is not working. This exploration will help us start creating a path to success for you.

I named my practice Holos Counseling because the word “holos” is something I want every client to experience. I was in meditation one morning and this word came to me – out of the blue. When I googled the definition, this is what I found.

“Holos” is a Greek word meaning “altogether, assuredly.” Other uses include “wholly, altogether, actually, really – with negative: not at all.”

This struck me profoundly.

I believe that every person can become whole. Free from the negatives, or hurts, from the past. We can live authentically and abundantly. We can actually realize our dreams.

I love the beauty of water lilies. For me, they have spiritual meaning.

From various cultures, they can symbolize unity, finding balance and peace, or rising to the spiritual world.

I find it interesting how they develop. Their stalks grow from underwater stems buried in the mud.

Sounds like many of our lives. We grew up in the mud – circumstances that were filled with murky, foggy, dark, shadowy conditions.

But like the water lily, we can rise to the surface, blossom with such gorgeous color, and bring beauty and joy into the world.

I believe this describes what happens on your healing journey.

I have a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling that I earned at Liberty University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration from the University of Kentucky (go BLUE!).

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed to practice by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT Board). In addition, I am also a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and EMDR trained following standards set forth by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).

Before starting Holos Counseling, I worked with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples at Anchoring Hope Counseling, Right Mind Wellness Center, and The Counseling Professionals, all in the Cincinnati area.

Before becoming professionally licensed as a counselor, I served as a peer counselor for years in multiple settings, including the Eve Center in Cincinnati. As a peer counselor, I provided individual support and led various groups for women seeking recovery from low self-esteem, codependency, emotionally destructive relationships, and sexual and relationship addiction.

I have years of experience with 12-step programs and appreciate their effectiveness in addressing various issues.

I connect well with adults and teens (over 14) who are motivated and ready to get uncomfortable – those who can be honest with themselves and genuine with me. I love working with people who want to journey uncharted territory, no matter how painful, to gain the ability to live to their fullest potential. These people know that hard work and pain now will lead them to the future they desire. I want to help people who want to learn another perspective, break unhealthy, life-draining patterns, and move into more vast, free, life-giving experiences.

I use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT reveals the relationship between your thoughts and feelings and your behaviors. If there are habits you are having difficulty changing, we can explore what you are thinking – what core beliefs reside deep within you – that may be causing you to remain stuck in habits that are not healthy.

I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to heal the lasting effects of trauma. Not only “big T” traumas like the loss of a family member, but also “little T” traumas, like being bullied in middle school. Trauma may plant seeds of self-doubt, fear, and distrust that grow into “weeds” that stifle your adult relationships. EMDR can help you identify and uproot these weeds so the past does not continue to impact your present negatively.

I use Mindfulness to help you train your brain and body to move out of a constant state of stress and into calm. With chronic stress, your body can become programmed to operate automatically from a fight-or-flight response, even when there is nothing to feel stressed about. Mindfulness will help re-program the body to know it is safe and help you live in the present moment fully and peacefully.

For couples, I use principles taught by the Gottman Institute to create a healthier relationship. The goals of this approach are to disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.

When requested by the client, I use spirituality to help clients understand their true selves and the value they bring to the world. This approach involves great sensitivity and aligns with each client’s personal choice of religion or faith beliefs. I will never force my personal beliefs onto a client! I can offer to witness your spiritual exploration and ask great questions to help you dive a little deeper into knowing who your higher power is and how this impacts your life.

With every client, I customize various approaches to meet their specific needs.

One of my greatest strengths is empathy. Empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” I believe I was born with this ability. But because of the traumas and heartaches I experienced over the years and a robust healing journey, I feel this strength of empathy is even more significant in me.

I strive to offer a safe space – a judgment-free, shame-free, criticism-free, control-free zone – so my clients can explore territory they have been too afraid to explore.

People have told me numerous times – inside and outside the counseling office – that my presence calms them.

I do not see myself as an expert on your life. I use a collaborative approach where you are in the driver’s seat to find your answers. I will ride alongside you and help you navigate when you feel stuck.

My goal is to help clients learn how to listen to their intuition – their soul – so they can find the truth about who they are and what they want their lives to be about.

I get it! I have heard this before. I feel like this happens for various reasons.

First, sometimes we don’t know our goals, so we swing around in the dark to find any solution to make us feel better. But we may never get to the ONE thing causing us THE problem. Together, we can dig a little deeper to get to the real root of why your life is not working.

Second, sometimes in talk therapy, we go just deep enough to relieve some of the symptoms. Then when we feel better, we stop coming to counseling, like not taking all of an antibiotic for a virus when we start feeling better. Then the infection comes back, sometimes with a vengeance. The same thing can happen emotionally as well. Often, the healing must go deeper to result in permanent change.

I have the training to help you dig deep to find where the initial hurts or habits started, and then I can help you heal deeply from past traumas that still affect you today.

If you are in crisis, please call 911 or visit your nearest emergency room.

You may also call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 988; counselors are available 24/7.

Or you can text a volunteer crisis counselor 24/7 with the keyword HOME to 741741.

My life is simple – I eat, sleep, and breathe all things psychology and spirituality.

I am very relational and love spending time with my family or friends. My family includes an adult son, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and three step-children who light up my life. Outside of family and friends, I am an introvert, avoiding big crowds.

Two furbabies (Yorkies) bring me great joy (and keep me on my toes). I am the crazy lady at a social gathering who chases down the babies and animals to play with them.

Being initially from Kentucky, I still have a slight southern accent. I promise to enunciate so you can understand what I am saying.

My tastes are diverse and include food, music, and entertainment. I also read a lot and am addicted to Tik Tok videos.

I LOVE naps.