ALL ABOUT SIMONS COUNSELING


**TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT CALL 435-200-3102 OR EMAIL JESSICA@SIMONSCOUNSELING.COM**

My Counseling Philosophy:

    Individually: I believe there are always solutions, there is always hope, and positive change is always possible--within ourselves and within our personal relationships. I believe we have much more power and resiliency within us than we may see or feel. I work from a place of client-centered empowerment with a continual growth mindset. I believe that compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and respect for ourselves and others are the keys to finding happiness and fulfilling relationships. Sometimes we may have difficulty tapping into those feelings (or expecting others to treat us in those ways) because of self-beliefs from our pasts. As we process through our life experiences and make sense of challenges and traumas, we can re-create our self-beliefs and personal relationships to be more enriching and joyful.

    Marriage: I am a pro-marriage therapist. My ultimate goal is to help marriages succeed. Marriage takes a lot of teamwork to build the life together both partners imagine. I believe that as we become more self-aware and can see how problematic patterns have developed and become ingrained in our marriages, we can make critical changes to help both partners thrive, and both partners to become more emotionally connected. As we work with our partner to accept and love each other, while not trying to control or change each other, we can find greater fulfillment in the relationship. Working with self-awareness and compassion, we can improve communication, trust, teamwork, friendship, and physical and emotional intimacy. There are times, however, that the marriage is not healthy or is not viable. It is at these times, I believe in helping both partners grieve the loss of the relationship, find strength in themselves, and move on amicably. 

    Parenting/Family: Our families are the foundation of who we are--for better or for worse--and as such, it is important that that we bring peace and calm into our families and our parenting. Children are hugely impacted by their environment and often act out the stressors and traumas of their parents and their marriages. It is important to note that children can not usually sustain changes in their lives when their parents and family system does not also make positive changes. As parents build strong one-one-one relationships with their children, and utilize consistent, loving, and authoritative parenting (meaning not authoritarian/controlling--or permissive/uninvolved), children will thrive. This takes improved self-awareness and positive personal growth for the parents, teamwork parenting with all caregivers involved in the child's life, supportive nurturing, and healthy communication with children. 


About Jessica Top Simons, Ph.D., LMFT:

  • I have been providing marriage, family, and individual counseling for over 12 years. 
  • I am a military spouse of 27 years and have lived and traveled all over the world providing therapy to people from various walks of life. 
  • I received my Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University and my Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Louisiana at Monroe.
  • My dissertation researched the treatment of children with ADHD in context of family system dynamics.
  • I am currently licensed to practice as a therapist in Utah, Texas, and South Carolina.
  • I am currently training as a LMFT supervisor and can supervise Interns and Associates in the states where I am licensed. Please contact me if you need supervision!

About Simons Counseling Practice:

  • At this time, all sessions are telehealth sessions for clients living in Texas, Utah, and some international clients.
  • All telehealth services are provided through Doxy.me, which is completely secure and HIPAA compliant.
  • HIPAA compliant in email communication, telehealth platform, record storage, billing, and payments.
  • Because sessions are telehealth, I only take clients ages 12 and up. I also cannot take clients who are actively suicidal or have had recent suicide attempts, or those who are currently self-harming, actively struggling with anorexia-nervosa, or ongoing substance abuse, or who have volatile mood swings or psychosis where they may be a danger to themselves or others. In these situations, it is best to seek in-person therapy.
  • I work from a systemic view point, meaning that I look at how relationships, society, family of origin, etc., are affecting and reinforcing problems in a person's life. 
  • I am EMDR trained and specifically trained to provide EMDR therapy online. 
  • I use the following models for treatment: 
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 
    • Solutions-Focused 
    • Integrative Couples Therapy 
    • Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy
    • Traditional systems models to understand the dynamics and patterns in clients' lives.
  • I specialize in marriage therapy and family therapy, but provide individual therapy for the following challenges (to name a few):
    • Depression/Anxiety
    • Trauma (childhood, complex, combat-related, sexual)
    • Self-Esteem/Self-confidence/Self-Compassion
    • ADHD/focus & organizational problems
    • Sex-addiction 
    • Processing family of origin or issues with parents
    • Grief
    • Infidelity recovery
    • Coping & resiliency skills
    • Anger and/or stress management
    • Peer relationships
    • Life transitions
    • Spirituality & existential questioning
    • Overcoming shame/guilt
    • Perfectionism
    • Life after divorce

Pros About Using Telehealth:

    Telehealth has been used for many years, but with covid and lockdowns, it has become much more widely accepted by practitioners, patients, and (fortunately) insurance companies. Studies have shown telehealth to be just as effective as in-person therapy. The wonderful thing about face-to-face telehealth technology is that not only can therapy be accessible to many more people because of the convenience and accessibility, but clients and therapist can still connect very well through seeing facial expressions and body language. Also, thanks to HIPAA compliant (meaning very secure and safe) online therapy platforms, and the security laws for therapists, information given in session is just as secure as a closed-door, in-person session (as long as clients ensure they are in a private space). I have found that most clients actually prefer telehealth sessions because it doesn't require driving, parking or waiting rooms. And, with that being the case, it is much easier to fit therapy sessions in during a lunch break, or before work, etc. It also means that for couples, I can provide therapy when they are not located in the same place or their schedules make it difficult to coordinate a time when they can both be physically in the same location. 


About Billing/Costs at Simons Counseling:

  • The cost is $100 for all 50-55 minute sessions for family, or couples sessions & $100 for Adult and teen individual sessions.
  • I am an Out-of-Network provider. 
  • I do not directly bill any insurance.
  • Payment is made using a credit or debit card at the end of each session on the HIPAA secure Doxy platform. ( I do not have access to any of your payment information, nor do I store that information personally.)
  • I provide what is called a SUPERBILL. This has my NPI number, my EIN number, and my licenses numbers along with billing codes recognized by insurance. These bills can be sent directly to your insurance to be reimbursed at their predetermined rates, less your co-pay and deductible. 
  • It is up to you to check your insurance policy and make sure you can get reimbursed for an out-of-network provider, as each insurance has different policies (for example, those with Tricare Prime usually cannot see out-of-network providers, while those with Tricare Standard usually can). It is also up to you to submit the bills to your insurance for reimbursement.
Please watch this video, if you'd like a quick, more personal introduction:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/828608901

**If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment please email me at jessica@simonscounseling.com or call at 435-200-3102.**

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