frequently asked

questions

Meet with Mark

Our FAQ page will give you an opportunity to learn about our professional values and help you evaluate our coaching-counseling services and business practices.  If you have a question(s) that is not addressed below, please contact us in person, or send us an email.

 No; You don’t pay us to just sit and listen – you pay us for results!  Our hybrid counselor-coach approach is more directive – we are more actively involved.  We allow space for you to work (i.e., we sit and listen), but we definitely work as a team. 

  • BTW, counselors/therapists are trained to utilize many therapeutic techniques – one being, sitting and listening – this is called a non-directive approach (a.k.a couch or talk therapy), and it’s very popular with many counselors/therapists. 

Take the features and benefits of mental health counseling/therapy, now add teaching, mentoring, and active co-participation.  It is a progressive approach that goes far beyond 20th century couch-talk therapy.  Clients love it because your counselor-coach: 

  • Does not just sit and listen
  • Co-participates – actively teach/guide/mentor/etc
  • Provides experiential learning and being, via a doing process
  • Will challenge/guide, and support you

1: People prefer the dynamic nature of the client-coach relationship – it feels more human, comfortable, normal, less awkward, etc. 

2: Due to social-cultural negative stereotypes/stigmas/etc, many people avoid therapy – but are OK working with a life coach. 

3: Maximum Flexibility and Continuity of Care: 1) a life coach and their clients can be anywhere in the world and work together, and 2) if a coach or client move away from each other, they can continue working together. 

1: In all 50 US states, a life coach has no legal power or authority – they can’t lawfully offer or provide regulated mental health services. 

2: Some coaches will tell you they’re about the same, but there are HUGE differences.  Typically, coaching does not require a high school, undergraduate or advance degrees, such as a master or doctorate.  To graduate from a master or doctorate level program, you must pass a comprehensive exam, and defend your thesis/dissertation. Further, to be licensed and registered in any US state, you must pass state and national board exams, and you must complete 1000 clinical-client supervision hours for PhD and PsyD degree only, and up to 3000 clinical-client supervision hours for master level degree.

  • BTW, prior to obtaining my license, I went to graduate school for three years, and I had just under 5,000 clinical supervision hours – via private practice, a Denver based crisis center (including a police-counselor mobile crisis team), and a Denver based substance use treatment center.

3: Unfortunately, it appears there is a massive wave of ‘life coaches’ offering counseling-therapy like services.  For the record, we are not saying coaching is bad – just highly different from lawful mental health services, and 100% unregulated.  For example: If a life coach offers any type of counseling/therapy services without holding academic credentials and a state license, it is not only unethical, but it is illegal.

1: No.  In all 50 US states, life coaches have no legal power or authority to offer or perform mental health services. 

2: Yes; Only if the life coach has clinical mental health education/training, and possesses a state issued license (e.g., LPC). 

1: No.  In all 50 US states, life coaches have no legal power or authority to offer or perform mental health services.

2: Yes; Only if the life coach has clinical mental health education/training, and possesses a state issued license (e.g., LPC). 

1: No.  In all 50 US states, life coaches have no legal power or authority to offer or perform mental health services.

2: Yes; Only if the life coach has clinical mental health education/training, and possesses a state issued license (e.g., LPC). 

1: No.  In all 50 US states, life coaches have no legal power or authority to offer or perform mental health services.

2: Yes; Only if the life coach has clinical mental health education/training, and possesses a state issued license (e.g., LPC). 

Yes.  Depending on your needs, clients can choose to work with us as a life coach, or a licensed mental health counselor/therapist. 

1: No. In all 50 US states, a LPC (i.e., Licensed Professional Counselor) must follow state laws – LPCs are only allowed to offer mental health services to in-state residents, (i.e., offering mental health services outside of your state, without a lawful license, is illegal). 

2: You can hire us as a life coach – due to no state, federal, or international laws and/or regulation of any kind, a life coach can provide global services.

Clients choose mental health counseling services if they need the following legal-professional services:

  • Clinical diagnosis
  • Court mandated counseling/therapy
  • Testimony and/or documentation for courts, divorce, employment, etc
  • Letters (e.g., ESA – emotional support animal) 

We have audited several life coaching programs.  After a thorough review, we have come to the following conclusions:

  • It is a costly and risky investment because there are no state or national coaching laws (i.e., no regulation whatsoever)
  • Many life coaching programs are not regulated by independent third parties (i.e., little or no state/regional/national standards)
  • Life coaching programs are often online – video courses only.  After several weeks of watching videos, you are given a life coach certificate – a piece of paper that has no legal power or authority  
  • Accreditation by International Coaching Federation (ICF) is self-regulated – no independent third party auditing/credentialing 
  • Instructor credentials might be weak or questionable
  • Unlike accredited counseling programs, life coaching programs do not require criminal background checks for students, and possibly employees 
    • In all 50 US states, you cannot enter graduate school and/or obtain a state license with a criminal/felony background. Further, once you obtain a license, if you are found guilty of a felony, your license is automatically revoked vs. life coaches can have a criminal record and continue to offer services

I am a hybrid counselor-coach because I possess:

  • +50 years of real world life experience – survivor, achiever, etc (ask for details)
  • Undergraduate and graduate degrees – advance education and training
  • LPC – state issued mental health license
  • National Certified Counselor
  • American Counseling Association and HIPAA training certifications
  • 20 years medical product sales-development, and self-employment (equivalent to MBA)
Specific to mental health services – we highly recommend working with a life coach if they have a state-issued mental health license, and one or more of the following:
  • Master of Arts, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Doctor of Psychology, Psy.D
  • Doctor of Psychology, Ph.D
  • Doctor of Medicine, M.D. Psychiatry
We combine the expertise of counseling with the strategy of coaching. We utilize proven, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and wellness-focused mental health coaching principles. We are committed to the wellness of clients and the community through prevention, intervention, treatment, and education.  Our services will be accessible and our fees fair/affordable (for all people).
You are right.  Nearly all counseling/coaching/therapy sites utilize vivid-stunning photos/videos, and deeply meaningful emotional-sympathetic-therapeutic language.  There is nothing wrong with this (it’s a common practice within the profession).  But, we believe most therapeutic messages fail to recognize, and openly discuss consumer based issues.  To fill that gap, we use the word or phrase client-consumer because (let’s be real) you are paying for services with money, while making a large investment in your mind-body-spirit.  Clients that work with us receive plenty of therapeutic language and emotional work.  In the meantime, we simply wish for you:

  • To be well informed clients and consumers — that’s just common sense and good lawful business practice.
  • To recognize that all professionals have a legal and ethical duty to properly inform you of all business practices — anything less could be misleading, and per state law, potentially unlawful. 
 
NOTE: Informed Consent is a client/consumer right – it is a process in which clients/patients are given important information, including possible risks and benefits, about medical services/procedures or treatments, genetic testing, or a clinical trial.  
 
There are 4 components of informed consent including 1) decision capacity, 2) documentation of consent, 3) disclosure, and 4) competency.

As a client-consumer, this could be the most important Q/A, secondly only to the insurance Q/A.    

We believe seeing more than five clients per day may cause poor counseling-coaching performance, lead to questionable business practices, and is unhealthy for the human mind-body-spirit (don’t believe us, look up burn-out rates for counselors). 

A question back to you, “How is it possible to see up to ten clients per day, to be present for each client, write/chart clinical notes required by law, manage communications-appointments-billing, and do this every day, year after year?”

Truth be told, in both public agencies and private practice, there are thousands of excellent counselors and therapists who do just this – they do it to financially survive in the mental healthcare insurance reimbursement system (i.e, quantity = $$$$).

Bottom line, we made the decision to not participate in the insurance system.  As a result, we are 100% focused on limited, highly exceptional counseling-coaching services.  It’s a decision that aligns with our professional values, mission statement, and best serves our client-consumers.   

Bigger does not mean better – a one counselor or tiny practice could be best for you.

Please thoroughly evaluate all client-consumer options, e.g. we think you should be aware of the following:

Nearly all mental healthcare entities (i.e., small-medium-large; private or public; for profit or non-profit, and now franchise) operate on a volume/quantity business model, i.e. per day, they must see as many clients as possible.  They do so to cover operational expenses, stay afloat in the insurance reimbursement game, and to generate profit.

The volume model generates millions of high revenue dollars each year.  With this money, you may see the best modern office decor, websites, and advertising-marketing programs.  Also, you may see multiple locations, and offices that accept all forms of payment and offer an army of counselors – serving all populations and mental health issues (i.e., it’s the large business/franchise model of mental healthcare).  
     
I have worked at small/medium/large for profit and non-profit mental healthcare agencies.  I have worked with excellent counselors, but nearly all of them are:

  • Overworked – must see up to 10 clients per day
  • Salaried 40 hours per week employees, but typically work +60 hours and do not get paid over time
  • 1099 counseling contractors with no benefits, and may only earn between $20-$40 per client session (e.g., session fee total is $140 — the business owner keeps $110)
  • Face daily systemic dysfunction – burn out and poor clinical performance, absent or poor management leadership-training-development, frequent misdiagnosis and over diagnosis.
PS.  To avoid industry failures, our business model is 100% clinical-client care focused (e.g., we only see up to five clients per day).

Think legal, medical, career, divorce, mediation, or other difficult career-life situations.  You could be extremely vulnerable, wrongly influenced, and make poor, uninformed decisions.  We are 100% in your corner, offering emotional support, while ensuring that all stakeholders are honoring and protecting your legal rights (e.g., we may attend legal/court meetings or other).  

We don’t know – that is what it is called in the clinical mental health field.  Simply think of it as a pre-session questionnaire.

It is optional, but highly recommended.  Before we begin counseling or coaching sessions, we recommend this service because it is a comprehensive mind-body-spirit mental health-life review.  It is the equivalent of visiting a medical doctor for a full exam (i.e., evaluating symptoms, and any illness/disease, etc).  

Once complete, it allows the counselor-coach to better understand you and your issues, and how best to formulate a plan that best meets your needs, and/or increase the likelihood of positive outcomes.  Without this service, your counselor-coach enters the relationship uniformed, and it severely handicaps his/her professional skills/abilities. 

Last, this service may include up to four hours of in-person sessions, and many hours of research and planning.   

We are in the same boat – we do not fully understand the reasoning behind this clinical or business practice.  We believe many insurance providers only reimburse clinicians for 50 minute services. 


Yes, we offer a standard 60 minute service. We also offer 75 and 90 minute sessions.  You pay for what is advertised – per state law, it is illegal to mislead clients, and/or engage in deceptive business practice.

We need to draw the line and/or establish professional boundaries.  We do not offer crisis emergency services, nor do we not take calls after hours.  We recommend calling 911, or seek emergency care at a medical facility, or call the crisis #800 listed below.

Yes and no. It might depend on the circumstances, including the client’s culture, ethnicity, religion, etc.  In the US, female client-counselor relationships are commonly recommended, especially for victims of trauma, such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other violent crimes.  There is good reasoning for this, e.g. if the perpetrator was a male, the mere physical presence of a qualified male counselor may cause a triggering negative effect.  However, to answer the question fairly, all professional counselors or therapist are trained to be gender neutral, serving all populations.  In many situations, the presence of a trained supportive male counselor could be extremely beneficial.  For example, there are plenty of male counselors who offer excellent therapeutic support, and also have experience advocating-navigating systems, such as health care, legal, and state/federal social services.

Bottom line, when choosing your counselor/therapist, consider gender, but also be a good consumer – recognize their professional credentials, experience, and business practices.

1: Consultation is a professional/academic word for – let’s meet – get to know each other, etc.
 
2: Research reports – the therapeutic relationship is the most important factor to your success (i.e., are we a good fit).
The answer is no.  We are your professional counselor-therapist-coach only.  Ethically and legally, via national standards and state laws, dual relationships are strictly prohibited.  If this becomes an issue, we will 1.) politely warn you, or 2.) when appropriate, terminate services.
We need to draw the line and/or establish professional boundaries.  We do not offer crisis emergency services, nor do we not take calls after hours.  We recommend calling 911, or seek emergency care at a medical facility, or call/text the national crisis #988. 

Yes. We accept most insurance plans (USA).  To use your insurance, please click on one of the following buttons to view my profile. Next, verify your insurance by creating an account, and then schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me HERE.

SonderMind
Headway
Grow Therapy

Yes. We accept the following payment methods: cash, check, Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal. For cash payments, please note that we do not accept credit or debit cards. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me HERE.

Do you ever wonder why in some industries you receive volume discounts and others you don’t?  Why do professionals and tradesmen, such as lawyers, doctors and electricians charge by the hour and offer no discounts – especially for repeat customers?

We admit our prepaid payment option is atypical for the counseling-coaching industry, but that does not make it wrong.  In fact, it’s very much the right thing to do, and it is our attempt to recognize the following reality:

  • Therapy-coaching is rarely a short-term, quick fix endeavor – growth takes time and hard work 
  • Universal values – significant relationships, repeat customers, and volume purchases generally receive discounts, rewards, or other forms of appreciation and gratitude 
  • HIPAA compliant and helps facilitate payment of teletherapy services 
  • We want you to be a better you – we provide a mind-body-spirit-money investment strategy that works for short and long term client-consumers

Packages are 1) non-refundable, 2) valid up to 12 months from date of purchase, and 3) transferable to family, friends or other.

1: No.  We have not, and will never engage in balance billing.  We believe balance billing is an unethical and unlawful business practice (i.e., consumer fraud and profiteering).  
 
2: Please continue to the next question and answer.
As of January 01, 2022, there is a new law in the USA – designed to eliminate surprise bills.  The No Surprises Act (H.R. 133) is a good law, and for the consumer, long overdue.  The law targets all professional entities and other licensed providers that are contracted with insurance companies (e.g., hospitals, surgical centers, ambulatory care/transportation, treatment centers, anesthesiologists, licensed therapists).  The new law requires all entities and licensed professionals to publicly post and review in-network vs. out-of-network fees, and provide a good-faith estimate prior to services rendered.    
 
 
1: There are zero hidden fees.  The practice of hidden fees (in our opinion) is legal consumer fraud, and violates our ethical professional oath, mission, and values.
 
2: We do have other services that may require extra fees (e.g., E.S.A. – emotional support animal letter).  Prior to any/all extra fee services, we will review and document the service requested and associated fee.
1: Yes, fees are negotiable – 100% customized to meet your financial needs.
 
2: Yes, our reduced fees are based on your financial ability.  The higher the income, the more you will pay, and the lower the income, the less you will pay.
 

A Licensed Professional Counselor holds a masters or doctorate degree, and has fulfilled all state and national requirements.  

A Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) holds a masters or doctorate degree, and is in the final stages of obtaining full licensure (i.e., all that remains are 2,000 client-clinical supervision hours).  

At a minimum, a California Registered Psychotherapist and a Colorado Unlicensed Psychotherapist only needs to pass the state jurisprudence exam, and is not required to have any academic or clinical training.  

For a full list of credential requirements for LPC, LPCC, Unlicensed Psychotherapist, including MFT, LCSW and more, please visit your state regulatory affairs department or Colorado Mental Health Credentials Requirements

Note: California and Colorado are the only two states that offer Registered Psychotherapist License.

A LPC holds the highest state required credentials, which allows them to work in all public and private mental health care facilities, schools, or other.  A LPCC is afforded similar privileges, so long as their status remains active (i.e., they work under supervised clinical hours).  In public or private practice, a LPC can accept all forms of payment, including insurance reimbursements.

For legal/liability reasons only, 1.) an Unlicensed Psychotherapist is not employable at public and private mental health care facilities, and 2.) in a private practice setting, they cannot accept insurance reimbursement payments.

We believe California and Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs offers a Unlicensed Psychotherapist license because: Many people may have been trained in eastern spirituality and philosophy, or other qualified disciplines.  Even without western academic/clinical training, their expertise as a therapist could be as good, if not better (i.e., there is more than one method to heal and grow).  A perfect example of the law: 

If the Dali Lama moved to California or Colorado, he would legally qualify as an Unlicensed Psychotherapist, not as a LPC, LPCC, MFT, LCSW or other.

Since you may not have access to the Dali Lama or others like him, we believe it is wise to work with professionals who posses the following credentials:

  • Qualified, accredited, and documented eastern and/or western based psychotherapy training
  • Bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees from accredited institutions
  • State and national exams
  • Advance training, such as EMDR, CAC, LAC, IFS, EFT, or others
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