MoonPath Counseling, LLC FAQ

I specialize in working with men who are deep thinkers who are used to being the one everyone comes to for help. They’re often leaders, professionals, and academic folks whose intellect serves them well but find themselves in a position where more thought, more insight, and more research isn’t getting them anywhere. The more they dig in with what they know, the more they get stuck in the ruts of anxiety, stress, and overthinking.

Many men respond to the pressures of life by trying to exert more control over everything around them as well as their thoughts and feelings. They try to be strong, stoic, and disciplined. The more they try to control things that aren’t under their control, the more anxiety, stress, depression, and unworkable responses like drinking, gaming, and porn addiction show up.

This often leads to shame and guilt about the struggles they’re having. Their response is often to double-down and try to do more of what isn’t working — more thinking, more research, control, more rigidity, more silence and telling everyone everything is “fine.”

Many of these men benefit from therapy that takes a more active approach and challenges them to change. Our work will build on your strengths but help you apply them with greater ease and flexibility rather than tight control and rigidity.

I specialize in this because I was there once, myself, and want to support others in the changes they want to make.

The cost per session is as follows:

• $150 for 50-minute sessions either in-person or by video.

• $170 for 60-minute walk-talk sessions outdoors at Kessler Mountain Regional Park in Fayetteville.

I offer a limited number of lower-cost slots through Open Path Collective for those who qualify based on their financial situation. Contact me for availability and details.

MoonPath Counseling, LLC operates as a private-pay clinical mental health counseling practice and does not accept insurance at this time.

Working outside of insurance gives us flexibility in how long we work together, what we focus on, and how we approach change without needing to assign diagnoses or justify treatment decisions to an insurance company.

This also allows me to keep my caseload manageable and focus on the quality of the work rather than the requirements of a third party. This affords me time between sessions to do additional planning to make the most of each session.

This structure supports the kind of steady, engaged work described throughout the site. Whether it’s the right fit for you is something we can talk through openly.

This can depend on your needs, goals, and finances.

I see some clients on a weekly basis. Other clients attend sessions once every 2 weeks.

As they start to see improvements, clients often shift to meeting once a month to help keep them on track as they continue to make changes on their own.

Therapy isn’t what most people see on TV.

It’s not lying on a couch while someone repeats what you say. And it’s not a doctor’s visit where you’re handed advice and sent on your way.

At its core, therapy is a structured, evidence-based process that helps you understand how your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and habits are interacting — and decide how you want to live differently.

Good therapy doesn’t “fix” you. It helps you:

• Make sense of what’s happening in your life

• Respond differently to stress, anxiety, or pressure

• Build habits that rely on intention instead of pure grit

• Move toward the version of yourself you respect

You’re not a diagnosis to cure. You’re a person navigating something difficult.

If you want to understand how my approach differs from the stereotypes, you can read more about it here:

About My Approach

Therapy may be worth considering if:

• Stress, anxiety, anger, or sadness feel harder to manage and affect you more days than not

• You’re repeating the same patterns like avoidance or addiction no matter how hard you try

• You struggle to think clearly or concentrate

• Something is interfering with your work, relationships, or focus

• You feel stuck, isolated, unmotivated, or worn down

You don’t have to be in crisis.

If what’s happening is consistently disrupting your life, that’s enough reason to explore support.

But that first step can feel huge. That’s why I offer a free 20-minute discovery call. We can talk it through without pressure.

Let’s start a conversation.

This is extremely common — especially among men who are used to carrying responsibility without showing strain.

You may be handling work, relationships, and daily life… while internally feeling tense, disconnected, or constantly pushing yourself to keep it together.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to benefit from therapy. You don’t need to have Generalized Anxiety Disorder to know anxiety is causing you problems.

Some challenges, such as video game addiction, don’t even have a formal diagnosis at present.

You might just need space to:

• Understand what’s happening beneath the surface

• Reduce the constant mental pressure

• Develop new ways of responding to your internal and external challenges

If this resonates, you may also want to read about:

• Anxiety Counseling for Men

• Counseling for Stress & Burnout

The first session is about clarity rather than commitment.

We’ll review policies and logistics briefly. Then we’ll talk about:

• What brought you to therapy

• What’s been happening recently

• What you want more (or less) of in your life

You don’t need perfectly formed goals. You don’t need to be crystal clear on your challenges. You don’t need a rehearsed story.

At the end of the session, I’ll ask how it felt and whether you’d like to continue. This gives you the power of choice with no pressure.

No.

Many people start therapy knowing what they don’t want but not yet knowing what they do want.

Part of our early work is building clarity. We’ll explore:

• What would life look like if this problem wasn’t running the show?

• How would we know things were improving?

• What would “steady” or “confident” actually look like for you?

We translate vague frustration into specific direction. Then we build practical steps forward.

Some therapy is primarily reflective. For many men, this can feel like a lot of talk with no action. This can lead to frustration with therapy. On the other hand, therapy is not like going to a doctor’s office in which the doctor diagnoses your problem and simply gives you instructions to follow. I know theories and techniques, but you know yourself.

That’s why my style is collaborative and action-oriented but guided by the outcomes you’re seeking.

We pay attention to what’s happening internally — thoughts, emotions, reactions — and then we ask:

What do we want to do with this?

Insight matters. But insight without action rarely changes anything.

I won’t tell you what to do. I will:

• Challenge patterns when needed

• Offer ideas based on professional and even personal experience

• Help you experiment with new responses

• Adjust if something isn’t working

You stay in the driver’s seat. I help with navigation.

For more detail on how this works, you can visit:

About My Approach

It depends on your goals and the pace of change.

Some clients come for a few months to work through a specific issue.
Others stay longer as new goals emerge.

We’ll regularly assess:

• Is this helping?

• Are we going in the direction you want?

• Are you gaining traction?

• Do we need to adjust frequency?

As change happens, sessions often space out.

My goal isn’t to keep you in therapy indefinitely. It’s to help you build enough clarity and skill that you don’t need me.

That’s okay.

Many men weren’t taught how to identify or articulate emotions, especially under pressure.

You don’t need to show up emotionally fluent.

We start with what you can describe: tension, irritation, burnout, overthinking, frustration. From there, we build awareness in a practical way.

Emotional awareness isn’t the end goal. It’s information you can use to respond more intentionally.

Yes.

Therapy is governed by HIPAA, just like medical care. What we discuss stays between us, with limited legal exceptions related to safety.

Because I operate as a private-pay practice, your care is not micro-managed or reviewed by an insurance company. Some clients prefer this added layer of privacy — particularly those in small communities, leadership roles, military service, or exploring sensitive personal topics.

If you have specific privacy concerns, we can talk through them.

Let’s start a conversation.