The Naked Therapy Alternative…

Awwww…..keep your pants on I am getting to it….
No, really, I mean keep your pants ON!

All seriousness aside, I have heard therapists complain that dress clothes are off-putting to their clients, supposedly creating more of a power dis-equilibrium, but I think getting naked it taking it to a pathological extreme? What is next, fetish dressing?

The naked therapist’s attempt to connect naked therapy with Freud is, at best, misguided. Freud used free association to let your mind go where it needed to, believing that if you talked long enough uncensored, the root of the issues would come out. She is proposing letting your hands wander, and let me tell you, what is coming out is certainly NOT the root of the issue. Considering she is targeting male clients, I wonder if Freud would say she is suffering from penis envy. HMmmmmm.

How exactly does staring at this naked woman really help JohnTom fix his marriage? The naked therapist is not licensed or certified as a counselor. She is not regulated by anybody.

When you look for a counselor, make sure he or she is licensed and in good standing. These people have been trained to identify signs that there may be a bigger problem or you are getting worse. They also take an oath to “above all do no harm.” Make sure you understand, by the end of the assessment, how he or she is going to help you solve your problems. If it does not make sense, question it. There are a lot of people out there (even licensed ones) using practices that are not commonly accepted. This does not mean they are bad, but it is important to make sure you believe it will work for you.

If you can think of a possible reason why it would make sense to pay $150/hour for a naked, unlicensed “therapist” to talk to you, please share. I am at a loss…

Substance Abuse | DUI Treatment Manassas|Fairfax|Arlington|Alexandria

Face-to-Face and Online Counseling

Gainesville-NOVA Counseling now has counselors in Manassas, Tyson’s Corner and Fairfax who strive to make mental health and substance abuse counseling convenient, effective,  and even anonymous.   We understand your busy lifestyle may make it hard to go to a counseling appointment each week, or you may be afraid that your career will be jeopardized if anyone finds out that you are seeking counseling services.  DUI, DWI, Substance Abuse and Mental Health assessments can usually be done within 24 hours, and you can be enrolled in outpatient or intensive outpatient services that same day.

Our outpatient services are available six days a week, including Saturdays and evenings by appointment.  We address addiction, anxiety, anger, adult and child ADD/ADHD,  bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, grief, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), stress, and Trauma/PTSD.  Our clinical director, Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes also specializes in working with persons in law enforcement and the military.  We use a solution focused, cognitive-behavioral approach to help you set goals, develop a plan and begin working toward a happier life.

Costs:

  • Assessment: $150
  • Individual Counseling Appointments (In the office or via video conferencing): $85/50 minute session
  • Intensive Outpatient Services $250 per week during phase 1 and $150 per week during phases 2 and 3.   IOP Groups meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30pm-8pm.  If you cannot attend in person, you have the option of attending via video conferencing with Skype.
  • Written reports for court or probation officers: $30/per page
  • Court Testimony for sentence mitigation: $1000 per half day, includes preparation time.
  • Expert witness services: $1850 nonrefundable retainer.

Our individual, group and intensive outpatient etherapy/online counseling uses a secure, encrypted video stream to provide face-to-face services for addiction, anxiety, depression or PTSD within the comfort of your own home.  All you need is a computer with a webcam (it does not have to be an expensive one), and DSL or better internet connection.   Logging in is easy.  You go to a page on the internet and login using whatever screen  name you choose and a password that will be emailed to you when you sign up for the program.  Dr. Snipes and her staff look forward to the opportunity to help you!