Therapy can provide a supportive environment to talk openly about experiences, emotions, relationships, challenges, and goals. Depending on your needs, therapy may help you better understand patterns in your thoughts, emotions, or behaviors; develop coping and emotional regulation skills; process difficult or traumatic experiences; strengthen relationships and communication; manage symptoms; build on existing strengths; and work toward changes that are meaningful to you.

Therapy is collaborative. Your provider may offer guidance, observations, education, and therapeutic interventions, but you remain an active participant in determining your goals and the direction of your care.

Our providers work with individuals experiencing a wide range of mental health, emotional, behavioral, relational, and life concerns. These may include anxiety, depression and other mood concerns, stress, grief and loss, trauma and traumatic experiences, relationship difficulties, self-esteem and identity concerns, anger and emotional regulation, life transitions, and other challenges affecting daily life or well-being.

You do not need to have a mental health diagnosis to seek therapy. Some people begin therapy because they are experiencing significant symptoms, while others are looking for support, greater self-understanding, personal growth, healthier relationships, or help navigating a difficult period in their lives.

Because each provider has different areas of training and experience, we will work with you to determine whether a provider within our practice can appropriately meet your needs. When another professional or level of care may better support you, we will discuss this with you and, whenever possible, help identify appropriate resources or referrals.

Our mental health providers have education, training, and experience appropriate to their professional roles. Depending on the provider, credentials may include graduate education in counseling, social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or another mental health discipline, along with applicable North Dakota licensure, certification, or supervised clinical training.

Our team brings a range of professional experiences, clinical interests, therapeutic approaches, and areas of specialized training. Some providers may also be completing advanced clinical training under the supervision of an independently licensed professional.

Because credentials and scopes of practice differ among professions and individual providers, we encourage you to review our provider biographies to learn more about each clinician’s education, credentials, experience, areas of focus, and approach to therapy.

The length of a therapy session can vary depending on your needs, treatment plan, service, and insurance requirements. Many individual therapy appointments are approximately 45–60 minutes.

Your provider will discuss the anticipated length and frequency of appointments with you and work collaboratively with you to determine what is clinically appropriate.

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Protecting your privacy is an important part of creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship. Information you share with your provider is generally confidential and is protected by applicable ethical standards and privacy laws.

There are, however, specific circumstances in which a provider may be legally or ethically required or permitted to disclose information without your authorization. These circumstances may include certain concerns involving safety, abuse or neglect, court or legal requirements, or other situations defined by applicable law and professional standards.

Your provider will review confidentiality, its limitations, and your privacy rights with you as part of the informed-consent process. We encourage you to ask questions at any time if you are uncertain about how your information may be used or protected.

We understand that the cost of mental health care can be an important consideration. If you have concerns about the affordability of services, we encourage you to talk with your provider or our billing team. Asking about cost will not change how you are treated or the respect you receive from our team.

Our ability to adjust fees may be limited by insurance contracts, applicable laws, professional requirements, or other billing regulations. When we are unable to offer an option that meets your financial needs, we will do our best to discuss available alternatives and, when appropriate, help identify other resources or providers.

Financial circumstances and treatment needs are different for every person, so questions about payment options are addressed individually and with respect for your privacy.

Current self-pay rates and information regarding insurance and payment are available through our practice. Please contact us if you have questions about your specific circumstances.

At this time our self-pay rates are as stated above. We are actively working to understand what we are allowed to do for self-pay rates, ensuring that self-pay rates do not interfere with insurance company contracts. Thank you for your understanding.

We offer both in-person and telehealth services, depending on the provider, the type of service, clinical considerations, and your location at the time of the appointment.

We recognize that people have different needs and preferences related to accessibility, privacy, comfort, transportation, scheduling, and the environment in which they receive care. When both options are clinically and legally appropriate, we encourage you to discuss your preferences with your provider.

Not every provider or service may be available through telehealth, and providers may have different availability for in-person and virtual appointments.

Most psychotherapy providers do not prescribe medication unless they hold a separate professional license or credential that specifically authorizes medication prescribing.

When medication evaluation or medication management may be helpful, your provider can discuss this option with you. With your permission, we may also help you identify appropriate

medical or psychiatric providers and coordinate care when doing so would support your treatment.

Medication is one potential component of mental health treatment, and decisions about whether to pursue a medication evaluation remain between you and an appropriately qualified prescribing professional.

Yes. We recognize that the therapeutic relationship is an important part of effective care, and different people may feel more comfortable with different providers, personalities, identities, communication styles, or therapeutic approaches.

When availability allows, we will help you connect with a provider whose experience and approach align with what you are looking for. At the same time, it can take time for a therapeutic relationship to develop, and moments of discomfort or disagreement can sometimes become meaningful topics to explore in therapy when you feel safe doing so.

If you feel that your current provider is not the right fit, we encourage you to share your concerns if you are comfortable. You are not required to remain with a provider who does not feel like the right fit for you. We can discuss whether another provider, therapeutic approach, or service may better meet your needs.

There may also be times when a provider determines that your needs would be better supported by another clinician, specialty, or level of care. When this occurs, we strive to communicate openly about the recommendation and assist with appropriate referrals or resources whenever possible.

Our goal is not simply to keep you within our practice. Our goal is to help you access care that is appropriate, respectful, and responsive to your needs—even when that means helping you connect with a provider outside of Zero Gravity Counseling.

Yes. Our providers have different professional backgrounds, areas of clinical interest, training, experience, and therapeutic approaches. Areas of focus across our practice may include trauma and trauma-related concerns, anxiety, depression and mood disorders, grief and loss, relationships, identity development, LGBTQ+ concerns, life transitions, perinatal mental health, and other mental health concerns.

Not every provider specializes in every area. When you contact our practice, we can help you consider which available provider may align with your needs and preferences. We encourage you to review individual provider biographies for more information about each clinician’s areas of focus and approach to therapy.

Yes. Zero Gravity Counseling is committed to providing respectful, inclusive, and affirming mental health care to LGBTQ+ individuals.

Our providers recognize that sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are parts of a person’s identity and are not, in themselves, problems to be treated. Therapy may address concerns specifically related to identity when those concerns are important to you, including relationships, family dynamics, coming out or disclosure decisions, discrimination, minority stress, identity exploration, or other experiences.

You are also welcome to seek therapy for concerns that have nothing to do with your LGBTQ+ identity. We strive to create an environment where you do not have to justify or explain who you are in order to receive respectful mental health care.