Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about therapy, access, fees, telehealth, privacy, and what to expect before beginning care.
Starting therapy can come with a lot of practical questions. This page gathers common questions about Authentic Arch Counseling so you can better understand whether this practice, access pathway, and style of care may be a good fit.
If you do not see your question here, you are welcome to reach out. You do not need to have everything figured out before making contact.
These questions cover the basics of beginning therapy with Authentic Arch Counseling, including fit, access, and what to include when reaching out.
How do I start therapy with Authentic Arch Counseling?
Start by reviewing the Get Started and Fees & Access pages. These pages explain location requirements, fees, access pathways, and what to include when you reach out. If you are unsure which access pathway applies to you, you can contact Philip before scheduling.
What should I include in my first message?
A brief message is enough. Please include the state where you will be physically located for therapy sessions, your access pathway if you know it, any general scheduling needs, and a sentence or two about what you are hoping therapy can support.
Getting started
Do I need to know which platform to use before reaching out?
No. You do not need to have the platform details figured out before making contact. If you are unsure whether SimplePractice, Tava Health, Atreyu Therapy Cottage, Open Path, Pineapple Support, or another access pathway applies to you, that can be clarified before care begins.
Does reaching out mean I am automatically a client?
No. Reaching out does not guarantee availability or establish a therapy relationship. A therapy relationship begins only after fit, access, consent, paperwork, and scheduling are confirmed.
Do you offer therapy for children, teens, couples, or families?
Authentic Arch Counseling provides virtual outpatient individual therapy for adults. This practice does not provide therapy for children or teens, couples therapy, family therapy, emergency care, or 24/7 support.
Fees and access
These questions cover direct AAC fees, platform-based billing, lower-cost access pathways, and how to understand which access option may apply.
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Direct Authentic Arch Counseling fees are $250 for the initial intake session and $200 for each 53-minute individual therapy session. These fees apply to direct AAC access unless another arrangement has been confirmed in writing.
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Yes. Fees, billing, insurance verification, benefits, membership requirements, or payment expectations may vary depending on the access pathway. Tava Health, Atreyu Therapy Cottage, Open Path, Pineapple Support, and Tau Mental Health once available may each have their own billing or eligibility process.
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Insurance access may be available through specific platform-based pathways, such as Tava Health, depending on eligibility, plan participation, state, provider enrollment, and platform requirements. Coverage should always be confirmed directly through the platform and your insurance plan before beginning care.
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Lower-cost access may be available through specific pathways such as Open Path or Pineapple Support for eligible clients. These programs have their own eligibility requirements, membership or application processes, and availability limits.
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A Good Faith Estimate explains expected therapy costs for clients who are uninsured, paying directly, or choosing not to use insurance. It is not a final bill or contract, but it can help clarify expected costs before care begins.
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Tau Mental Health is expected to become an additional access pathway in Fall 2026. It is not currently active for scheduling through Authentic Arch Counseling, and details may change before the pathway becomes available.
Telehealth and location
These questions cover virtual therapy, where you need to be located for sessions, and what to consider if you are traveling or temporarily out of state.
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You must be physically located in Massachusetts, Maine, or Washington at the time of each therapy session. This includes adults in Greater Boston and across Massachusetts, as well as adults located in Maine or Washington.
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No. Authentic Arch Counseling provides virtual outpatient therapy only. Sessions are held through secure telehealth rather than in a physical office.
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It depends on where you are physically located at the time of the session. If you are traveling outside Massachusetts, Maine, or Washington, therapy may not be available until you return to an eligible state.
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You will need a private space, a reliable internet connection, and a phone, tablet, or computer that can support secure video sessions. If privacy is difficult where you live, we can talk about practical options that may help.
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No. Telehealth can be a meaningful way to access therapy, but it may not be appropriate for emergencies, urgent crisis needs, situations requiring a higher level of care, or times when you cannot speak privately or safely.
Therapy style and fit
These questions cover who Authentic Arch Counseling may be a good fit for, how therapy works here, and what clients can expect from the approach.
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Authentic Arch Counseling works with adults, including LGBTQIA+ adults, veterans, and others who have spent a long time surviving inside roles that left too little room for the full truth of who they are.
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Therapy may support concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma and shame, burnout, identity exploration, relationship patterns, life transitions, kink, polyamory, ENM, and the emotional impact of roles, expectations, or survival patterns that no longer fit.
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Therapy with Philip is warm, direct, collaborative, and whole-person. Sessions may include reflection, practical coping tools, values work, nervous system awareness, self-compassion, identity exploration, and attention to the environments and relationships shaping your life.
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No. You do not need to arrive with a perfectly organized therapy agenda. Part of the work can be naming what feels heavy, confusing, tender, unfinished, or ready to change.
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No. You do not have to tell the whole story before care can begin. Therapy can move at a pace that respects safety, readiness, trust, and what feels possible to name.
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Yes. Authentic Arch Counseling is LGBTQIA+ affirming, kink-aware, and supportive of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy. Consensual identity, desire, relationship structure, and community belonging are not treated as problems to explain away.
Privacy, communication, and crisis support
These questions cover communication boundaries, privacy considerations, response expectations, and what to do if you need urgent or crisis support.
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Website forms and email are useful for basic communication, but they may not be the best place to share highly sensitive clinical details. A brief message with practical information is enough before care begins.
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Please avoid sending detailed trauma history, highly sensitive personal information, urgent crisis information, or long clinical updates through website forms, email, or voicemail before therapy begins.
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Philip responds to messages as soon as he is able during regular practice hours. Response times may vary depending on clinical schedule, weekends, holidays, and availability.
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No. Email, voicemail, website forms, and platform messages are not monitored 24/7 and should not be used for emergencies or urgent crisis needs.
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Formal therapy confidentiality begins once a therapy relationship has been established. Before beginning care, you will receive practice documents that explain confidentiality, privacy practices, telehealth, records, communication, and the legal and ethical limits of confidentiality.
Still have questions?
You do not need to have every detail figured out before reaching out. If you are unsure about therapy fit, fees, access pathways, telehealth, privacy, or next steps, you are welcome to ask.
A brief message with your location, access pathway if known, and what you are hoping therapy can support is enough to begin.