Frequently Asked Questions

As this is a time of increased stress, I want to ensure that clients continue to have access to therapeutic support. I have been making every effort to promote the safety of my clients and their families during this challenging time by following CDC guidelines. This may include exclusive telehealth sessions, masking during in-person sessions, and limited access to public spaces. I request that clients who have experienced symptoms or who have been directly exposed to someone who has had symptoms/tested positive for the COVID-19 virus to stay at home and use telehealth for therapy. I commit to doing the same.

I began offering telehealth services in March, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many clients found this format as effective as in-person therapy, and some clients even preferred it due to its convenience. No need to drive to my office, and no need to wait in a public waiting room! I request that clients find a private location for their session that has a door they can close. I provide clients with a link to the secure session prior to their scheduled time, and we then meet over video chat on my HIPAA compliant server. For children, I sometimes provide parents with links ahead of time to online resources for the child to use during the session. These include virtual versions of materials they have access to within my office. For families, I will often guide clients through activities that they can do from their home. The benefit of telehealth is that we can include family members in different households as I just need to provide every participant with a link to the session. Even though I began offering telehealth services in response to a crisis, I plan to continue offering this service. Please note that this service may not always be covered under your insurance, as many providers were allowing this service only in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check with your individual plan.

As a highly trained therapist, licensed as a Clinical Social Worker, my goal is to help you feel better and to have the healthy, happy relationships you deserve! Therapy sessions are 50-minutes in length and cost $160 per session. I offer a sliding fee scale upon request. Acceptable forms of payment include check, cash and all major credit and debit cards (including health savings accounts). As Carina is an associate-level clinician, we are currently offering her services at $120 per session. She can also accept BCBS and PEHP insurance.

We acceptRegence Blue Cross Blue Shield, PEHP, and HMHI-BHN insurance panels.  We highly recommend that you contact your insurance company prior to a first session to inquire about your mental health/behavioral health benefits. Your insurance will generally require you to pay a deductible (out of pocket) before they will pay for services, or you may have a copay for services. If we are not in network with your insurance, we can provide you with a statement for your out of pocket expenses so that you can seek potential reimbursement with your insurance company. Please keep in mind that for insurance reimbursement, we must provide you or your child with a mental health diagnosis and you may have a limited number of sessions reimbursed. We suggest you call the customer service number on the back of your insurance card and ask for information on your mental health benefits to help you make informed decisions.

There are several ways to schedule an appointment, so you can choose the option that’s easiest for you. You can call me at (801) 692-0312. I do my best to answer phone calls, but if you get my voicemail that means I’m either in session or simply away from the phone. Please feel free to leave a message on my confidential voicemail, and I will return your call as soon as possible. You can also send me an email at patbrehl@dragonflyfamilytherapy.com or contact me through my online form. If you have any questions, just ask! I’m here to help. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you!

Great question! When you make the decision to begin therapy, you take a huge step towards obtaining mental and emotional health for you and/or your children (aka: feeling better!) These first steps can be scary, and one of our top priorities is that you and your children feel safe in the process of therapy and in our therapeutic relationship. If you have any questions or concerns as we begin, please bring them to our attention before or during our first session. 

When you schedule your first session, you will be sent some forms to complete in our confidential client portal. These forms will provide us with some information about you, but also give you additional information about the therapeutic process with me. When you arrive, please have a seat in the waiting room. For children's therapy (children under the age of 13), we ask that parents come alone to the first appointment so that we can gain a better sense of what you are looking for without your child present. Please arrange childcare for this appointment, as it is not appropriate for your child to be left in our waiting room while you meet with us as they will feel too confused and left out. 

At your appointment time, we will greet you and invite you into our office. Here you will be invited to share your story and we will begin to identify why you are seeking help at this time. We will help find out from you what is not working, and together help identify ways we can work together to make it better. If you decide to continue, we will then schedule a next session. You will be provided with access to our online schedules so you can book your own appointments and structure your personal and family schedule around this commitment.

The time scheduled for your appointment is assigned to you and you alone. You will receive a reminder text/email for your appointment 48 hours in advance. If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, it is requested that you provide more than 24-hours notice. If you do not provide 24-hour notice, you will be responsible for paying a late cancel/no-show fee of $120. In the case of emergencies or sudden illness, please contact us and we can discuss rescheduling your appointment or moving to a telehealth format. You are responsible for coming to your session on time and at the time scheduled. If you are late, your appointment will still need to end on time.

Yes. Confidentiality is a key component of the therapeutic relationship, allowing you a safe place to work through personal issues. Your right to confidentiality will be carefully maintained and will not be disclosed without your written permission, except in cases of possible harm to yourself or others (especially children or the elderly) or a criminal court subpoena. As you know, we live in "Small Lake City" so we will not acknowledge that we know you if we happen to see each other in public, unless you acknowledge us first, to further protect your confidentiality. Keep in mind that young children are not always able to exercise this restraint and may run up and say hi if we see each other in public. You are welcome to refer to us as one of your child's teachers or as a "family friend" if you'd like to further protect your confidentiality.

Therapy has started to be seen as more acceptable in recent years, but still often gets a bad rap. In a society that tells us we need to “have it all” while appearing to “have it all together”, asking for help can be difficult. If your child is struggling, you may feel like a "bad parent" and worry about being judged by a therapist. Please keep in mind that we see our relationship as a team to help you and your family heal. You are the expert on you and your child, and we can offer the benefit of having worked with lots of different people and families to see patterns for help and healing. It can also be helpful to have a neutral person help to organize your thoughts and feelings and better make sense of your experience. We urge my clients to view therapy as a healthy way to invest in themselves and their relationships, just as one might invest into a 401k, a college education, or even a child's braces to be better equipped for the future. Therapy is no different. It is a choice to make a proactive change in order to better yourself, your life and your relationships. Therapy is an investment in yourself and your child that allows for healing from past wounds, making sense of your world, and growth into the person you aspire to be. And guess what? We see our own therapists, too!

We are what is referred to as "mandated reporters" which means that if we suspect any child (or elder) abuse we are required to report that for the safety of the child. Child Protective Services is often viewed as a scary government agency that takes your child away from you. Please keep in mind that their primary purpose is to ensure the child's safety, and that most often means providing support for the child to remain with their primary caregiver (you!). Please also keep in mind that any parent has at one time or another said or done something that was too rough with a child, and that does not necessarily mean it was "abuse". If we ever do feel that your child's safety is at risk, we will make every effort to have that conversation with you and have you involved with any reporting process.

Therapy is a big investment in time, money, and energy and so we strongly believe in making the most of our time together. To help with this, we use evidence-based models that research has shown to be effective for treatment. With this said, therapy is not a miracle cure or a quick fix, so we encourage you to be patient about this process as it requires time and a trusting relationship built between us. We generally recommend clients to commit to an initial three sessions to see if we are a good fit for a therapeutic relationship and if you feel we are on the right track. From that point, each client's journey and length of time in treatment varies based on the complexity of needs and engagement in the process. We can discuss more specific timeframes during our initial sessions.