Frequently Asked Questions Q: Who does Full Life Counseling serve? A: Full Life Counseling serves middle-class families needing services for problems with alcohol, medication and drug use. There are many options available for the very wealthy and very poor, but middle class families have few options. Typically, these families have strong relationships, professional success, and prominence and respect in their communities. Often no one would ever know that their lives are affected by substance abuse. Full Life Counseling exists to be a part of the solution for such families. Q: What if I'm not really sure that the person I love has a substance abuse problem? A: The Safe Use Check-Up is a great way to help find out if there's reason for concern. It is true that not everyone who experiences problems due to alcohol, medications or drugs has a problem. But everyone who ever developed a problem had opportunities along the way to change the course. If you or someone you love is on the road to alcoholism or addiction, it is better to know sooner than later. Q: I'd love for you to do a program with my group. Do you do programs for churches, civic clubs or classes? A: Yes. Some examples of past programs are: "Faith, Families & Addiction;" "Recognizing Adolescent Substance Abuse;" "Substance Abuse Family Education;" "Older Adults & Addiction," and others. Please call for more information. Q: Where is your office, and when do you see clients? A: The Full Life Counseling office is located at 942 West Fourth Street in Winston-Salem, NC. We are across from Grace Court and 3 doors down from the West End Cafe. Appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday with evening hours available on Tuesdays. Sometimes groups are scheduled on Monday evenings at 7:30 and special programs in off-site locations may be offered on Friday evenings. Weekend services are available only by special arrangement. Q: I'm terrified to ask for help, but I'm just as terrified to do nothing! The person I love thinks I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but it's tearing me apart! How could Full Life Counseling help me? A: Sometimes one of the healthiest things you can do is get help for yourself, even if your loved one is not ready to accept help. If you believe that the person you love could be in danger of experiencing serious life consequences due to substance abuse, it may be time for a structured intervention to help encourage them to choose life and recovery over continued self-destruction. Full Life Counseling provides counseling for family members and intervention services. Q: For years I've been begging the person I love to stop drinking or get help. How can Full Life Counseling help if he/she will not accept help? A: Many people believe that you can't help a person who hasn't "hit bottom," but at Full Life Counseling, we believe that earlier intervention is possible. When families are able to unite and approach the person with a solid plan for recovery and an outpouring of love, it is possible to avoid years of unhappiness and devastation. That's how a Full Life Counseling intervention using the Love First model can make all the difference. Q: We've caught our teenager in a few situations involving alcohol or drugs. How do I know whether this is just typical teenage experimentation or something to be worried about? A: Ginny Mills has over 20 years experience working with adolescents and their families. Frankly, it is rare for young people to get all the way through adolescence without experimenting with alcohol, drugs or both. It's also rare that they get caught the first time they experiment. It's also true that substance use is often part of an overall pattern of acting out behavior. But, we know that teen addiction develops much faster than addiction in adults due to brain development. So prompt attention to serious problems could be essential. A Safe Use Check-Up at Full Life is a great way to find out whether or not to be afraid and, if so, what to do about it. Q: Who are the counselors at Full Life Counseling? A: Ginny Mills and David Pate are the primary counselors at Full Life, but other professionals may provide isolated services as part of our team. Q: I hate to admit it, but I really do not want to be seen going into a place that offers counseling services. How can Full Life Counseling help me? A: The Full Life Counseling office in the West End neighborhood of Winston-Salem is in a cluster of renovated homes with offices for lawyers, tutors, financial advisors, counselors, a talent search company and a spa. Those visiting these offices are not necessarily assumed to be seeking counseling services. Nevertheless, some people just prefer "house calls," and Full Life Counseling can accommodate those needs as well ~ even if you live outside of Forsyth County. Special rates apply. Q: Couldn't I just call you and have counseling on the phone? A: Phone counseling is a viable option in some cases. Billing arrangements must be made in advance, and a face-to-face session may be required in some cases. A free phone consultation is available upon request. Please call for information. Q: Do you just work with adults? A: Full Life Counseling offers Safe Use Check-Ups to adolescents, adults and older adults. Intervention teams may include family members as young as 12 years old, but we recommend against having younger children present for the intervention itself. Q: What do you mean, "older adults?" You don't mean that elderly people have these kinds of problems do you? A: Actually, older adults affected by alcoholism and accidental addiction to prescription medications are a growing concern in the medical and treatment community. Ginny Mills has received extensive training related to the different ways that addiction presents in older adults and the strong reasons for treatment instead of simply allowing the older adult to continue using until their death. There could be many years of happy, healthy living in recovery available for people of all ages, and there are special treatment programs that offer age-appropriate services for older adults. Q: Your fees seem expensive, but I must admit, I really don't know how much this kind of thing costs. Should I be shopping around for the best price? A: Full Life Counseling fees are squarely positioned in the moderate range ~ not free ~ and not nearly as expensive as many. Private counseling rates in this region range from $90 - $130 per hour. Some interventionists charge an all-inclusive rate that covers all their sessions, research time and time spent escorting the person to treatment. Their fees range from $5000-$12,000. Instead, Full Life Counseling uses an "a la carte" fee schedule so that you only pay for the services you receive. In 2011 our average intervention total cost (services plus travel expenses) was $2344 ranging from a low of $363 to a high of $5225. Q: I notice that your website doesn't have a Treatment Centers page. Why not? A: Full Life Counseling honors ethical codes that prohibit receiving any referral fees for directing clients to specific treatment programs, and it would be easy for website visitors to assume otherwise. Treatment needs, insurance benefits, personal preferences and other factors are so individual. Consequently, it is the policy of Full Life Counseling to determine the unique needs of the individual and their family and then carry out research to find the best program to meet their unique circumstances. Q: What if all I really want is a DWI assessment, not any of that other stuff? A: There are many providers of DWI services in nearly every community. Full Life Counseling does not provide DWI assessments, ADETS or provide 508 forms. For a current listing of authorized DWI providers in NC, click HERE and then click on your county of residence. Q: What if all I really want is to get my teenager drug-tested every now and then? A: Although it is preferred that those seeking drug testing services be receiving other Full Life Counseling services, this is not a requirement. Drug testing can be one of the most powerful tools in the parent toolbox. Full Life Counseling uses Redwood Toxicology Labs for highly reliable results at a fraction of the cost of local testing services and much more reliable results than those from drug-testing kits purchased from a drug store or online. Q: What about confidentiality? If I end up in court, how can getting services at Full Life Counseling come back to haunt me? A: State and federal laws protect all communications between mental health professionals and their clients. The federal law known as 42 CFR Part 2 offers special protections for those receiving services related to alcohol or other drug use, and these laws override HIPAA standards that allow the free-flow of communications between health care providers serving the same individual. No information, including your identity as a Full Life Counseling client, may be released except under the following circumstances:
Q: What if our loved one lives in another state? Will you go there for an intervention? A: Yes, Full Life Counseling will meet you and your family in any safe location for all services. Special rates apply, including travel expenses and travel time. Q: What about the counseling groups? Detach with Love, Sober Coaching, Parenting in Recovery, etc.? When are they available? A: Counseling, education and coaching groups are offered periodically according to the needs of the community. Typically, these groups are time-limited (usually 6 weeks) and meet once or twice per month in the evenings, but not all groups are available at all times. If you are interested in a particular group, please contact our office. Q: Why do you use a Pfafftown P.O. Box as your mailing address? A: A post office box is chosen as a way to protect our clients' confidentiality, and the Pfafftown post office is personally convenient for Ginny Mills. The post office offers the most secure and private handling of mail (especially when compared to the exterior letter box at the Fourth St. office building), and all correspondence from Full Life Counseling is labeled with the P.O. Box as the return address. This further protects our clients' confidentiality. | |
